Looking for laws and state regs on recreational panning and dredging

[skooks]

For Missouri -

Just got off the phone with a guy from the department of geology and land survey (hope I got the name right) right after I asked the question he went on a tirade of a butt reaming about how I was stealing from the public panning in southern Missouri .... then gave me the phone number for the state reclamation project .....

He also let me know the reclamation department is starting to look at new laws for panning in Missouri as it has started to be a problem... (so he says)

huh?

Does anyone have any solid info in this area they can share? I am pretty new to the area, have a few years under my belt in regards to panning.

 

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[skooks]

As a follow up I was able to get the state department of Park a recrecation to tell me that it is OK to "pan" for gold or other minerals, but NO dredges, NO sluices, and NO digging above water level of a creek or waterway.

Also the state department of reclamation did call me back to inform me that a 3" dredge must acquire a permit of 10K with a bond to work on the chariton river here in missouri, the same permit that a industrial operation around the lead belt area needs to acquire for operation. I specifically asked him about the dredge or a highbanks unit, I have personally seen people using or doing this in the area, he was very surprised and unaware of any permits in that area of the state acquired.

He then referred me to my local state representatives as there is no "recreation" permit for these types of prospecting or mining.

So all in all you can pan, and only use a pan? Still looking for solid evidence of what I can or can't do exactly ....

 

[Durhbr]

I am looking for the same info with no luck.
Can you use a highbanker or 2.5 inch dredge In Missouri?
Do you need a permit?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[olepossum]

i was told by a mo conservation officer that nothing was allowed but a pan and a small shovel on public ground so i said fine i will go to provate land and we have had 4 dredges and 4 high bankers and at least 7 sluice boxes with water pumps all i one day dont know the total amount of gold that was found but we did have a nugget the size of a bb up in a creek about 20 yards

 

[greenerlumber]

Hi Guys,

I was on a creek in central MO a couple of weeks ago with my DIY fluid bed sluice and all my other gear.
This was at one of the many public stream access areas and a conservation agent came by and said this was a first for him.
Never said anything about rules or regs and even asked if I was finding anything. Asked about how my sluice worked and thought
it pretty cool. So, if there are any rules or regs about prospecting we got agents out there that don't even know about them.
I think it's time we start asking to see these regs in black and white when an agent approaches and tries to tell us what's legal
as far as this is concerned. I do know that on national forest lands in MO you are allowed pans and shovels only, (which is why i own
a Pyramid Pro Pan), but in MDC CA's I don't think there are any regs in stone as I've done extensive searching on the web site including
All of the wildlife codes and there is nothing about panning or prospecting.
Rich.

 

[GoldGuy1]

there's never been a gold rush to Missouri so there's never really been a reason for all that I can find

 

[russau]

I agree with greenerlumber on his post. I also heard of the "possibility" of the Missouri Dept of Natural Resources (MDNR) looking into this so I called them and talked to the lady that was incharge of writing something up as far as a regulation. I offered her my services for free and all of my equipment so she and any other DNR agents could get a look at it and id show them how it operates and for three years I kept calling her about it and she said that shes just been to busy to get to it..............SOOOO there (according to her) ISNT any laws / permits or even suggestions pertaining to this! Remember the people that got down on you didn't have ANYTHING to cack up what they claimed ! If they had they would have something to back up their "scolding words" ...next time anyone stops you ,ask for something in writeing to back up what they say. BUT be VERY polite about it ! argueing to a agent will get you in deep doo-doo quikly!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I agree with greenerlumber on his post. I also heard of the "possibility" of the Missouri Dept of Natural Resources (MDNR) looking into this so I called them and talked to the lady that was incharge of writing something up as far as a regulation. I offered her my services for free and all of my equipment so she and any other DNR agents could get a look at it and id show them how it operates and for three years I kept calling her about it and she said that shes just been to busy to get to it..............SOOOO there (according to her) ISNT any laws / permits or even suggestions pertaining to this! Remember the people that got down on you didn't have ANYTHING to cack up what they claimed ! If they had they would have something to back up their "scolding words" ...next time anyone stops you ,ask for something in writeing to back up what they say. BUT be VERY polite about it ! argueing to a agent will get you in deep doo-doo quikly!

I like your post russau. You have identified the old "no one cared TILL you asked" psychology quite well.

It's not unusual to get a "no", from some purist in a given field. Ie.: nature-green wackos, or cultural heritage archie wackos, who will screech "neeeooohhh".

And heck, they might even have some scary-dire sounding things that appear to back up what they're saying (or in this case nothing at all). So when you look deeper into it, you find out it's much-ado-about nothing. And no one really gave a rat's ^%$#@ whether you panned or not, or found a wheat penny, etc... No one except that singular pencil pusher in some office somewhere . Who ... odds are, would never be out there to see you or cares less anyhow.