Presidents Message May 2012
We lost another one of our founding members this month. We had a couple who helped us learn how to file our documents for new claims. This couple would go with us to explore the areas to see if we should file and if there was still gold in those hills. I remember when Gary Hopkins drove his older Cadillac out on the Friendly Fox dirt and sandy roads.
Nancy was the brains in the family. She knew how to file the claims papers. When she first used to file for claims, the necessary information was on Micro Fiche film. When the BLM LR 2000 came out on the internet, she quickly learned it and taught Harriett how to use it and also how to file all papers needed for claim acquisition.
We became good friends with the couple and hung together like brothers and sisters. We began to travel together, camp together and just hang out together. We all got together and took a long vacation up to central and northern California. Nancy and Harriett would do all those girl things while Gary and I would go out and do a lot of prospecting together. We hiked and planted center posts and corner posts on various claims. Gary loved the Italian Bar and Duisenberg areas for prospecting and he did a lot of prospecting in his lifetime.
They moved up to Stockton, CA, Nancy had some medical problems, but that didn’t deter them from continuing their love for the outdoors. They still traveled and prospected together. Well, earlier this month, odds caught up with Gary. According to a Bakersfield newspaper article, Gary was digging in a four foot hole, in the Duisenberg, area, Puppy Feet claim and the surrounding dirt fell on him. It took a local fire department to get him out. He was sent alive to a local hospital. I read the article but at that time I didn’t know if this was the Gary I knew. We didn’t have any new phone numbers for them.
Tuesday morning, April 25, Nancy called. They had to let Gary go. While at the hospital, the doctors had to take one leg and then the other. He had internal and facial injuries. I did talk to Nancy and their son for a long time. They are grateful that he passed doing the one thing he loved doing. Nancy will go and live with their son. They are planning a memorial at Italian Bar and maybe spreading some ashes there.
So, why should I write about something that is sad? This is a fun organization that loves to do fun things. The reason is because this can happen to any of us who enjoys this type of event. Gary had years of experience. It can happen to my friends and those others I consider my brothers and sisters. Be very careful out there. Think ahead. Watch those holes and trails. If it doesn’t fall on you, or you fall off of it or into it, it may bite you.
God bless Gary, Nancy and family. Happy trails. Watch your step my friends and may all your finds and treasures be great.
Sourdough Chet

PLP AND WMA FILE LAWSUIT IN SAN BERNARDINO SUPERIOR COURT AGAINST CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FISH AND GAME

With the support of a Non-Profit Organization, Western Mining Alliance, and the PLP are teaming up to file yet another lawsuit in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
The lawsuit filed April 12, 2012 against the California Department of Fish & Game.
The suit is asking that an Injunction be granted against DF&G’s ”newly adopted suction dredge regulations” and their Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR).
WMA has taken up the challenge of partnering with PLP, combining their membership fees and donations, to bring more forces to bear against the DF&G’s newly adopted suction dredging regulations and their FSEIR.
The newly adopted suction dredge regulations and FSEIR add extreme restrictions on miners who are protected by the Federal Government’s 1872 Mining Laws as well as various other Federal laws.
As stated in the article, “In the fifty years of suction dredging, there hasn’t been one reported case of harm to fish.”
For complete statement and information, please refer to www.freeprnow.com

Well, the BLM is closing some more roads. This is in the West Mojave area. Evidently the Hi Desert Gold
Diggers got wind of it and had asked a BLM representative to speak at their meeting on the closures. One of our
members just happened to be at their meeting and sent me the info. The HDGD’s were worried that this may
affect some of their claims and were asked by the BLM representative to indicate which roads and claims were
used the most. Well, what about other southern California clubs? What about other gem and mineral
organizations or just the general public. Why we are not informed on all these road closures? We have a
petition going, but it may be too little too late again. Sometimes, I just think that the BLM and Fish and Game
plan it that way.

On a positive note, we had a great display at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum. There were a lot of
positive comments. Thank you Palomar Gem and Mineral Club for asking us.

We have a booth at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum on April 13, 14 & 15. Set up on the 13th and the
show on the 14th and 15th. We’ll do it just like the gold show events, but we will also have a free kids panning for
some fool’s gold. We will also have an area set up for metal detecting. Don’t plan on just coming to metal detect
and not help. We will also have dowsing rods for sale and demo.

The Lucerne Valley trip for March was postponed because of much rain on the dry lake. So, it is back on for
April. I hope everyone saved their information on this. I talked to a meteorite specialist with the gem and
mineral club and he doesn’t use anything but his eyes to look for meteorites on the dry lake surface. The pebbles
are so few and far between, that he picks up everything for a look-see. Or he just sets his magnet on every
pebble. We’ll see how that goes…….

There is also the GPAA Gold Show in April, but we won’t have a booth this year. It got to be the same volunteers
spending all their personal money to make some money for the TSS. We want to have more community events,
have fun with the locals and maybe make some funds for our organization.

Have fun everyone. Enjoy the outdoors before they close it all up.

Sourdough Chet

The Treasure Seekers of San Diego County’s official newsletter is called Finders Keepers and is published monthly. It contains information about the organization, interesting articles, as well as good information about Gold Prospecting & Treasure Hunting. The links below are for the newsletters published during 2011. Each newsletter is a PDF file and when you click on the link it will open up in a new browser window for you to read. If you would like to save a copy to your local computer, simply right-click the link and select “Save Link As”.

I hope you enjoy them and may your prospects be Golden.

April 2012

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The Palomar Gem and Mineral Club is holding a Spring Show this weekend, Mar 24 and 25. Free admission and the Treasure Seekers will have a display there. The Escondido-based club holds its annual spring show with displays and sales of gems, minerals, fossils and jewelry along with children’s activities and a raffle; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat, March 25. Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Drive, Vista.

I found this information in the California Mining Journal as a free article. It is written by Scott Harn and called Revised Dredge Regulations Published for California – Pure Garbage. I am passing the Key Points, as he calls them, to you.

Key Points
• Limit of 1,500 permits issued per year.

• Maintain and submit an annual report card to include the location of each dredging site, dates and times of operation for each day, nozzle size, horsepower.

• Present license and report card when demanded by a DFG representative at any time.

• Permit suspension or revocation for failure to carry or present permit or report card upon demand for inspection.

• No suction dredge having an intake nozzle with an inside diameter larger than four inches may be used without an on-site inspection and written permission.

• Solid, one-piece, restrictor ring required and no quick release mechanism is allowed for the ring.

• The inside diameter of the intake hose may not be more than two inches larger than the permitted intake nozzle size.

• Intake pumps are required to be covered with a mesh screen with openings of 3/32” or less.

• A containment system must be added under motor and fuel tanks capable of handling the full contents of the fuel tank and lubricants.

• Motorized winching is only allowed after an on-site inspection.

• Winched materials must be left within the current water level.

• No operating within three feet of the lateral edge of the current water level, including the edge of instream gravel bars.

• No moving, cutting or destabilizing woody debris such as root wads, stumps or logs.

• Piling material to concentrate water flow can only be done after an on-site inspection and approval.

• No fuel, lubricants or chemicals may be stored within 100 feet of the current water level. If this is not feasible, a containment system must be in place beneath the containers and be capable of handling the full contents.

• Stream material may only be moved within the current water level.

• No displacing any material embedded on banks.

• No disturbing any mussel bed where at least 10 mussels are found within a square yard, and dredges and tailings must be at least 30 yards upstream or 10 yards laterally or downstream.

• Tailing piles shall be leveled before moving to another site or finishing for the season.

• Dredges must be cleaned of mud, oil, grease, debris, and plant and animal material before use.

• Dredges must be pressure washed with > 120-degree water or left to dry for two weeks before use in another location.

• No person shall operate a dredge within 500 feet of another dredge.

• Dredging is restricted to 10am to 4pm.

TREASURE SEEKERS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
FINDERS KEEPERS
March, 2012 Editor: Michael Michalski
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
I got the word that our membership went from 349 in November to 379 as of this message. I know Loren will be happy to know this because he has already recommended that we split our general meeting in two. One half of membership meeting on one night and the other half on another night. What he is trying to say is that we are getting extremely large. Our last
meeting we had 139 in attendance. We are set up for 120 and that takes up a large space.
Jerry, Robert, Ray and I went to the GPAA Rendezvous in Arizona. We had a lot of fun and met some really great people from GPAA Chapters all over the U.S. There were equipment demonstrations and speakers from various organizations including the PLP. There were also venders for many types of gold prospecting equipment and those who were selling gold for chapter and individual use. We split apart, did some skits and got to know some really great people. While Ray did the networking in the evening, Robert, Jerry and I got to know the local townsfolk in the old towns of Arizona. Dakota Fred, from the TV series Gold Rush was there to share stories of the series. We got pictures and autographs.
At the end of the week, the chapter representatives got to share with each other what goes on in our meetings. Ray and I got up and wowed the other chapters. We talked about the general meetings and the great speakers we have. We talked about our community events and school programs. We showed them our Claims Guide and discussed our claims requirements and how they are similar to the GPAA requirements We shared our membership population and meeting attendance. We showed them our coloring book we give to the kids at our shows (chapter members took pictures to show to their members).
Ray did a great job in the dowsing rod demonstration; we sold close to 30 sets to members of other chapters. We are already planning next year’s trip.
David Rice did such a great job on the ‘Painted Gorge’ trip that it attracted members of the Palomar Gem and Mineral Club.
They had nothing but compliments on the event. They even asked if we would set up a display for their event at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista (www.agsem.com). We said, “Yes.” The event is on the 24th and 25 of this month at 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave. in Vista. We will also have our own booth there next month, April 14 and 15. We will have gold
panning, metal detecting and dowsing rod demonstrations.
This month, we are going to the Lucerne Dry Lake for a meteorite hunt. And, thank you Charlene for putting us on to this site. Between her and Lee, they have supplied us with a great set of instructions and directions. This should be quite a trip and much closer that Franconia. This will be on March 17 and 18. I guess we can do the whole weekend or do just a day trip since it is only two and a half hours from Escondido.
There was a great write-up in a local magazine Escondido City (copies available at the meeting, local library and Chamber of Commerce). It is about Frank Trutta, a founding member of TSS, titled Escondido Treasure Hunter, Its The Thrill of the Hunt. It tells his treasure hunting stories and about his metal detecting and gold prospecting store. Even our Vice
President, Dwight Reed is featured. He told many stories of his experiences metal detecting. They have an awesome drawing of our TSS Logo on the first of a two page article. You gotta read it and the only copies I have will be at our next meeting.
Well, more things, new happenings, interesting information, different and changing programs going on within the Treasure Seekers of San Diego County. If you miss a meeting, you may not ever see it again because we are constantly trying to give you something new. So having said that, see you at the meeting. -Sourdough Chet

The Treasure Seekers of San Diego County’s official newsletter is called Finders Keepers and is published monthly. It contains information about the organization, interesting articles, as well as good information about Gold Prospecting & Treasure Hunting. The links below are for the newsletters published during 2011. Each newsletter is a PDF file and when you click on the link it will open up in a new browser window for you to read. If you would like to save a copy to your local computer, simply right-click the link and select “Save Link As”.

I hope you enjoy them and may your prospects be Golden.

March 2012

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In order to read the newsletters you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader or a compatible PDF reader installed. Click the Adobe link  below if you need to install it.

Went to the GPAA Rendezvous this year. Went to the first one in Stanton and this is the number 7 in Congress, AZ. Had a really great time with friends Jerry Goldstein and Robert Cook. Learned a lot and met some more great GPAA friends. We got to prospect on Elly’s claims and would like to stay for a couple of weeks. She is such a great lady and the Treasure Seekers presented her with a set of our dowsing rods. She really likes them and sait that they work so smooth. The three of us, and maybe more, will try to be there next year.

Went to the GPAA Rendezvous this year. Went to the first one in Stanton and this is the number 7 in Congress, AZ. Had a really great time with friends Jerry Goldstein and Robert Cook. Learned a lot and met some more great GPAA friends. We got to prospect on Elly’s claims and would like to stay for a couple of weeks. She is such a great lady and the Treasure Seekers presented her with a set of our dowsing rods. She really likes them and sait that they work so smooth. The three of us, and maybe more, will try to be there next year.