Archive for the 'Announcements' Category

Good Morning TVP Members!

Volunteer Fridays are back! Well at least for this Friday

The GPAA has asked for some help from our members over at their office in Temecula.

They are looking for help this Friday (January 13,2012) from 9 am to around 12 noon.  Any volunteers from our Chapter that show up to help will earn Chapter Credits for TVP and the GPAA will provide lunch.

If you can help us out, please email Ken Hannan at president@gpaatvp.com so we can get a count to them.

Location Information:

Gold Prospectors Association of America
43445 Business park Drive, #113, Temecula, CA 92590
951-699-4749

BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office Announces Public Workshops on Draft Management Plan

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled two public meetings on the Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan (RMP) which was released for public review and comment on September 23, 2011.

The BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office will hold two public meetings:

November 29th at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve, 14715 State Hwy 94 (Campo Road), Jamul, 91935

November 30th at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 6th Street, Temecula, 92590. (Click Here for a Map)

Meetings will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The meetings will be conducted in “open house” format with a presentation on the alternatives presented in the Draft RMP and the opportunity for the public to view maps and other sections of the Draft RMP. Copies of the Draft RMP will be available along with the opportunity to ask managers and planning specialists questions about the alternatives. All comments must be in writing and submitted prior to the close of the 90 day comment period on December 21, 2011.

The Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will provide guidance for the management of approximately 300,000 acres of BLM administered public lands in portions of five highly urbanized Southern California counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles. The existing South Coast RMP was completed and signed in 1994. Since that time there have been significant changes in the patterns of urban growth, increased demands on the resources on public lands, changing policies and emphasis on the management of public lands and local land use planning, and new data that has led to the listing of additional threatened or endangered species.

The public is invited to submit comments on the Draft RMP/EIS prior to December 21, 2011, by email to: capsscrmp@ca.blm.gov or by mail to: BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

“We look forward to the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the public on how to manage our public lands for years to come,” BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Manager John Kalish said. “When completed, the RMP will provide broad guidance for management of this planning area for the next 20 years.”

For more information about the plan and the proposed revisions, please visit http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings/SCRMP_Revision.html

At today’s club meeting, the members in attendance (135) had the opportunity to participate in the Club’s Annual Election. Of the many positions held within the club, 6 of them make up the Governing Board for the club and must be filled by open election. Over the last several months, nominations were submitted and we had a real good showing this year of people interested in getting more involved.

The Officers of the Governing Board for the 2011/2012 fiscal year are as follows:

• President: Ken Hannan (reelected for another term)
• Vice President: Gary Lawson
• Secretary: Cathy Heflin
• Treasurer: Tracy Snethen
• Claims Director: Al Bauchner
• Wagon Master: Jack Barber (rereelected for another term)

Thank you to everyone who tossed their hat into the election this year and congratulations to the new members of the Board. We look forward to an exciting year at TVP.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the 2010/2011 Board Members. They served the club well over the last year (many for several years) and we thank them for their service.

If you would like to get more involved with the club, there is always a need for volunteers, so please let us know how you want to help out.

A couple of weeks ago, the GPAA contacted TVP President Ken Hannan and asked him to host an outing for ABC News reporter Alex Stone. He was interested in what was going on with the modern day Gold Rush and how it all works. Ken setup a special outing with several of the TVP club members out at one of our favorite summer locations… the East Fork of the San Gabriel River.

Alex got to see the members using pans, sluices, & high bankers which gave him a great perspective of the many ways you can look for gold. Ken got Alex into a good spot, dug some dirt, and wouldn’t you know it… gold in Alex’s first pan!

Alex sent a thank you note to Ken the following week and let him know that the story ran on over 1,000 ABC & affiliated radios stations all over the country and is currently running on the ABC News channel at Slacker.com which is an online radio service.

If you would like to hear the reports, here are the links.

Gold Inet Newscast – Short Report

ABC News Gold Panning – Long Report

Thanks to all of you who took the time to share your feelings through letters, emails, faxes, & phone calls to Governor Brown about the California Budget addendum that would have crushed suction dredging in California for another 5 years.That loud outcry had an impact and the Governor vetoed the legislation. The Department of Fish & Game will now be allowed to finish the study that is almost complete.

This is a small victory for prospectors throughout the state, but we need to stay on top of this issue because we aren’t out of the woods yet.

The Governor may have vetoed the legislation, but it sounds more like it was to not violate the court order rather than a support for dredging:

“While I am vetoing this language to ensure the Department is not in violation of the court order,” Brown wrote in his veto message, “I directed the Secretary of Resources to examine the program and associated polices before restarting the permit process.”

To keep yourself informed, the Sacramento Bee is a great source (www.sacbee.com).

Here are some recent articles relating to the California dredging issue.

Suction Dredging Backers Hail Gov. Brown’s Veto

Suction Dredging Study Will Go On After Brown Veto

Governor Brown Vetoes Attack on Suction Dredge Gold Miners

California Budget: Raising Taxes Indefensible While Killing Solvent Gold Mining Industry

Keep up the good work and Happy Prospecting!!

Attention All California Miners:

There are several articles in various papers, mostly the Sacramento Bee that are carrying stories about the Budget Bill and the Trailer added to add a new 5-yr Suction Dredge Moratorium. Basically, the environmentalists didn’t like what they saw in the initial Environmental Impact Study as it supported the 1994 study that showed that Suction Dredging IS NOT harmful to the environment.

If you ever want to be able to use a suction dredge in California again, it is imperative that you act now and voice your opinion!

Here are links to two articles in the Sacramento Bee where you can leave a comment at the bottom of the article. You may not think that it will help, but it makes a huge impact.

Catch-22 in California budget language may doom suction dredge mining

Ted Gaines blasts how lawmakers stymied suction dredge mining

Here is a link where you can fill out a form to email Governor Brown and let him know how you feel about this change to the budget and the negative impact on the mining community.

Email Governor Brown

The email method is the best way to get the information to Sacramento, but if you can’t do that then here is the Governor’s other contact information. If you use these other methods, try to FAX your comments as the phone calls carry little weight and the mail may not get reviewed for up to 90 days.

Mailing address:
Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160

Not sure what to say? Click here to get a sample letter/email. Be sure to change the letter to make it your own as they will typically discard canned letters.

Thank you for your help and support!

The Temecula Valley Prospectors are excited to announce that the Alaska Expedition trip has been awarded!

The prize was a 2 week prospecting trip to Alaska to participate in the 2011 GPAA Alaska Expedition and included round trip airfare & an ATV rental during their stay. The trip was valued at $3,540.00!!

500 tickets were sold at club meetings over the last several months and at the GPAA Gold & Treasure Show in Las Vegas, NV.

Having sold the final ticket at the TVP Monthly Club meeting on May 14th, 2011, the prize was awarded.

And the lucky winner of this trip of a lifetime to Alaska is … Drum Roll Please …

****************************

******* Newell Frayne  ********

****************************

Newell is a long time member of the Temecula Valley Prospectors and we know he is going to have a fantastic time in Alaska!!

Congratulations Newell!!

Good Morning TVP Members!

The GPAA has asked for some help from our members over at their office in Temecula to assemble kits.

They are looking for help this Wednesday (May 11,2011) from 9 am to around 12 noon.  Any volunteers from our Chapter that show up to help will earn  Chapter Credits for TVP and the GPAA will provide lunch.

If you can help us out, please email Ken Hannan at president@gpaatvp.com so we can get a count to the GPAA.

Location Information:

Gold Prospectors Association of America
43445 Business park Drive, #113, Temecula, CA 92590
951-699-4749

Thank you for supporting the GPAA and our club!

Good Morning TVP Members!

The GPAA has asked for some help from our members over at their office in Temecula to assemble kits.

They are looking for help this Friday (April 8,2011) from 9 am to around 12 noon.  Any volunteers from our Chapter that show up to help will earn Chapter Credits for TVP and the GPAA will provide lunch.

If you can help us out, please email Ken Hannan at president@gpaatvp.com so we can get a count to Nancy at GPAA.

Location Information:

Gold Prospectors Association of America
43445 Business park Drive, #113, Temecula, CA 92590
951-699-4749

Attention All Metal Detectors!

On Saturday, April 2, 2011 at the Oro Grande Mining Jamboree, Temecula Valley Prospectors will be hosting two (2) metal detecting hunts. The first one will be at 9:00 am and the 2nd one will be at 4:00 pm.

The winner of each hunt will be awarded a brand new sluice box, so you definitely want to get in on these.

The entry fee is $10 for one hunt (your choice, 9 am or 4 pm) or $20 for both hunts.

John from Legends Prospecting Supplies is coordinating the event, so it should be a great time for all. He will be able to go over the rules of the hunt and answer any questions you may have once you get to Oro Grande.

Just make sure you bring your normal gear (i.e. detector, digging tool, collection pouch, etc.) so you are ready for the hunt. Also, the ground where the events will be is pretty sandy, so you’ll probably want your beach scoop too.

Get out there and have some fun!