Interest Across the Rogue Valley Has Increased, But It's best to Know What You're Doing Before You Start
Published March 15, 2008
It's not exactly a gold rush, but federal agencies overseeing mining activity in Southwest Oregon report a growing public interest in searching for the elusive yellow metal.
"We're getting call after call from people wanting to know where they can go gold panning," said Diane Parry, lead district geologist for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Medford District.
The front desk at the district office in Medford, which normally receives about one call a week asking about gold panning, now gets three to six calls daily concerning the precious metal, she said.
"With gold this high, it has spurred a bit of action," Parry said. "Spring usually brings people out who are interested in panning for gold but we've been exceptionally busy lately."
The BLM has four sites in the district, including two in the Applegate River drainage and two along the Rogue River, that are specifically set aside for recreational mining, including panning and dredging.
However, there are seasonal restrictions to ensure that spawning salmon or their eggs are not disturbed, she said.
"They get a fair amount of use," she said, noting there is no charge on the BLM sites. "People mostly go out to pan to have fun. But that's typically during the summer when the water is warmer."
There are other areas where folks can mine recreationally, but with more than 3,000 mining claims on the district, she cautions them not to try their hand at mining unless they know for sure they aren't infringing on a claim.
"You don't want to be a claim jumper," she cautioned.
Rob Shull, the ecosystem staff officer who oversees mining in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, agreed.
"People need to make sure they know where they are mining," he said of the forest which also has several thousand claims. "Mining claims are property rights."
"You don't need a mining claim to mine on the national forest — a mining claim exists to protect the miner," he explained. "It's the filing of a mining claim that establishes a property right."
Like the BLM district, the forest is also experiencing a growing interest in mining, he said.
The forest has recreational mining sites established in the upper Applegate River drainage available for panning, sluicing, dredging and metal detecting. However, there is a charge for the activity. Other areas are available for mining but officials warn it can be difficult for novices to find sites where there are no claims or restrictions.
Mining activity on federal land is governed by the 1872 Mining Act signed by President U.S. Grant. However, there is an effort to revise that law. Last November, the House overwhelmingly passed a revised mining law that would have expanded the federal agencies' authority to reject claim applications. A revised mining law is expected to be introduced in the Senate this spring.
Environmental groups and hunting and fishing organizations supporting changes in the law want to include a royalty from all minerals taken from public lands, give more discretion to public land managers to permit mining where appropriate, "good Samaritan" reclamation incentives, common-sense liability relief and permanently prohibiting the patenting or sale of public lands. A moratorium on patenting mining claims was established in 1994.
In a recent interview, Eagle Point area resident Mike Beagle, the Oregon/Washington coordinator for Trout Unlimited, said the issue isn't about stopping all mining.
"Mining is a legitimate use of public lands, but there are few laws more in need of an overhaul than the 1872 mining law," he said. "Under the 1872 law, mining takes precedence over all other public land uses, including hunting and fishing."
The mining community opposes any changes to the 1872 law.
Nationwide, the total number of mining claims has doubled from 207,540 in 2003 to 414,228 in January of this year, according to a report by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.
However, the National Mining Association estimates that fewer than 5 percent of claims are developed into mining operations.
Locally, while most of the current growing interest is for recreational mining, the agency is also seeing increased interest in large-scale mining operations, Shull said.
For instance, a Washington state resident has filed an application for a mining operation to look for gold on a 24-mile stretch of the Chetco River on the west side of the forest, he noted. The application calls for using an 8-inch diameter suction dredge during the summer months.
"But most people using suction dredges aren't doing it as a business — most do it as a hobby," he said.
Like Parry, he urges anyone interested in recreational mining to check with the state or federal agency that has jurisdiction over an area where mining may occur. Depending on the area, state agencies may include the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality or the Department of State Lands.
"If someone is operating within the state's regulations, that will generally keep them clear of breaking any of our regulations," he said.
For more information and brochures on gold mining, see local BLM and U.S. Forest Service offices.
Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com.
