Detecting in a Wilderness Area of San Bernardino mountains?

[BugHunter]

I wonder if it is legal to metal detect in the Bignorn Mountain Wilderness area of the San Bernardino Mountains. There should be no claims in a wilderness area but this still does not mean that prospecting is allowed. Besides, this wilderness is split among FS and BLM and each agency might have its own rules. Very confusing. Did anybody go there recently?

 

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[Hard Prospector]

Gerald Hobbs(PLP pres. and owner of Stapp mining) should be able to tell you what mining rights you have detecting in a wilderness area. I would for sure contact him on the matter.

 

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[dieselram94]

Plp is about the only group standing up for us.

 

[Georgiy]

Take a look at some of Hefty1's posts under gold prospecting, it is at the very top of page 1. Gather together copies of some actual laws and keep them with you when you are "out there". A little bit of knowledge on our part used properly when contacted by 'the authorities'(gag) will keep them off of your back............63bkpkr

Add a PLP card to it (Public Land for the People) and you are good to go. PLP has attorneys ready to fight for your right. And membership is only $40 if I remember correctly.

 

[WVPapaw]

If agenda 21 is ever really carried out, a lot of good, decent, up standing citizens will be made into outlaws in the eyes of the government.

Don't you know that the objective is the criminalization of society by passing more laws to get more violations and convictions so they can take away the right to vote and the right to have firearms? That way they can control things for ever.

 

[Clay Diggins]

It's perfectly legal to prospect in any Wilderness area. You can not use motorized equipment in Wilderness areas so leave your ATVs and gas powered metal detectors behind.

Congress specifically encourages prospecting in Wilderness areas. Anyone who tells you different is full of themselves.

The Antiquities Act only applies to man made artifacts that are more than 100 years old. The collecting of coins, bullets and arrowheads found on the surface is specifically allowed in the law. Mining conducted under the 1872 Mining Act is also specifically exempted from the provisions of the Antiquities Act.

Wilderness areas provide a great opportunity for the dedicated gold prospector. If you have the opportunity to detect gold bearing Wilderness go do it! You've got an Act of Congress telling you it's your right.

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

this is great news ... anyone MD up in azusa cyn with good luck ? im pretty close by and would like to find a fellow MD who wants to hit some cyns , i will get my parking permit next yr but im jonesing to hunt up there even if i go alone .

 

[deserdog]

The answer I got about using a metal detector in wilderness areas is that it is considered motorized! Don't ask me how they came up with that, but that is what they told me.

 

[DizzyDigger]

this is great news ... anyone MD up in azusa cyn with good luck ?
im pretty close by and would like to find a fellow MD who wants to hit some cyns , i will get my parking
permit next yr but im jonesing to hunt up there even if i go alone .

Wilderness Area and Parking Permit are mutually exclusive terms IMO. Permits like that are simply
another way for "The State" to legally rape your wallet and your earnings. I do realize the Gestapo
will be "checking your papers", so there's not much choice in the matter, but it sure chaps my ass
to be forced to pay in order to access a public area.

Back in the late '70's and early '80's Azusa Canyon was little more than an off-road play area,
and it was not at all uncommon for there to be a variety of salty looking characters hanging
around up there. I wouldn't hike up there detecting without packing some kind of sidearm
and a cell phone, as you never know when you'll find a nest of two-legged rattlers cooking
meth or involved in some other nefarious venture.

Have you looked up in the Lytle Creek area? I was in there in early spring of this year,
and liked how the super-wide wash had lots of detecting opportunities. Not sure how
successful you'd be, but I would feel safer much there than Azusa.

 

[russau]

If agenda 21 is ever really carried out, a lot of good, decent, up standing citizens will be made into outlaws in the eyes of the government.

agenda21 has been and still is going strong! theyre takeing more land as we speak! it is usually under a different name (to keep the opinion high) but its a all consuming monster letting the wacoenviromentalists have "their way" with our land! and we pay for it!

 

[Clay Diggins]

If you are talking about the "Adventure Pass" being a parking permit you can just ignore it. The "Adventure Pass" was shot down for the last time in Federal Court more than a year ago - it's no longer enforceable. If you want to "donate" go ahead and pay the fee but no court will enforce the fine now. It's strictly a volunteer deal if you give them money for parking.

 

[pistol perfect]

I live in the san bernardino area and detect the entire mountain area. I have never been told to leave or anything in that nature. in all of california the only place I dont detect is areas very well landscaped. like really nice parks in nice areas or high visibilty areas well landscaped!

 

[Clarkkent81]

Would love to hit the canyons!

this is great news ... anyone MD up in azusa cyn with good luck ? im pretty close by and would like to find a fellow MD who wants to hit some cyns , i will get my parking permit next yr but im jonesing to hunt up there even if i go alone .

I would be up for going. Would love to hit the canyons with my MD.

 

[Grumpie]

I would do it even if it was illegal in CA. The laws that CA gov makes up on it's citizens infringe on there Constitutional Rights and its insane. No, two wrongs don't make a right but It sure would make me feel good. So, who's up for some MD in a wilderness area?

 

[RustyGold]

Sign me up! it belongs to us.

 

[Grumpie]

Sign me up! it belongs to us.

That's right

 

[K-Mann]

I would do it even if it was illegal in CA.

I'm with Grumpie....while I am NOT in favor of breaking the law, MD-ing in our mountains should NOT be a crime. Naturally, defacing, destroying the land is a different story than scratching in the dirt. The real crime is the pigs and slobs that leave their trash and graffiti after the weekends. The law should be going after these people and leave us prospectors alone. I have been going to Azusa canyon for 50 years (grew up in Covina) and it's sad to see what people have done. Still good gold up there, this past winter washed down a new layer of dirt...

 

[cpomike13]

I would do it even if it was illegal in CA.

I'm with Grumpie....while I am NOT in favor of breaking the law, MD-ing in our mountains should NOT be a crime. Naturally, defacing, destroying the land is a different story than scratching in the dirt. The real crime is the pigs and slobs that leave their trash and graffiti after the weekends. The law should be going after these people and leave us prospectors alone. I have been going to Azusa canyon for 50 years (grew up in Covina) and it's sad to see what people have done. Still good gold up there, this past winter washed down a new layer of dirt...

I agree with you, just about every time I go up, I end up taking more trash, than I brought. It never ends. City folk don't know any better. I've metal detected up there, but I find is trash or bullets.

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