g

[Den Franklin]

I have found a very rich hard rock gold deposit. Unfortunately it is a mile inside a Wilderness area of the Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state and they tell me it can't be claimed. Can anyone give me any suggestions? There is visible gold in the rocks and the site is quite extensive. Other than backpacking out the surface rocks I have no idea how to get at this gold that is just sitting there.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[DDancer]

Well first off edit your post and remove that location. No need to put a bulls eye on yourself.

As to anything else I'm gonna have to let others speak up. Personally I'd surface the area then quietly work it. Being a wilderness area your restricted to hand tools only, which sucks, but there should be no problems with collecting. Have to look up the regs on the USFS page for your area.

 

[Den Franklin]

Thanks for the advice but it's a pretty remote location in a huge area and only open 3 to 4 months out of the year because of the heavy snowfall. I really don't think anybody will find the deposit without specific directions. I was thinking of some pack mules and a crew of guys to go in over a 3 or 4 day period and take what we can but I don't know what equipment is permitted and once the location is known anybody has as much right to the area as I do.

 

[dredgeman]

First do not believe everything THEY tell you.

Check if the area is open to minerals. More importantly read the section that made it wilderness. Some areas have exceptions in the actual wording.

I have claims in a wild and scenic area. THEY will tell you that no claims are possible. When reading the actual papers that made it a wild and scenic area. It turns out that there is 19 acres of recreational river and only 8 miles of wild and scenic. THEY say the whole river is wild and scenic.
THEY are wrong and will admit it if you know the status.

Even THEY have some rules to follow. As long as you have the facts.
Otherwise research title 30 mining laws.

Research research research and then research.

 

[DDancer]

Research is the key. and please kindly EDIT your post. Dumber things can happen. Sheesh.....

 

[DDancer]

Don't flame its not nice.

 

[Clay Diggins]

You are stuck with hand tools in the wilderness. There are two wildernesses that allow mining claims but unfortunately yours is not one of them.

I'm pretty sure if you ask the Forest Service they will tell you no prospecting is allowed. The Wilderness Act itself specifically allows prospecting. The Forest Service is often wrong about minerals, that's not surprising since the Forest Service is a surface management agency and has nothing to do with minerals.

There was a mineral study done before the wilderness was created (required by law) also there have probably been more recent mineral reports (also required by law for all wilderness). Look into those reports and you will probably find the deposit you are wanting to mine.

Anybody can look these mineral reports up. Anybody can go there and take ore. The wilderness is closed to claim and you, and I and the government have given others enough information to find the same deposit. That's the nature of withdrawn public lands, you can prospect them and so can anyone else. Share and share alike.

 

[Den Franklin]

Thank you. That was the type of information I was really trying to get when I posted. The Forest Service has been zero help as has the BLM.