Prospecting documentary, very good video

kuger

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Ya know I dont have to dealwith FS because I dont work FS ground,but I outfitted hunting trips on FS ground for 8 years and had to deal with them on a nearly daily basis.Mind you my camp was 22 miles in on horseback.......they continually harassed us,wrote citations for the most ridiculous things(latrine hole too deep,meat pole 2" too low),trespassed into our tents when we were not there,took items from our camps(stole)and tried to enforce laws that didnt exist(chit in a bag,etc)had no problem telling you,"We dont want you,or anybody here"!They need to be reminded this is OUR land and we pay there WAGE!Those Mtns were our homes for 5-6 Months out the year,nobody knew them better or took care of them like we did.The weekend bunyan burners were the ones that were here today,gone tomorrow,would leave trash,and not repect the area,but we were the ones to suffer.Thats the prob with our Gov. though they forget "We The People",and most FS cops are ones that couldnt make it on the "Beat",or were "loose Cannons".
We are people that just want to be left alone,be self sufficient and care more for the fish,wildlife,and Environment than anybody.Calif was opened up by prospectors looking to better there lives,and folks now are doing it to stay off public assistance,but thats not where Uncle Sam Wants You...he wants you dependant on him,thus he has full control of you
 

Oakview2

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Kuger

There idea of a managed forrest is a large parking lot, they can bus you into, push you into the gift shop, and quickly bus your butt back out of there forrest. JMHO
 

russau

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yes, its a very good video!i hope everyone gets a chance to veiw this and remeber that the FS is in ALL states and their ideas are comeing to you and your state soon!
 

kuger

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yes, its a very good video!i hope everyone gets a chance to veiw this and remeber that the FS is in ALL states and their ideas are comeing to you and your state soon!
That is absolutly right,my above story took place in the late 90's,and they had been burning down life saving line shacks in the remote wilderness for some time....as said they had no qualm telling you they didnt want you there
 

NeoTokyo

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Wow, that was a damn good video.
Thanks for posting it up. :)

I remember as a kid fishing with my dad in the early 90's that Forest Rangers were nice nice people.
They simply checked to make sure you were not taking more than the limit, chatted a bit and went on their way.
No guns on them and just happy to be there, in the forest they love.

The last year that we fished Big French Creek (Flows into the Trinity River) we were met by a rather irritated, hostile, gun toting Ranger that told us that we better not come back the following year because they were banning fishing on that creek because WE were destroying the fish population. He searched everything we had and even checked the registration on my dads Aught Nine Rifle (AKA Bear Stopper) and left us with another warning after being unable to write my father a ticket.
We never overfished our limit, we used barbless hooks, we never took under the length and always left our area cleaner than when we came.

Nothing like treating a Father and Son like common criminals for enjoying the great outdoors.

We passed through the next year on the way to the coast and sure enough "NO FISHING" with the code and description signs were plastered everywhere.
I think they shut down the claims on that creek that year too.

As far as I know, the ban has been lifted but I have not been back to that area since 2004, though it was lifted at that time.

Sad times.
 

russau

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you should have complained in verbally and in writting to his boss and his boss also and to some of them socalled "representatives" that we voted into office! this kind of abuse shouldnt be allowed ANYWHERE! and its up to "we the people" to see that its done!
 

NeoTokyo

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Pretty sure my Dad talked to someone about it, he was pissed about how we were treated.
 

MrLee

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Great video & production. Our problem is when we present our side it needs to be backed up by scientific studies, not generalizations. I've seen that there are studies out there showing the benefits of churning the river bed, but I am not sure about the validity of these. Specifics need to be pointed out. Additionally, videos showing the harassment of prospectors, FS people with automatic weapons, etc. need to make it out to the public. I've been up in the EF for the past 2 years and have only had good interactions with FS people. Maybe my luck is with human interactions and not finding gold! :dontknow:

As for the Santa Ana Sucker, I think if they survived the gold rush in that area in the late 1800's when they were dumping mercury and using water canons on the banks, I'm sure they will survive prospectors using non-toxic methods, shovels and sluice boxes. As stewards of the land we need to keep in mind though that we have a responsibility not only for the land, but the creatures that inhabit it. If we take up this cause what can the FS attack us on??

There is definitely a legitimate concern about the homeless living up there. Trash from people is really getting out of control. I know most is from the day use people swimming in the pools, but there is lots of prospector trash too. Wire screens, buckets, etc. This is ammunition for those who want to ban us. On a side note, the club I belong to, Rt66goldminers, just did a canyon clean up back in June. What other outdoor groups do this??

Unfortunately the canyon will probably be closed for some time thanks to yesterday's blaze. I was up there on the bank of El Doradoville and I could smell campfires. Those people, not us, need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. They just screwed us all out of enjoying that area for a long time.
 

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jcazgoldchaser

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May 8, 2012
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I haven't kept up with the lingo these days, does "pretty good" mean bad?
 

Island_Hunter

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It's so sad that we are being persecuted and punished when we are the ones that love nature more than anyone. Every time I'm out I end up bringing trash and empties back home with me. They have it so wrong and it pisses me off. Great video, thanks for the post.
 

Hard Prospector

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All the judges in the State of California should see this.
 

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