Washington Gold Prospecting (and Prospectors) in the News

Two reports in the mainstream media mention gold prospecting in Washington State.

The first is from KING 5 News in Seattle and is titled Gold panning making a comeback. The article states that, "For the first time in a decade, panning for gold in Washington State is considered legal." While not strictly true (under the 1999 rules you could pan almost anywhere all year except in streams, where panning was allowed only during specified "work windows,") the message to the public is clear: Washington's streams are now essentially wide open to anyone with a gold pan. The story quotes Greg Christensen and Robert Cunningham of Bellingham and includes a video clip.

Read and view at the link here.

The second is from the Times Online and bears the headline New gold rush sweeps across America. The article cites the increase in interest in gold prospecting due to gold's rising price and the economic downturn. It mentions Washington State in particular and quotes GPAA general manager Ken Rucker and placer claim owner Ron Larson of Kent.

You can find this second report at the link here.

More Washington Geologic Maps Available Online

Now that prospecting season is drawing near, here are some online sources for geologic maps:

The Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources has announced that all of the 1:100,000-scale geologic maps which they publish, as well as many at other scales, are now available for download from the following link:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Pages/PubMaps.aspx

Many of the maps not available from DGER can be found using the search functions of the USGS National Geologic Map Catalog at the link below:

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngmdb/ngm_quicksearch.html

Happy prospecting!

Corrected Gold and Fish Pamphlet and Mining Brochure Now Available From WDFW

In addition to the new 2009 Gold and Fish pamphlet (which has just been revised to correct printing errors -- see the link under "Prospecting & Mining Regulations" in the right-hand sidebar of this page to download a copy), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife now has an informational flyer on mineral prospecting in Washington.

Titled, Small Scale Mineral Prospecting and Placer Mining in Washington, the two-page brochure is available for download as a .pdf document at the link here.