Busted @ Ruck-a-Chuck Middle Fork Camp. Community input please?

[CApicker]

The weekend started out nice as I arrived at Rucky Chucky on the Middle Fork American and met up with a couple of my good prospector friends... Until...

The tide came up quick as it does prior to the rafters taking their run through, and we waved and chatted with them as they rafted by. finally as the rafters finished I noticed a green colored raft pull up to the bank a little ways from where we were working. I paid little attention until I came up from panning out some pay dirt to see my friend being told to gather up his stuff and get the hell out of there! The 3 Rafting Rangers had come on land to check us out. Once they had departed my friend showed me that he had been served with a ticket for defacing State property; the charge was "Rock Hounding" this offense caries between $10.00 to $1,000.00 depending on the judge I guess...

This was mostly due to having small garden shovels and pry-bars. as the Ranger said "you should know the rules going into the park - hands and pans only"
My question to all of you is - have I been doing this all wrong? Is it time to call it quits? Without some of my scrapper tools I would have not gotten any gold this year at all. Does anyone else use a shovel, pry-bar, sucker bottle, spoon - knife etc... to get into the cracks? I guess it's all illegal
Please respond with what is in your Gold Bag, and any other thoughts on what this ticket means. Thank you!

 

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[DizzyDigger]

In Alaska, one Game Warden covers thousands of square miles,
and does it efficiently. In Calli, it takes a gang of 3 fat boys just
to float down a little river for the sole purpose of exhorting
money from the visitors.

Those abhorrent "rules" are written with a potential revenue stream
in mind. They aren't stupid, and know that most all prospectors are
gonna dig with something. They know this in advance, and
plan it that way so they can write more tickets and fatten up the
budget.

They intentionally steal from us and our families under the guise of
the "law", and aside from the badge and uniform are in reality no better
than jack-booted thugs.

Might be a good move to get about 50 prospectors together, go down
to that same spot and do some panning. Make sure each and every
prospector has a shovel or trowel, and when they write y'all tickets
every one of ya show up in court at the same time. Advise the Judge
that "We The People" aren't going to tolerate state sponsored extortion
any longer.

Headline: "Man Jailed for using Garden Trowel".

Make damn sure that FOX News knows about it in advance, and then
we can take our case to to "The American People". Once it's shown
what the truth is, public sentiment will rapidly change. Bad press doesn't
get politicians re-elected, and they'll change their tune in a hurry.

Also, you can rest assured that these thugs monitor internet forums
for leads, and no doubt read the comments we post.

You guys want to set up a "warden sting" as mentioned above, I'll
find the resources to drive down and participate. I could use a little
excitement in life.

Having the valid rule change in hand, I'd love to tell one of those jackknobs
to go suck an egg as he gets all red-faced reading about the non-law he's
so zealously enforcing.

 

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[Sick4gold]

Don't know about CA but here state parks are definitely risky.
Here you have to get the park managers permission to do anything besides stare into the woods like a lunatic.
Usually the rangers are pretty cool and don't mind a pan and shovel and usually leave you alone but all you need is 1 ranger having a bad day.
I recommend avoiding state property ( which is becoming increasingly difficult )
Technically atleast here they have the right to take your equipment and ticket you. If your caught high banking or dredging OMG you may as well murder the ranger or burn down the Forest because it'll be looked at with the same contempt.
Good luck

 

[AzViper]

Get out of CA state parks...

Better yet just get out of California... The crap you all face being tax paying citizens of that state is just ridiculous. I know many of you have your roots set in stone, but.........

 

[Clay Diggins]

Don't know about CA but here state parks are definitely risky.
Here you have to get the park managers permission to do anything besides stare into the woods like a lunatic.
Usually the rangers are pretty cool and don't mind a pan and shovel and usually leave you alone but all you need is 1 ranger having a bad day.
I recommend avoiding state property ( which is becoming increasingly difficult )
Technically atleast here they have the right to take your equipment and ticket you. If your caught high banking or dredging OMG you may as well murder the ranger or burn down the Forest because it'll be looked at with the same contempt.
Good luck

The Auburn State Recreation Area is neither State property nor a State Park. It's a management agreement between the State of California and several Federal Agencies (BLM,BOR, FS) to manage the federal lands along the rivers. These guys can't enforce much of anything. State Park rules and regs don't apply in the SRA although they would like you to believe they do.

 

[azblackbird]

Having the valid rule change in hand, I'd love to tell one of those jackknobs to go suck an egg as he gets all red-faced reading about the non-law he's so zealously enforcing.

I'd highly advise against that. Worst thing you can do is to piss off somebody with an IQ of a shoestring. Doesn't matter if you have the written statutes in your hand or not. They take their orders from the higher-ups just like the good little sheep that they are. Best thing is to let them write you a ticket for whatever BS law they think you broke, then go to court where hopefully the law is recognized (which is highly debatable in CA) and settle it that way. I don't even bother arguing anymore with the lower echelon of the LEO sheep. I yes sir and no sir them to death to make them feel good about themselves, then take my citation and start preparing for the court hearing. That's just me though… do what you want.

 

[Aufisher]

If you are approached by an officer just throw a dozen doughnuts and run the other direction!

 

[NuggetN8]

Wonder if you could just completely ignore them and walk the other direction? They're fat and lazy you wouldn't think they'd try hiking after you.

 

[Aufisher]

Just don't hold your hands up in the air, they will shoot.

 

[goldenmojo]

The Auburn State Recreation Area is neither State property nor a State Park. It's a management agreement between the State of California and several Federal Agencies (BLM,BOR, FS) to manage the federal lands along the rivers. These guys can't enforce much of anything. State Park rules and regs don't apply in the SRA although they would like you to believe they do.

I would like to get a copy of that agreement and carry it with me, as long as it is less than three hundred and fifty pages of legalese....

 

[Prospector70]

I could beat the ____ out of any one of these metal pans I have into almost any tool...
Are there any rules to adding a handle to your pan? Be creative! <3

 

[Hefty1]

[h=2]History[edit][/h] Auburn SRA comprises lands set aside for the proposed Auburn Dam.[SUP][1][/SUP] However a large earthquake at Oroville nearby was found to have been caused by the Oroville Dam at that location, which led to examination and discovery that the Auburn dam site is situated on a geologic fault. This discovery halted the Auburn Dam project because of fears that constructing a dam and lake would cause a reservoir-induced earthquake which could lead to a dam's collapse, with catastrophic consequences for the city of Sacramento lying directly below.[SUP][2][/SUP] As such the project has been abandoned and as a result millions of people now enjoy the Auburn State Recreation Area in its natural state, with multiple wilderness canyons offering access to one of the last remaining natural river systems in Central California.[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] The California Department of Parks and Recreation administers the area under a contract with the United States Bureau of Reclamation.[SUP][1][/SUP]

 

[Hefty1]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX All old

Auburn State Recreation Area/Auburn Dam Project Lands General Plan/Interim Resource Management Plan
Alternate Options to Address the Key Issues

Recreation Mineral Collection – Dredging and Sluicing
Key Issue #1 – Reduce or Eliminate Impacts of Dredging and Sluicing a. Continue current management which allows dredging and sluicing on both Forks of the River with some restrictions, including season of use and areas where the activity is prohibited. DFG issues dredging permits. Further restrictions may be imposed to minimize impacts. b. Eliminate dredging and sluicing in ASRA to make the area consistent with California State Park policy and practices elsewhere in the State Park System. Only gold panning and rock hounding would be permitted.


www.usbr.gov Reclamation Manual
Projects & Facilities
More

• Newsroom
• Images

[h=2]Search results[/h] [h=3]Powered by Bing[/h]
[h=4]Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region - USBR[/h] Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region
For assistance or additional information about this website, please contact Public Affairs Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region 2800 Cottage Way, ...

[h=4]Mammoth Bar OHV Area Motocross Track Repair Draft ...[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=2635
Mammoth Bar Off-highway Vehicle (OHV) Area is part of the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA). ... Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact ...

[h=4]Draft Environmental Document Available for Proposed ...[/h] Draft Environmental Document Available for Proposed Motocross Track Repair in Mammoth Bar
Mammoth Bar OHV Area is part of the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA). Located about thirty miles northeast of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada ...

[h=4]Report of the Findings from the 2006 Auburn State ...[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=2839
Report of the Findings from the 2006 Auburn State Recreation Area Visitor Survey Prepared for California State Parks Auburn SRA Genera e Management ...

[h=4][PDF] auburn-folsom south unit - USBR[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/docs/auburn_rpt/Appendix C/AFSU Final Econ Update TM 06-23-06.pdf
Auburn State Recreation Area As noted above, The ASRA is made up of the lands set aside for the Auburn Dam. DPR administers the area under contract ...

[h=4]Final Environmental Impact Report North Fork American ...[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=3423
ASRA Auburn State Recreation Area BLM U.S. Bureau of Land Management ... FDCP Foresthill Divide Community Plan FEIR Final Environmental Impact Report

[h=4]Alternate Options to Address the Key Issues Draft Criteria ... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=2840
Auburn State Recreation Area/Auburn Dam Project Lands General Plan/Interim Resource Management Plan Alternate Options to Address the Key Issues

[h=4]PPENDIX - Bureau of Reclamation[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=3420
in the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA), which is managed by California State Parks. The trail alignment is

[h=4]III. Draft Environmental Assessment - USBR[/h] www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=2636
ASRA rangers and violators are subject to citation and fines. 2. Biological Resources . Mammoth Bar Wildlife Habitat Protection Plan (WHPP). In 2002 a ...

 

[CApicker]

Wow! thank you all... i am so thankfull for the input. I am educating myself with all of your help. thanks again. to you all, here is a tip. If you want to go there, we were right under the colapsed Greeenfield bridge and got amasing little chunks resembling rice kernals and bigger! here is my Son's take from just a couple stratigic pans before the kick out. Thanks again community and good luck to all!

 

[wingmaster]

As far as I know you can't use a shovel on state ground here in Indiana as it says no hand tools, I don't even see the point if I have to use my hands or my pan to get the material and you can only pan no sluicing what so ever.

Don't know about CA but here state parks are definitely risky.
Here you have to get the park managers permission to do anything besides stare into the woods like a lunatic.
Usually the rangers are pretty cool and don't mind a pan and shovel and usually leave you alone but all you need is 1 ranger having a bad day.
I recommend avoiding state property ( which is becoming increasingly difficult )
Technically atleast here they have the right to take your equipment and ticket you. If your caught high banking or dredging OMG you may as well murder the ranger or burn down the Forest because it'll be looked at with the same contempt.
Good luck

 

[CApicker]

Don't know about CA but here state parks are definitely risky.
Here you have to get the park managers permission to do anything besides stare into the woods like a lunatic.
Usually the rangers are pretty cool and don't mind a pan and shovel and usually leave you alone but all you need is 1 ranger having a bad day.
I recommend avoiding state property ( which is becoming increasingly difficult )
Technically atleast here they have the right to take your equipment and ticket you. If your caught high banking or dredging OMG you may as well murder the ranger or burn down the Forest because it'll be looked at with the same contempt.
Good luck

I love it what is the world coming to? thanks for teh comment

 

[Clay Diggins]

I would like to get a copy of that agreement and carry it with me, as long as it is less than three hundred and fifty pages of legalese....

It's 53 pages goldenmojo. The agreement wasn't made until January 2012 so everything before that with the "ASRA" was pure BS. It didn't exist before January 2012.

If you can wait a week or two I'll make it available to everyone. If you are in a hurry you might be able to find it somewhere online.

The Title is:

MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND DEVELOPMENT OF RECREATION USES AND FACILITIES AT FOLSOM LAKE, LAKE NATOMA, AND AUBURN DAM AND RESERVOIR AREA PROJECT LANDS


Make sure you get the final signed copy. Everything before January 24th 2012 was just negotiations and the zillion copies being circulated for 40 something years are not the same as the final agreement.

The management agreement is for 25 years unless someone gets caught with their hands in the till or someone decides to quit sooner. 25 years may seem like a long time but when you consider that the negotiations between the State of California and the Department of the Interior took 48 years it's really not all that long.

Heavy Pans

 

[Armchair prospector]

You may be right Dizzy as in numbers is what it takes. You never see one person to change anything. It's always many. Until things are done this way this how we will all be treated. Do you think 2 officers would bother 50 guys prospecting together?

 

[Asmbandits]

This would make a good 7on your side story if the agreement is valid and it looks to be so. Wouldn't it be great to have the signed copy and the news team hiding in the bushes when the asra bandits coming floating up on there raft!

 

[Hefty1]

Here ya go.....



[PDF] UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU …

Bureau of Reclamation Homepage/mp/ccao/docs/MPA%20Signed.pdf
management agreement between the united states ... development of recreation uses and facilities at folsom lake, ... and auburn dam and reservoir area project lands

 

[goldenmojo]

It's 53 pages goldenmojo. The agreement wasn't made until January 2012 so everything before that with the "ASRA" was pure BS. It didn't exist before January 2012.

If you can wait a week or two I'll make it available to everyone. If you are in a hurry you might be able to find it somewhere online.

The Title is:

MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND DEVELOPMENT OF RECREATION USES AND FACILITIES AT FOLSOM LAKE, LAKE NATOMA, AND AUBURN DAM AND RESERVOIR AREA PROJECT LANDS


Make sure you get the final signed copy. Everything before January 24th 2012 was just negotiations and the zillion copies being circulated for 40 something years are not the same as the final agreement.

The management agreement is for 25 years unless someone gets caught with their hands in the till or someone decides to quit sooner. 25 years may seem like a long time but when you consider that the negotiations between the State of California and the Department of the Interior took 48 years it's really not all that long.

Heavy Pans

I found it last night and I am halfway through. It has some contradictory language in regards to natural resources and I am interested in how the 1872 mining act and the language contained in the Jan 2012 agreement go together in regards to protection of the miners rights.