Alaskan Pay dirt

[SteveDigsGems]

Earlier this evening I decided to pan some Alaskan pay dirt that I bought from an eBay seller. I bought 1 pound for $15, and it is guaranteed to have gold, because the lady sprinkles a pinch in. I didn't get rich, but I am really happy with the experience I got out of it. I have a lot of friends that want to travel out to my local gold bearing rivers with me to sluice, but before we go, I'm probably going to have them pan some of the dirt in my backyard. It is a good opportunity for them to see how the gold behaves, and it will motivate them for the upcoming trip.





Sorry about the quality, my camera ran out of batteries, this is an iPad picture. I'll get some batteries next time I'm at the store and upload what I found.







-Steve

 

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[Oakview2]

Chin up and plow forward. Everything you are encountering is by design to help discourage from mining. Don't give them the satisfaction. Plow forward, and chase your dream in spite of them.

 

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[KevinInColorado]

What he^^^ said!

Try having a little cruel fun by asking the msha trainer whether their instructions trump NFS (I bet they do!) ...bet he won't know ;-)

 

[Jessicamae3]

Keep pushing forward and don't give up! Your gumption is what made our country great. If it takes a while, all the sweeter your reward will be. Nothing comes easy and you are living proof! Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

[elkie13]

It's a sad day. We have decided to go and remove all of our equipment today. We are waiting to hear the decision from the Forest Service before we move forward on this MSHA thing. We simply can't afford industrial hygienists, pristine equipment, nor the 60 thousand dollar fine for operating under the radar. I talked to the miners association, and was told that since its impossible for small operators to comply with these rules, they have decided to not follow them. They think the likely hood of MHSA finding every mom and pop placer in an area twice the size of Texas is impossible, and they are right. However, I have been asking them questions, they know my name. MSHA claims that questions will not spur enforcement actions, but even my instructor rolled his eyes when I asked about that.

So if the Forest Service approves our plan and if they set the bond somewhere we can manage, and if we can get thought the reams of paperwork, and if we can afford to fix/replace every piece of equipment we have, and if its even possible to comply with two masters ( FS AND MSHA) we will mine again.

We started this as a little fun thing we could maybe build into something more, it's turned into a nightmare. Consider writing your congressmen and asking them why a little family run grocery store is exempt form OSHA but a small mine is not exempt from MSHA. It's simple, if nobody is mining then no one gets hurt.

 

[Fullpan]

If its any consolation, the one of the richest hard rock mines in ca. (16-to-1 mine) suffered the same fate. I thought Alaska was still using some common sense.
guess not. Guess that leaves only Tierra Del Fuego for opportunities.

 

[Jeff95531]

Kind of like you can metal detect but not dig. You can look but not touch. You can touch but not take. It's an out of control epidemic across the board. Sooner or later, we all will become outlaws. I am sad for you and all those concerned there. Good luck in starting over.

 

[mtau]

The feds have ruled, and regulated the small miner out of existence. The only way to get by, is under the radar. It use to be, MSHA didn't get involved unless you had employees, but now they claim that they have jurisdiction over an owner-operator operation. It's sad that when you try to do things right, they slam the door in your face.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

What's worse is if they can't find away to chase us off, they just gate roads and call it restricted. Remember this is the same govt that is chasing a man across the world for doing what he was told to do... See something say something my ass!

 

[elkie13]

Who is John Galt?



Guys we are sitting around the campfire right now. We are making plans, when I got back to this place, I knew we couldn't quit. Yes we are pulling back, but this is FAR from over.

 

[Fullpan]

I hear the crackling flames from here. with you in spirit - party on, til atlas shrugs.

 

[Oakview2]

I am sorry to hear that the dogs on on your doorstep, but not at all suprised. Don't give up, call your local congressman and see if he or she can put some pressure on them on your behalf... Good luck, good health, and good hunting.

 

[ckd315]

Those fathead, lazy bureaucrats come up with the most ridiculous reasons to justify their existence... The only thing they are renowned for protecting is their own positions and pensions... I say to hell with them...

 

[elkie13]

So I called the forest service to get an update on how many more days we had until the 30 day public comment period was over for our submitted plan of operation. They haven't gotten approval to start it yet!!!!! Goodbye summer, no mining this year it looks like. Oh well, it will give us time to save up for the enormous bond they are going to most likely ask for. And time to figure out what the hell to do about this MSHA thing. Anyone know what the mining laws are like in Canada?

 

[Jeff95531]

Sorry elkie13. So...they are going to make you go away by blinding you with paperwork and indefinite deadlines...that are long as they can create them. I got on this site in Feb of this year and in 6 short months I've watched (and yes even protested against) additional ridiculous prospecting restrictions here in CA to no avail. It is a David Vs Goliath situation and I have no choice but to peacefully protest in my own way. The only thing I have to offer is persevere....contact and insist on governmental intervention. It didn't work here, but hey, it's all we got.

 

[Oakview2]

ElkieSmartest placer miner I have had occasion to run across, is a guy by the name of Elder Miner. Not only is well versed in large placer opertions, but a sharp legal mind. He has run large operations throughout the west. I don't know about Alaska, but quite possibly. Hoser John has a lot of years, but I don't know if he has much large scale Alaska experience. Shoot him a post or pm, lay it all out for him, leave out nothing, and perhaps he can steer you in the right direction to push the correct Forrest Service Buttons. Good luck and good hunting...






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[elkie13]

Hi everyone,

Haven't written in a while. The forest service has not yet processed our paperwork, and the leaves are starting to turn. Time to start packing up and set our sites on next year. I took the time to run the enormous amount of black sand we had. Got a pretty good amount of gold out of it. It took about 12 hours a teaspoon full at a time!

Stay tuned for next year, were working with MSHA small mines program to get all our stuff in order and should we get our plan through forest service, which I think we eventually will, we will be set to go. We are even talking about a bigger better wash plant. Hope all of you are enjoying what's left of the mining season!

 

[Alex Burke]

Good luck next year Elkie, it seems a little crazy that you got shut down for pretty much power sluicing, with the short season they pretty much cost you half the season, you are taking it well I would be quite upset Hang in there, I think you got few replies not because we don't support you it's just hard to say anything useful in response in these situations. GL. Alex

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good luck next year Elkie, it seems a little crazy that you got shut down for pretty much power sluicing, with the short season they pretty much cost you half the season, you are taking it well I would be quite upset Hang in there, I think you got few replies not because we don't support you it's just hard to say anything useful in response in these situations. GL. Alex

Well said! I really appreciate the posts Elkie and read every bit, cheering you on from the sidelines!!!

 

[Jeff95531]

Good luck on good gold and may your "permissions" come fast and easy. I really enjoyed (and missed) your posts.

 

[elkie13]

Public Comment Period has begun!!! I promised you guys when the public comment period had started, I'd let you guys know. Here's a copy of what they put in the paper, the guy helping us at the Forest Service really did a good job I think. I doesn't sound like that big of a deal when he boiled down our plan to how many trees to cut and how many feet of road we need to use. If any of you want to take the time to write supporting us, I would Really appreciate it!

I asked what they look for when deciding to consider a comment and they gave me a few pointers.

The guidelines they look for when looking at the comments are as follows: specific written comments should be within the scope of the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the proposed action, and must include supporting reasons for the responsible official to consider.

Try to speak to only to this proposal and keep your personal opinions about the Forest Service or the US Government out of it or it will be discarded. If you say "the Forest Service should move faster on approving plans", we all agree with that but its not really about the proposal so it will not be considered.

Thank you all for your support and keep your fingers crossed.