Well I sent ASRA an Email though it usually takes them about three months or so to respond to me. Me personally I have a very hard time my mind around all these laws and crap. And honestly the older I get the less regard and respect I have for them.
Anyway I have my doubts about Yankee jims Road but the Operator told me the Foresthill side of Yankee jims road will continue to be open.. A joke? right? I doubt it.. anyway ASRA emailed me this awhile ago supposed to be the current rules for ASRA .. But from his email I got the distinct feeling that the guy who emailed had little to no clue on the rules.. ................................................................................
Hello Mr. Marshall.
I have been requested to follow up with questions that you have regarding the mineral collection regulations at Auburn State Recreation Area. I have attached a current working document that lists most of the applicable code sections and policies that pertain to this activity. We will be checking other public documentations for consistency with these regulations. I hope that this document will help to clarify any questions that you might have. If you have any others, please feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Bill D.
Bill Deitchman
State Park Ranger
Auburn State Recreation Area
501 El Dorado Street
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: 530-823-4164
04/2014 Recreational Mineral Collection in Auburn State Recreation Area
Recreational mineral collection is currently allowed at the Auburn State Recreation Area with the following restrictions:
1. Commercial Use Prohibited. Rocks or mineral specimens gathered within a unit may not be sold or used commercially for the production of profit (T-14 CCR 4611c). 2. Plants and Driftwood. In summary - All forms of vegetation (including roots, moss, flowers, etc.) are protected e.g. one may not pick, dig up, cut, mutilate, destroy, injure, disturb, move, etc. (T-14 CCR 4306). 3. Geological Features. No person shall destroy, disturb, mutilate, or remove earth, sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features, or features of caves except rockhounding may be permitted as defined and delineated in Section 4611(T-14 CCR 4307). 4. Archeological Features. No person shall remove, injure, disfigure, deface, or destroy any object of archeological, or historical interest or value (T-14 CCR 4308). 5. Material for sluice boxes and gold pans shall only come from beaches or gravel bars which are subject to annual flooding (T-14 CCR 4611g). 6. No hazardous materials associated with the processing of gold or other minerals, such as cyanide and mercury shall be permitted within the State Recreation Area (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010). 7. Use of Tools for Mineral Collection. The use of non-motorized small tools (for example shovels and hand trowels) is authorized in areas open for recreational mineral collection at Auburn SRA (i.e. beaches or gravel bars which are subject to annual flooding) (Auburn State Recreation Area policy 6/7/10). 8. Private property shall not be left unattended for more than 48 hours. Property left in violation of this section shall be subject to confiscation (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010). 9. Motorized sluicing is only allowed during the Department of Fish and Wildlife regular dredging season (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010). 10. All California Fish & Wildlife laws and regulations regarding sluicing operations must be complied with (T-14 CCR 228 & 228.5), (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010). 11. Recreational suction dredging is not allowed while the state ban on suction dredging is in effect (Fish and Wildlife Code 5653.1) (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010). * 12. Rockhounding. Defined as being the recreational gathering of stones and minerals found occurring naturally on the undisturbed surface of the land, including panning for gold in the natural water-washed gravel of streams (T14 CCR 4611). Maximum Take. One person may gather, in one day in one unit, not more than 15 pounds of mineralogical material or not more than one specimen plus 15 pounds of mineralogical material (T-14 CCR 4611d). Areas for Swimming and Boating. In state recreation areas rockhounding may not be practiced in areas designated for swimming or for boat launching (T-14 CCR 4611f). Area Limited to Collection. Beaches or gravel bars which are subject to annual flooding on streams (T-14 CCR 4611g). Indian Artifacts. Rockhounding specifically does not include gathering of Indian arrowheads, Indian stone tools, or other archeological specimens, even when such specimens may be found occurring naturally on the surface. (T-14 CCR 4611h) Panning for Gold. Panning for gold is considered to be “rockhounding” as the term is applied in the Department. Muddy water from panning operations must not be visible more than 20 feet from the panning operation (T-14 CCR 4611i). 13. Metal Detectors may be used with the following restrictions (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010): Metal detectors may only be used for searching for recently lost items. Metal detectors may not be used in area possessing historic or prehistoric resources. No historic or prehistoric items discovered by metal detection or otherwise, may be collected or possessed. The area west of Hwy. 49 in El Dorado and Placer Counties is closed to the use of metal detectors. 14. The following areas are closed to motorized mineral collection (Posted Order No. 690-013-2010): Upstream on the North Fork of the American River from the boundary of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area to the high bridge on the Foresthill Road and on the Middle Fork of the American River from it’s confluence with the North Fork upstream to the east end of Louisiana Bar. Lake Clementine area from ¼ mile below the North Fork Dam to ½ mile upstream of the Lake Clementine Day Use Area. During the whitewater boating season, at the whitewater boating put-ins/take-outs at Oxbow, Ruck-a-Chucky, Iowa Hill, and Ponderosa Way. The area west of Hwy. 49 in El Dorado County is closed to all forms of mineral collection or rockhounding.
*Under California Fish & Wildlife Code Section 5653.1, suction dredging has been temporarily halted until an environmental impact report and related regulations are completed by the California Department of Fish & Game
