As stated they are not a gold club but an advocacy group. Watch some of the videos and you will get a feel for who they are and the quality of their claims.
The post by Hurthawk yesterday entitled "positive news for prospectors..." tells me that the 200 bucks is worth it. Just think how much it would cost a bunch of guys to hire their own lawyer, researcher, and spokesman to TRY to get a meeting with head of the Stanislaus NF.