Anyone dealt with cowlitz river ranger station concerning mining in GPNF?

[Ragnor]

I filed my claim with the county yesterday and will be headed down to Portland soon to file the BLM. My claim is in the Cowlitz river ranger district.
I do not like the idea of having to ask permission to work on my claim, but I guess that is the law.

Anyone know if these guys are reasonable and/or accommodating?

I already see that 'significant disturbance' is a subjective opinion which I find rather significantly disturbing myself.

Basically I want to trench into a high bench and see what is down there. Nothing fancy just pic and shovel work. I am one of these people with a really bad charisma role. Nobody ever wants to cooperate with me.
I have a brother who could probably go in there and come home with the guys 1968 baracuda that he has had parked under a tarp in the barn for the last 20 years just for the price of moving it. But me, I'd be lucky to get a free cup of coffee.

So anyway, has anyone dealt with the GPNF forest service on mining claims? Do they allow claims to be worked or are they on board with crashing the economy completely?
Not like I wanna go in there and set up a full scale washer plant. I just want to poke around and find some gold.

 

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[Clay Diggins]

You don't have to get permission to handwork your claim. Check out USA v Tierney.

There's a download of the case decision on that linked page.

Heavy Pans

 

[Underburden]

May want to remove that last sentence Ragnor...you're claim is invalid without a current valuable discovery.
Technically speakin
Bob

 

[winners58]

Not invalid, just not proven, you would still have a possessory right to develop and hold your claim
the validity test would apply if it was a National Recreation Area, wilderness and primitive area, Wild and Scenic River...
FS 2810 Mining Claims PDF
you can work your claims at the level of casual or prospecting, always a good idea to be in touch with the local FS district

Although the statues require the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit prior to the location of a claim, the courts and the Department of the Interior have recognized a right of possession, in the absence of the discovery required by statute, if the claimant is diligently prospecting. The Forest Service recognizes this principle, and in keeping with the policy of encouraging bona fide prospecting and mining, will not discourage or unduly hamper these activities. Rather, the Forest Service should aid the legitimate activities of a prospector making bona fide efforts to obtain a discovery on a good prospect.

 

[goldenIrishman]

I was going to suggest the same as Clay but he beat me to it..... AGAIN!!!!

USA Vs Tierney is one of the court decisions I keep in my mining file box. Simply because it shows that the courts have stated that a "Hands and Pans" type of operation CAN NOT cause a significant disturbance. Tom Tierney is a good guy and the president of the Hauchuca Miners in Sierra Vista, AZ which I used to be a member of.

Read that decision Ragnor and you'll learn a bit on how the Forest Service thinks (or in this case doesn't) when it comes to mining in many areas. I was lucky in that where I was working down there was covered by a different district office that the area around Tom's claim. The Rangers by me were great guys and stopped by often to say hi and see how things were going. I even ended up teaching one of them how to pan.

 

[Hoser John]

Amen , if you use patience you can usually get them to calm down a bit. I just tell them other BLM/FS/FW officers who know me and no tickets ever in 58+ years a gold grubbn' and it sure makes a difference. Hence my creed..lean , mean, clean, quiet and good to go a huge % of the time-John

 

[goldenIrishman]

Yup... John is right as rain on that. If you take the time to get to know the "locals" and keep everything cleaned up by back filling your holes and keeping any trash picked up you should be fine. What ever you do... NEVER get into an argument with them! That will only cause bad feeling on the part of both parties and some of those guys/gals have a VERY long memory. Some of them can be very hard to remain nice to but bite your tongue and as my mom used to say "Sweet them to death".