Archive for the 'Announcements' Category

BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office Announces Public Workshops on Draft Management Plan

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled two public meetings on the Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan (RMP) which was released for public review and comment on September 23, 2011.

The BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office will hold two public meetings:

November 29th at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve, 14715 State Hwy 94 (Campo Road), Jamul, 91935

November 30th at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 6th Street, Temecula, 92590. (Click Here for a Map)

Meetings will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The meetings will be conducted in “open house” format with a presentation on the alternatives presented in the Draft RMP and the opportunity for the public to view maps and other sections of the Draft RMP. Copies of the Draft RMP will be available along with the opportunity to ask managers and planning specialists questions about the alternatives. All comments must be in writing and submitted prior to the close of the 90 day comment period on December 21, 2011.

The Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will provide guidance for the management of approximately 300,000 acres of BLM administered public lands in portions of five highly urbanized Southern California counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles. The existing South Coast RMP was completed and signed in 1994. Since that time there have been significant changes in the patterns of urban growth, increased demands on the resources on public lands, changing policies and emphasis on the management of public lands and local land use planning, and new data that has led to the listing of additional threatened or endangered species.

The public is invited to submit comments on the Draft RMP/EIS prior to December 21, 2011, by email to: capsscrmp@ca.blm.gov or by mail to: BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

“We look forward to the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the public on how to manage our public lands for years to come,” BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Manager John Kalish said. “When completed, the RMP will provide broad guidance for management of this planning area for the next 20 years.”

For more information about the plan and the proposed revisions, please visit http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings/SCRMP_Revision.html

The September Mid-Week Metal Detecting Outing will at Oceanside Harbor.

When: Tuesday September 13 @ 8:00 am

Where: Oceanside Harbor – South End near Jetty

Note:  Keep all that you find.

The September Metal Detecting Outing will at La Jolla Shores.

When: Sunday September 11 @ 7:00 am

Where: La Jolla Shores

Note:  Gloating & Whining over finds @ 10:00 am

Thanks to all of you who took the time to share your feelings through letters, emails, faxes, & phone calls to Governor Brown about the California Budget addendum that would have crushed suction dredging in California for another 5 years.That loud outcry had an impact and the Governor vetoed the legislation. The Department of Fish & Game will now be allowed to finish the study that is almost complete.

This is a small victory for prospectors throughout the state, but we need to stay on top of this issue because we aren’t out of the woods yet.

The Governor may have vetoed the legislation, but it sounds more like it was to not violate the court order rather than a support for dredging:

“While I am vetoing this language to ensure the Department is not in violation of the court order,” Brown wrote in his veto message, “I directed the Secretary of Resources to examine the program and associated polices before restarting the permit process.”

To keep yourself informed, the Sacramento Bee is a great source (www.sacbee.com).

Here are some recent articles relating to the California dredging issue.

Suction Dredging Backers Hail Gov. Brown’s Veto

Suction Dredging Study Will Go On After Brown Veto

Governor Brown Vetoes Attack on Suction Dredge Gold Miners

California Budget: Raising Taxes Indefensible While Killing Solvent Gold Mining Industry

Keep up the good work and Happy Prospecting!!

An excellent article was written in the newspaper THE SACRAMENTO BEE in the Viewpoints section on Sunday June 12.  It concerns California dredging and is called “Another View: Dredging Ban Steals Property Rights”.

Click here to read the article.

It’s a must read for all miners.

Chester

An excellent article was written in the newspaper THE SACRAMENTO BEE in the Viewpoints section on Sunday June 12.  It concerns California dredging.  The website for this article is:  http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/12/3692342/dredging-ban-steals-property-rights.html
It’s a must read for all miners.

Attention All California Miners:

There are several articles in various papers, mostly the Sacramento Bee that are carrying stories about the Budget Bill and the Trailer added to add a new 5 year Suction Dredge Moratorium. Basically, the environmentalists didn’t like what they saw in the initial Environmental Impact Study as it supported the 1994 study that showed that Suction Dredging IS NOT harmful to the environment.

If you ever want to be able to use a suction dredge in California again, it is imperative that you act now and voice your opinion!

Here are links to two articles in the Sacramento Bee where you can leave a comment at the bottom of the article. You may not think that it will help, but it makes a huge impact.

Catch-22 in California budget language may doom suction dredge mining

Ted Gaines blasts how lawmakers stymied suction dredge mining

Here is a link where you can fill out a form to email Governor Brown and let him know how you feel about this change to the budget and the negative impact on the mining community.

Email Governor Brown

The email method is the best way to get the information to Sacramento, but if you can’t do that then here is the Governor’s other contact information. If you use these other methods, try to FAX your comments as the phone calls carry little weight and the mail may not get reviewed for up to 90 days.

Mailing address:
Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160

Not sure what to say? Click here to get a sample letter/email. Be sure to change the letter to make it your own as they will typically discard canned letters.

Thank you for your help and support!