The day the ban was instituted the trinity river miners sat down and agreed to leave their 1-10" dredge--2-8' dredges and a 5" in the water visible from HiWay 299 with a car count of over 40,000 a week(cal trans). 4 gravel munching monsters worth at least $200,000,6 additional support vehicles,$75,000+, (could also be confiscated) with at least $10-$15,000 of back up supplies, and fines galore. This lasted for over a 100 days. Helicopters galore,reporters from 6 major papers to cover the story as also picked up by API and shot to numerous countries. Randy Davis was utilized as the example as a disabled Niet Nam Viet rotten to the core with cancer who had a 8" in the trinity. Interviews with record searchlight/sac bee/SJ Mercury news,tv interviews with a half dozen channels and on and on we churned for over 100 DAYS. The only thing missing from the PROTEST was DREDGERS hahahah who hid at home under the beds and in closets twisting their panties and send a few sheckles to their favorite MEGA CARPETBAGGERS & MINERS RIGHTS GROUPS who caused 99% of the problem in the first place hahahaha. Well the reporters/tv/news all went away as CDFG refused to ticket us out of respect for all we'd done over the years with/by/and for them. I made up tinker toys,called my long time friends in CDFG enforcement and administration and told them where to come and ticket me please. Yet again the respect garnered throught all the process since inception of dredge regulations got me nuttn' but the gold I found. I even sent in pics,posted on the internet on 7 forums and sent CDFG enforcement pictures hahahah no action...Miner unity is 100% unadulterated BS. 4 folks showed up to give us money(non miners) but as alwys the trinity miners RIP/miners alliance RIP absolutely refused all funds. Horn honking touristas stopped,applauded and hooted and hollered. Haters screamed ,cussed and fingered us good. But all the CDFG and the haters ever got was Mad Dogs naked butt(posted many time as the most famous ol'crusty rump on the planet) and a roaring F U as gravel was sucked on a daily basis. The only chance to present a unified front to the whole world was blown outta water simply cause ya'all woulda had to stand up like a man and united....hahahah never mo' sayeth the craven raven as that 100 days in time was the last stand and ya toooo chicken to leave the henhouse. NOW 3 more bill rammed jammed cramed through the legislative process,councils formed with Karuk,environutz, and the fishermen with NO MINERS PRESENT because the 1994 regulation council was killed 100% yet again by the MINERS RIGHTS GROUPS & MEGA CLUBS total refusal to even discuss a thing(OBSTRUCTIONISM/GERRYMANDERING SAME AS REP/DEMS AND RIGHTS BE DAM)--over 250 miles of openings..gone..a 2 mile stretch of the Mokelume project to resolidify the compacted gravels and PROVE DREDGING 100 EGOLIGICAL sound,and a permenent dredge committee to assure future generations the freedoms WE ONCE HAD. The fools on the illegal dredge secret committee even asked the CDFG for highbanking rules please AS WE NEED YOUR HELP AND GUIDANCE(not only no but LL NO) . These 2 brainiacs(minutes available on CDFG website for those not lazy) state specifically what was said by whom and when. So the waterboards complied and the CDFG with 5 more permits and the millions in fines also...talk about shooting yourself in the foot and the smucks represented the industry.. well the tale has ended with a dozen new laws,regs,permits,6 layers of containment and the coalition of casino cash,environutz and fishermen has a few mil laying around to kill any hope if all dozen or so LAWS(not in my world) in the next 100 years are ever removed. Now the feds step in next years and tie a big red bow on the whole convaluted dead end mess utilizing the EPA and Clean water act to kill any and all hope forever COUNTRY WIDE... as ye sow... so shall ye reap...as you hide under your beds a panty twisting all the live long day as my lifes passion DREDGING has been laid to rest after 41 years the of the fantastic life imagineable...and ya all got the gumption snivel what a mean ol man hahahaha..me quit mining--such bs..when I die mining, me and Belzabob a gonna rip pergatory to pieces till LL freezes over...hahahahah John