I read this thread only to find that people have been prospecting on my property.
www.treasurenet.com
The land is split estate. My dad purchased the surface from Glacier Park Company (the railroad's real estate arm) in the early 1990's. Then when we found that it wouldn't be suitable for farming we traded the surface estate to the Bureau of Reclamation for land on our ranch nearby.
A few years later my dad was approached by Glacier Park Company to purchase the minerals and oil and gas rights to these and other lands. These two parcels along the river were quit claimed to me from my dad a few years ago.
It's a delicate situation because I'm trying to get these lands permitted for mining but there are a lot of things to work through. For instance, because of the tailings piles the land has become the location where 34% of the fall chinook salmon spawn and is the measuring location for the Vernita Bar Agreement. Additionally, Washington State mining law says that these Northern Pacific Railroad lands are not subject to federal mining laws, and the controlling date is 1870 which pre-dates even the general mining law. This and other things makes it an interesting relationship with the BOR as a federal surface owner. Additionally, these railroad lands have implied federal reserved water rights which were not given to the state upon statehood because of non-use, and as evidence I own the riparian rights to the property. So this means that I should be able to divert water from the river to mine and that my property line goes to the river for whatever it's water height was in 1870, long before the dams were put in so it's likely I own under some of the current day river.
I'm working with BLM, BOR and other entities and there is a lot of potential for a lawsuit from many interested parties. So please don't go on these lands because it could cause me some problems when I'm trying hard to go about everything the right way. It's also taking of my property.
I've attached the deeds so that you can see who owns what when the surface was sold off.
Thanks,
Mike Maughan
Are theses dredge tailings or something?
First thing I thought when I saw this on the Columbia River was dredge tailing, but it's actually more of a snaking pattern than the stacked arcs a dredge would make. This area on the river did produce gold. Note to anyone beginning to read this thread: It was determined that the picture...
The land is split estate. My dad purchased the surface from Glacier Park Company (the railroad's real estate arm) in the early 1990's. Then when we found that it wouldn't be suitable for farming we traded the surface estate to the Bureau of Reclamation for land on our ranch nearby.
A few years later my dad was approached by Glacier Park Company to purchase the minerals and oil and gas rights to these and other lands. These two parcels along the river were quit claimed to me from my dad a few years ago.
It's a delicate situation because I'm trying to get these lands permitted for mining but there are a lot of things to work through. For instance, because of the tailings piles the land has become the location where 34% of the fall chinook salmon spawn and is the measuring location for the Vernita Bar Agreement. Additionally, Washington State mining law says that these Northern Pacific Railroad lands are not subject to federal mining laws, and the controlling date is 1870 which pre-dates even the general mining law. This and other things makes it an interesting relationship with the BOR as a federal surface owner. Additionally, these railroad lands have implied federal reserved water rights which were not given to the state upon statehood because of non-use, and as evidence I own the riparian rights to the property. So this means that I should be able to divert water from the river to mine and that my property line goes to the river for whatever it's water height was in 1870, long before the dams were put in so it's likely I own under some of the current day river.
I'm working with BLM, BOR and other entities and there is a lot of potential for a lawsuit from many interested parties. So please don't go on these lands because it could cause me some problems when I'm trying hard to go about everything the right way. It's also taking of my property.
I've attached the deeds so that you can see who owns what when the surface was sold off.
Thanks,
Mike Maughan
