Washington State Miner

Tom

The Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources has

announced the availability of the following free

publications.  The links below lead to downloadable PDFs:

Map Series 2013-01. Geologic map of the Sultan 7.5-minute

quadrangle, King and Snohomish Counties, Washington, by

J. D. Dragovich, H. A. Littke, S. A. Mahan, M. L. Anderson,

J. H. MacDonald, Jr., Recep Cakir, B. A. Stoker, C. J.

Koger, J. P. Bethel, S. A. DuFrane, D. T. Smith, and N. M.

Villeneuve. 2013.  One color plate, 44 x 36 in., scale

1:24,000, with 52 p. text.  Link

Map Series 2013-02. Geologic map of the Seabeck and Poulsbo

7.5-minute quadrangles, Kitsap and Jefferson Counties,

Washington, by Michael Polenz, G. T. Petro, T. A. Contreras,

K. A. Stone, Gabriel Legorreta Paulin, and Recep Cakir.

2013. 48 x 36 in. color plate, scale 1:24,000, with 39 p.

text.  Link

Map Series 2013-03. Geologic map of the Lofall 7.5-minute

quadrangle, Jefferson and Kitsap Counties, Washington, by

T. A. Contreras, K. A. Stone, and Gabriel Legorreta Paulin.

2013. 40 x 36 in. color plate, scale 1:24,000, with 19 p.

text.  Link

Open File Report 2013-01. Passive seismic analyses in the

Sultan 7.5-Minute quadrangle, King and Snohomish Counties,

Washington, by Koichi Hayashi, Recep Cakir, J. D. Dragovich,

B. A. Stoker, T. J. Walsh, and H. A. Littke. 2013. 9 p.

Link

Tom

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has a YouTube channel on which they've posted a number of geology tutorials. The link to the channel is,

http://www.youtube.com/user/WAstateDNR

To access the tutorials, scroll down the page to the section labeled 'Geology.' As of this writing, this section is the last one on the page. The following videos are currently available:

100k scale surface overlay using Google Earth
DNR Geologic Information Portal Tutorial, Part 1 -- Introduction
DNR Geologic Information Portal Tutorial, Part 2 -- Viewing & Printing
DNR Geologic Information Portal Tutorial, Part 3 -- Frequently Asked Questions
DNR Geologic Information Portal Tutorial, Part 4 -- Frequently Asked Questions, continued
Using 3-D PDFs to View Subsurface Geological Features: A Tutorial by Washington DNR
Why So Many Landslides in Western Washington?

Be sure to check back from time to time at the first link in this post to see if there are additional videos.

Tom

We've seen this before and what a fight it was last time!

The current Gold and Fish pamphlet containing the rules for mineral prospecting and placer mining was developed in 2008 and took effect in April, 2009. Significant input from the Small Scale Prospecting and Mining Community had a large impact in making the rules workable, if not altogether ideal, for miners. It now appears that the rules are about to change again for the worse unless we take immediate action.

One disturbing aspect of this change is the announcement in an email from the Resources Coalition that WDFW is no longer seeking the cooperation of the Small Scale Prospecting and Mining Community in the development of the new rules that is now underway. Below is the Resources Coalition email reproduced with permission:

Click above images to enlarge.

As mentioned in the above email, WDFW has scheduled a public meeting to focus on the proposed changes to the mineral prospecting and placer mining rules. When and where is as follows for this event:

When October 23, 2013 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Where Natural Resources Building

Capitol Campus

NRB Room 172

Olympia, Wash.

Some of the proposed changes that are outlined in the HYDRAULIC CODE RULE CHANGES Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement are the following:

Existing WAC Numbers: WACS 220-110-200, 220-110-201, 220-110-202, 220-110-206 are to be replaced by Proposed WAC Number: WAC 220-110-300. The document notes on page 35 that,

The rules adopted by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission allowing certain beach prospecting activities in marine waters are covered by the Gold and Fish pamphlet so an individual HPA to legally prospect on ocean beaches is not required. Timing change to the Nooksack and Wenatchee Rivers reflect the results of spawning surveys. (Emphasis added.)

Multiple sections have been combined. A new section on mineral prospecting on ocean beaches has been added, including where beach prospecting may occur and what equipment may be used. General requirements for mineral prospecting are included in the Gold and Fish pamphlet. Authorized work times for mineral prospecting in state waters have been changed and are listed in a table. (Emphasis added.)

On page 47 we learn that the Existing WAC Number WAC 220-110-020 is to be replaced with the Proposed WAC Number WAC 220-110-030 and that,

Definitions have been separated into three categories: general terms, mineral prospecting specific terms, and aquatic plant removal and control specific terms. Existing definitions have been updated and new definitions have been added. (Emphasis added.)

The present author has not had time to scour both old and new lists of definitions but would caution that significant changes could lurk there.

On page 97 of the Draft EIS we are treated to a list of the Potential Impacts to Fish Caused by Mineral Prospecting:

-Injury/mortality

-Degraded physical habitat (spawning substrate)

-Reduced prey availability

-Reduced productivity

Please note that all of these “potential impacts” are probably as speculative as they sound since no credible data are presented that any of them actually result from small-scale mineral prospecting or mining. Please note further that all of these impacts are of a negative nature, omitting such reported benefits to fish as mercury removal from streams that occurs as a result of suction dredging.

In any event, there is much to contest here and members and supporters of the Small Scale Prospecting and Mining Community are well advised to attend the Olympia meeting in droves lest we find our property rights and livelihoods steamrolled by environmental special interests.

Comments on the Draft EIS must be received by WDFW no later than 5:00 P.M. on November 15, 2013. WDFW states that,

You can submit your comments any one of the following ways:

Email to SEPAdesk2@dfw.wa.gov

Online at the WDFW SEPA website comment link at:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/sepa/sepa_comment_docs.html

Fax to (360) 902-2946

Oral or written comments at the workshops and public meetings (As on 10/23/13 - Emphasis added.)

Mail comments to SEPA Responsible Official:

Bob Zeigler, SEPA/NEPA Coordinator,

600 Capitol Way North,

Olympia, WA 98501-1091

When you send us your comments, please include the name of the proposal and your name in the subject line of your comment, following this example:

Re: Hydraulics Code Rule Changes Draft PEIS - Your Name

For those interested, the Draft EIS and the proposed Chapter 220-110 WAC

HYDRAULIC CODE RULES are available at the link here under “Downloads” at the top of the box in the right-hand column.

Tom

From the Alaska Dispatch:

Miners from the Chicken area -- a gold mining town of just 17 full-time residents and dozens of seasonal miners off the Taylor Highway, between Tok and the Canadian border -- said that during the third week of August they were surprised by groups of four to eight armed officers, who swarmed onto their mining claims with little or no warning.

The officers were armed and wearing body armor. They were part of the Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force and were there to check for violations of section 404 of the Clean Water Act, according to several miners who were contacted by the group. Section 404 governs water discharges into rivers, streams, lakes and oceans.

The task force’s methods are now being questioned by the miners as well as the Alaska congressional delegation.

One of the questions that ought to be asked of these agencies is if they are intentionally trying to provoke a violent incident involving miners in service to some unacknowledged agenda?

You may read the entire article describing these disturbing events in detail at the link here.

Tom

As readers of this blog have probably noticed, it is dedicated to the small-scale miner and prospector. There is a good reason to abide by this terminology, as illustrated in the following development reported on page 7 of the August issue of the Western Mining Alliance Newsletter.

It so happens that on August 28, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Frank J. Ochoa denied the petition for an injunction to halt California's ban on suction dredging. According to the "Legal Update" printed in the newsletter, in order to obtain the injunction the miners needed to show, among other things, that they would be irreparably harmed by the ban. To quote from the article:

Judge Ochoa took the position we haven’t demonstrated sufﬁcient harm to warrant an injunction. This ruling was based primarily on the 2009 Suction Dredge survey which the State presented as evidence.

The Suction Dredge Survey sent out in 2009 as part of the Environmental Impact Report had 668 people respond to it. Of that number 82% labeled themselves as recreational dredgers. (Emphasis added.)

This recreational dredging term resulted in the judge deciding a recreational activity couldn’t suffer irreparable harm and denying the injunction

While there is some room for hope in reversing this ruling in that it ignores the plight of the 18% of respondents to the Suction Dredge Survey who did not identify themselves as "recreational" dredgers and who may well qualify as suffering "sufficient harm" from the ban, the cautionary tale to be learned here is that we are professional or semi-professional miners who enrich ourselves through our mining activities which, enjoyable as they may at times be, are not "recreational" in nature. Given the court ruling cited above, we might do well to heed the advice in the WMA Newsletter and "strike the term 'recreational' from (our) vocabulary."

The Western Mining Alliance Newsletter is well worth reading. The current issue may be found on the organization's webpage here.

Tom

Once again, the Resources Coalition will present the annual Miners Rally at Liberty, Washington, on Friday through Sunday, August 23, 24, and 25, 2013.

(Click to enlarge.)

According to the organization's website, numerous activities including, among others, a tour of Historic Liberty, an original Arrastra in operation, visits to nearby gemstone sites, educational presentations, lectures, hands-on equipment demonstrations, and a night-time metal detector hunt, are planned.

Various prospecting and mining associations and clubs as well as equipment vendors are also slated to be in attendance.

The three day event is free and open to the public. Free tent and RV camping are also available.

For more information, visit the Resources Coalition website or contact the Rally Coordinator:

Wayne Whitehall
3101 Hedding St.
Entiat, WA 98822
(509) 784-1077

(Click to enlarge.)

Tom

Matters unrelated to mining have prevented me from posting anything lately, but I felt the blog was overdue for link maintenance, so here is a list of changes to the items in the right-hand sidebar:

Discussion Forums

The link to Mike Higbee's Prospectors Cache has been removed because, as best as I can tell, the forum is no longer available.

Clubs and Organizations

North American Prospectors Association has a new address.

The link to Northwest Mineral Prospectors Club, Inc. has been removed as the site seems to be no longer active.

The link to Our Backyard has been deleted as the site appears no longer active.

Resources for Prospectors

USFS Geodata Clearinghouse has a new address.

Atlas of Canada Topographic Maps has a new address and format.

Calgary Mountain Club has a new address.

Prospecting & Mining Regulations

US Code - Title 30 - Chapter 2 has a new address.

If any readers know of new links to the removed sites, broken links, or sites not listed in the sidebar that may be of interest to the small-scale mining community, please feel free to contact me via comments to this post and I will undertake to rectify the situation as needed.

Tom

According to Oregon Live, the Galice Mining District in southern Oregon has filed for an injunction in the U.S. District Court in Eugene to stop consideration of bills in the Oregon Senate that would place a moratorium on motorized mining in Oregon waterways.

There seems to be some question whether the court will act to stop legislation that has not yet been passed into law, although the answer may not be long in coming. In any case, it is evident that the miners of southern Oregon are keeping a close watch on threats to their livelihoods and are not afraid to take action to protect their rights; something the rest of us in the mining community would do well to emulate.

For complete details on this story, please visit the link here.

Tom

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has announced the availability of 39 .kmz files that will allow users to view the state's surface geology information as 1:100,000 scale overlays in Google Earth. According to the announcement:

Users can take advantage of functionality native to the Google Earth program, such as terrain generation (pseudo-3D visualization), overlays, and transparency, while using place markers and other Google Earth features to which they are accustomed. The overlays provide geologic information such as age of rock units, presence of major faults, and basic lithology, giving users the ability to observe Washington geology and how it interacts with land features.

To obtain these surface geology overlays, please visit the GIS data webpage at the link here and scroll down to "Google Earth 1:100,000 Scale Surface Geology 3D Overlays" at the bottom of the page. The PDF file titled "About the Google Earth Overlays" and located at the top of the list of file links gives detailed information on how to use this data.

Tom

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced the availability of a new "simplified application" for hydraulic permits.

According to the news release:

The department developed the simplified application to reduce the amount of time it takes for applicants to fill out an application for a routine, simple project permit, said Randi Thurston, WDFW protection division manager.

According to the rules, "mineral prospecting" is one of the project types for which the new form may be used. In addition, it appears that mineral prospecting and mining are still exempt from the $150 HPA fee as are "pamphlet permits" such as the Gold & Fish pamphlet.

A FAQ regarding the simplified application as well as links to download copies in both PDF and MS Word are at the link here.

Tom

About a year ago I reported here on a public meeting hosted by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and WDFW on February 16, 2012 in Montesano, Washington, to present information on ocean beach mining rules and to hear comments from the public on those rules.

Today, I want to share the substance of an email I received from Washington State Parks Stewardship regarding the beach mining program:

You are receiving this email because you either attended a public meeting in Montesano last spring on the issue of beach prospecting, or have identified interest in this issue to Washington State agencies or legislators.

Last year, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife approved rules that allowed and regulated beach prospecting on certain coastal beaches. The action was not without controversy, and the two agencies held a public meeting and took much public comment on the issue. Since then, we all have had an opportunity to see these new rules take effect. So far, the agencies have received little comment or feedback on the activity.

Attached is a comprehensive list of the issues brought forth at the Montesano meeting, with a response from the agencies to each issue. Based on the initial performance of rules, at this time, no changes to the rules are contemplated. However, we want to hear from people about any concerns they have with the first major season of recreational use on the beach, and hear of any positive stories as well of the effectiveness of the program. You can send any such comments to: parks.stewardship@parks.wa.gov, and they will be directed to the appropriate agency.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

1111 Israel Road SW

PO Box 42650

Olympia WA 98504-2650

(360) 902-8500

Fax: (360) 586-0207

Since State Parks is requesting input from the public regarding concerns, positive stories, and the effectiveness of the program, this would be a good opportunity for the mining community to make itself heard on this matter.

The attached list of issues from the Montesano meeting is a four-page PDF file and too lengthy to append to this post. It is available at the link here.

Tom

Word just received is that the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking applications for five positions on the "enforcement advisory group." As this opportunity may be of interest to the small-scale mining community, I'm reproducing the entire text of the message below rather than trying to summarize it. For those who want to view the news release on the WDFW website, the link is here.

February 06, 2013
Contact: Carrell, (360) 902-2926

WDFW seeks nominations for Enforcement Advisory Group
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking applications through Feb. 28 for five positions on its enforcement advisory group.
Formed in 2006, the advisory group assists the WDFW Enforcement Program with public outreach and education, hunter/fisher relations, legislation and the state administrative code.
Advisers will be chosen for two-to-three-year terms, depending on the rotation of existing members, said Chief Bruce Bjork, who heads WDFW’s enforcement division.
“Advisers are an important link between WDFW and communities throughout the state," Bjork said. “We’re interested in finding people who represent a broad range of conservation and recreational interests, understand fish and wildlife enforcement issues and have an ability to communicate with the public.”
The advisory group meets twice a year via video-conference at regional offices and once a year at a central location in the state. The majority of the work of the group is conducted via email. This is a volunteer position and those selected are responsible for their own travel expenses.
Any group or individual may submit an application. Applicants do not have to be affiliated with an organized group.
Applications must be received by the close of business Feb. 28 and must include the applicant’s name, address, telephone number, email address, affiliations and experience with fish and wildlife conservation or other law enforcement. Up to three references may also be included.
Applications may be submitted to Sean.Carrell@dfw.wa.gov or by mailing the application to Sean Carrell, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA, 98501. For more information, contact Sean Carrell at (360) 902-2926.