All the prospectors I know have a bottle of lead . Last sunday in the top of sluice box I recovered a few shining silver nuggets, while panning the cons the silver nuggets grew and the gold flakes disapeared soon a nice little bb of liquid silver was rolling around in the pan "MERCURY" recovered from the creek not left in the creek to destroy fish . So why can't we dredge WE RECOVER THE LEAD AND MERCURY !!! guess the studys are for the mercury left and take no account of what we rcover JUST PROVING AGAIN
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED !!!
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Hmm, Flour Mike. Nutrients? Spawning beds?
Howard, I haven't had the pleasure of finding a ball of mercury rolling around in my pan, but I have found quite a bit of mercury coated gold. I have pulled probably 50 time (or more in weight) of lead from the creeks and rivers that I prospect than I have found in gold. Okay, maybe 5000 times more... At any rate, this is shot that geese and ducks eat, lead sinkers that might leach into the water, junks of lead from whatever that just shouldn't be there, etc. Funny that removing these toxic metals is "bad!"
More than once when someone asked me while I'm out dredging, "What are you doing?", I have said , "Just cleaning up the stream of heavy metals!" Then I'll show them all of the lead sinkers, junks of iron, etc.
I know that a few years ago (~2008?) when the State of Indiana was creating their prospecting laws, Chuck Lassiter demonstrated the large amounts of lead, iron and other "trash" he cleaned up with his dredge on each trip. At any rate, he was intrumental in working with the state to show the benefits of dredging, to know that recreational miners aren't out there hydraulicing or anything like that, etc. Their laws now allow up to a 5" dredge within their navigatable waters - which is defined more broadly than what the Corps of Engineers defines them as. Great regulations, great understanding by the Department of Natural Resources and great access within many streams and rivers. They did identify those waters of concern (endangered species) that are off limits. Few and luckily, outside of the gold bearing areas in many cased! Chuck has some videos and such on his website - www.midwestprospector.com - that are worth a look.
To bad other states don't take the time to get to know what is actually happening during recreational prospecting like IN did...
The largest fish runs in the last 200 years were during the heavy mining years up to the first half of the 20th century. As commercial mining slowed down post WWII the fish runs shrank each year. Coincidence?
Heres a Picture of Steel Head in Olney Creek. They will soon have to move down to the Sacremento as this Creek goes dry in the summer. This is the first year I have seen them in the Creek and they Like the holes Prospectors have left !
I have been hitting Olney Creek for about four years now and this is the first year I have ever seen slmon spawning. They were up stream in a pool that was created two years ago by some Prospectors they seemed to be quite happy with the Gravel bed that was left for them minus the lead, mercury and gold that was removed !
Being a recreational prospector I joined the prospecting world shortly before them moratorium on dredging so had never had the pleasure of dredging and haven't invest money in a piece of equipment I can't legally use. many of the spots I work would be well suited to a small unit but the currrent hoops to jump thruogh far out wiegh it being practical for me. The friends I have and the people that made their living with dredges I hurt for. but I see no real change coming as We The People further allow Ourself to be over regulated. just because the moratorium came to end dosn't mean we can dredge the current permit paperwork is a ridiculous nitemare the number of days allowed and the onsite inspections make the whole procsess mor complicate the tax time !
for Once I'm Not Laughing Here !
If the fight gets won it wont be from pushing old points. Thats how the battles have been lost. If you want to win you have to have something fresh that addresses the concerns. 1. they dont want gas and oil in the water. solution: keep motors on the bank in a large containment like the masonry tubs. Voila...no spills. Sure it wont work with a lot of machines, but it would get some of them humming again. 2They dont want mercury stirred up. This is a lack of understanding on their part. Most of us would want to catch and keep any that shows up. They dont understand that part. So Solution: Install mercury traps on all equipment. Now your doing free abatement work that the state doesnt pay for.
The death blow will be to introduce new types of technology and equipment that addresses all their concerns. Modified Bazooka dredges that clean the mercury or whatever tech bridges the gap. You cant solve a problem with the same thinking that created it.
Come to think of it Kent the fish here are looking a little skinny Laughing Here !!!
I bet them fish in Cali. have been missing those All-u-can Eat buffets provided from them dredgers!!
Last Sunday I had company while digging in the French Gulch Creek, A 7 inch trout hung with me all day dashing in to get a snack as I flipped rocks out or pulled a shovel full of material. I think the fish was quite happy to have me there the creek version of all you can eat buffet !
Fisherman throw lead in the river, Prospectors take it out !
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