dfg suction dredge report is out

Kuger- They really don't care about trout obviously with a "Class E" and lots of them, specially up here in the Sierra , as they propose that I dredge Sept-Jan right in the middle of the fall trout spawn. Not sure that I will send comment on that as they might make my claims a Class A, very scary. :-X

I can't even make it to my claims sometimes in December with the snow.
I do have lots of comments that I am working on and will take my time and put the thought into it.
Still going to Alaska this summer if all goes well and started looking at other states dredge regulations if the proposal should fly, I can't live with it. :(

If any one would like the summary of the proposed suction dredge program here well put together and less confusing: http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=27601

Please Send In Your Comments!!!! :thumbsup:
 

Great points G.H. The most scary one I see is the no dredging laterally 3 ft from the WATERLINE,and the "no",removal of sandbars!!!!Dont they know that bar will be back next year?

Hey since you cant dredge any "bank",material,is this going to change the existing Highbanker regs??

Still havent seen any price???Bet its double the old one!
 

Well i see you guys are finally getting it. I can stop bangin my head now.
Thanks

Hefty
 

Who was not getting it??
 

Login using Facebook (upper right) or create a free account to track bills.SB 657 (Gaines)
Vacuum or suction dredge equipment.The California Environmental Quality Act requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared by contract, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. The act exempts from its provisions, among other things, certain types of ministerial projects proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies, and emergency repairs to public service facilities necessary to maintain service.

Existing law prohibits the use of any vacuum or suction dredge equipment by any person in any river, stream, or lake of this state without a permit issued by the Department of Fish and Game. Existing law designates the issuance of permits to operate vacuum or suction dredge equipment to be a project under the California Environmental Quality Act, and suspends the issuance of permits, and mining pursuant to a permit, until the department has completed an environmental impact report for the project as ordered by the court in a specified court action. Existing law prohibits the use of any vacuum or suction dredge equipment in any river, stream, or lake, for instream mining purposes, until the director of the department certifies to the Secretary of State that (1) the department has completed the environmental review of its existing vacuum or suction dredge equipment regulations as ordered by the court, (2) the department has transmitted for filing with the Secretary of State a certified copy of new regulations, as necessary, and (3) the new regulations are operative.

This bill would repeal the prohibition on the use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment, and would exempt the issuance of permits to operate vacuum or suction dredge equipment from the California Environmental Quality Act until January 1, 2014. The bill would require the department to refund a specified portion of the permit fee paid by a person issued a vacuum or suction dredge equipment permit and subject to the prohibition on the use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2014, to complete an economic impact report on the prohibition on the use of vacuum and suction dredge equipment.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
 

Great find!!!I am not getting my hopes up ...yet.There is just too much common sense involved there.Too good to be true......
 

SB 657 :icon_thumleft: this is the one we should be pounding on!!!
The other idiots already have a brain set.

Hefty
 

I still think DFG are the major problem, they keep refusing to sell me tags for politicians or lawyers :(
well maybe next season :P

Pushing hard for what we want is probably the best bet, and educating any who will listen.
I don't know who is going to make the ruling on the DFG report or program, it might pay to find out?
And do everything in our power to educate them
As far as the fishing web sites, I remember seeing a video somewhere that had a DFG biologist explaining how dredging restored the trout and salmon spawning gravel beds, if we can find it, it would be good to make sure these people see it.

Just a thought
 

Tarkus
Any ideas where to look for this video? If we get enough people looking, just might dig it up.
 

Looking for gold in California streams and rivers is a recreational activity for thousands of state residents. As these miners remove sediments, sands, and gravel from streams and former mine sites to separate out the gold, they are also removing mercury. This mercury is the remnant of millions of pounds of pure mercury that was added to sluice boxes used by historic mining operations between 1850 and 1890. Modern day small-scale gold suction dredgers do not use mercury to recover gold during the operation of the dredge. Therefore, any gold that would be found in their possession would be that which was extracted from the stream or river they are working.
Taking mercury out of streams benefits the environment. Efforts to collect mercury from recreational gold miners in the past, however, have been stymied due to perceived regulatory barriers. Disposal of mercury is normally subject to all regulations applicable to hazardous waste.
In 2000, EPA and California's Division of Toxic Substance Control worked in concert with other State and local agencies to find the regulatory flexibility needed to collect mercury in a simple and effective manner. In August and September, 2000 the first mercury "milk runs" collected 230 pounds of mercury. A Nevada County household waste collection event held in September 2000 collected about 10 pounds of mercury. The total amount of mercury collected was equivalent to the mercury load in 47 years worth of wastewater discharge from the city of Sacramento's sewage treatment plant or the mercury in a million mercury thermometers. This successful pilot program demonstrates how recreational gold miners and government agencies can work together to protect the environment (US EPA, 2001).


Mercury occurs in several different geochemical forms, including elemental mercury, ionic (or oxidized) mercury, and a suite of organic forms, the most important of which is methylmercury. Methylmercury is the form most readily incorporated into biological tissues and is most toxic to humans. The process of mercury removal by suction dredging does not contaminate the environment because small-scale suction dredging removes elemental mercury. Removal of elemental mercury before it can be converted, by bacteria, to methylmercury is a very important component of environmental and human health protection provided as a secondary benefit of suction dredging..

also I dont see anything about retort
 

:icon_thumright: This is the kind of material that needs to be sent to Mark Stopher and all his coherts listed in chapter 7 of this new report. And also to all the legislators that will vote on SB657 around March 21.
Should send a copy of SB657 to all the legislators also, so they know what they are voting on. :laughing9:

Hefty
 

Where I live the State has tried to do something similar with the rocks in the river. What they did was cable a dozen or so large rocks together to make water falls. Most were washed away and destroyed within the first two years. All that is left is broken cable that is now all rusted with sharp shards everywhere. Pretty much a wast of money. If that river in Cal, floods at all that gravel will not last.
 

Gravel Hog said:
Yep, for me on my claims mostly looks like a Class E - September through January is what is proposed so maybe this year I can get back to it. :thumbsup:

I haven't read the entire release but at a glance if I want to use any type of motorized winch (of course I do) and a dredge larger than the 4" restriction (again of course I do) I will have to have a CDFG on-site inspection. Not sure of the cost and will they come out in that time of year???

Anyone have some wetsuit heaters available??? ;D Nope, but ya have one between yer legs :laughing7:.....NGE
 

I'm not sure where I saw the video, maybe you tube, I just don't remember the basis of the video or the main subject matter. I spent a few hours scouring through vids on line and then documents on spawning bed restoration, stream restoration didn't find it but did find some good science out of U.C. Davis on river and stream restoration that may work in our favor.
I haven't looked for stuff on river recreation or things in other areas that may have been the main focus of the video, but I'll keep looking. It may have been a dredging video or something on mining, would make sense it wasn't that long ago.
 

Chapter 7. Report Preparation, I find all that are on this list to be prejudice and unfavorable to miners

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO REGULATIONS
Page 14
22. (4)(5) No person shall cut, move or destabilize instream any
23. anchored, exposed woody debris such as root wads, stumps or logs.
i find this a concern, during spring high water run off, my bench is underwater and has root wades, but at the end of season its high and dry and serves no purpose in salmon spawning beds. i think we should encourage the 1994 regulations alternative

any thoughts
 

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