"Suction / Gold Dredging" Alternatives !!

Hello Everyone .
We all heard the famous saying : When there's a Will there is a Way !!

Gold Motorized Suction Dredging is still illegal in California . But people are turning to alternative "Gold Prospecting" methods to keep working and keep local economy's thriving . Oregon state is also changing their Laws on dredging .

Bored Politicians who can not solve the "Real Big" Problems like "Unemployment and Government deficits[in the billions] work on other issues like "BAN GOLD DREDGING" just to kill time and get kick backs from special interest groups that hurt the economy even further !!

California's Economy is very , very bad , the whole state should file for Bankruptcy !!  There is even talk of dividing California into 7 little states , a pretty crazy idea . But it was a crazy idea to put a ban on suction gold dredging !!

Spring is in the air . Here are some new alternative Methods and loopholes being used right now :

Please feel free to comment and add to this subject , a great topic " Suction / Gold Dredging Alternatives"

Here is a good article and link from the nice people of the 49ers club :

Galice Mining District
   New 49'ers Discover Loop Hole in California Suction Dredge Ban

In a recent article entitled "Suction mining underwater without a “dredge!”",  Dave McCracken of the New 49ers out of Happy Camp, California discusses his recent investigation into California's ban on suction dredging. In particular, he discusses the recent discovery of a legal loophole in California's already illegal anti-mining legislation.

Says, McCracken, "Let me begin this by informing you that I am not a licensed attorney. Therefore, I am prohibited by law from providing legal advice. So the material here should just be taken as my own opinion based upon the factual material which I will present to you.  You guys are free to form your own opinions and take responsibility for your own actions.  Having said that, I will also inform you that our attorney has reviewed the following explanation and agrees that government officials are bound by the very language that they enforce upon us – and that my reasoning here is sound.
 
This discussion began on our Internet Forum where I announced that we have recently acquired the richest dredging claim along the Klamath River near Happy Camp, which will also provide some fantastic surface and underwater crevicing opportunities because of the gentle slope of exposed bedrock which is extending off the side of the river where the gold path is located. In my announcement, I pointed out that there is nothing in California’s dredging moratorium that prevents us from crevicing underwater using a motorized hookah air system, or even using a water pressure system to help blow gravel out of cracks.  The question I posed to our forum members is how to get the gold up and into a catch container without using a suction dredge."

In response to my question, one of our more informed members sent me a copy of the California Department of Fish & Game’s (DFG) current suction dredge regulations which clearly state that “A person is suction dredging as defined when all of the following components are working together: (A) a hose which vacuums sediment from a river stream or lake; and (B) A motorized pump; and (C) A sluice box.” The regulations further state, “Every person who operates the suction nozzle of any suction dredge shall have a suction dredge permit in his or her immediate possession.” These regulations are current now, having been formally adopted in California on April 27, 2012.
 
The existing moratorium in California prevents DFG from issuing suction dredge permits.  We are strenuously challenging the moratorium in several jurisdictions.  Until our challenges are resolved, it is unlikely that we can operate suction dredges as defined by the regulations without being cited.  Since most of us don’t want to be in trouble with the authorities, we have been doing our dredging in southern Oregon for the past few seasons.

But looking closer at the California regulations, there does remain a way for us to go down on the bottom of California’s waterways and suction up the shallower, higher-grade gravels.  This is because, as defined by DFG’s own formal regulations, as long as we remove the sluice box from our motorized suction system, we are not operating a “suction dredge.”  Said another way, there is an opportunity to use a motorized suction system to transfer high-grade gravel from one place in the river or creek to another location where the gravel can be more-easily processed in a separate system.
 
I am in possession of written communication from a high ranking DFG official, the very person who was in charge of developing the current regulations, which acknowledges that underwater suction-powered gravel transfer would not be considered “suction dredging” as long as the sluice box is removed from the system.  He also cautioned that there are water quality concerns and also streambed alteration considerations.  So there would be some limits involved."

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Fantastic !!!   

Next will be information on dry Dredging that is becoming very popular again  , just bring water or Siphon from a nearby river without disturbing the bottom !!!!

Best Regards and "HH" [Happy Hunting]...............Eugene


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