How many Gold Prospectors

[goldog]

Does anyone here have an idea of the number of gold prospectors in the US? Other countries or worldwide is ok too.

There is a call for us to band together to protect our rights. I was wondering how many that would be. Is it millions? How many have the fever?

 

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[Hefty1]

Does anyone here have an idea of the number of gold prospectors in the US? Other countries or worldwide is ok too.

There is a call for us to band together to protect our rights. I was wondering how many that would be. Is it millions? How many have the fever?

I do! Don't know about the rest of the world.

So that is 1 so far.

 

[Terry Soloman]

There are not enough to "band together." The vast majority are weekend warriors and "bucket list" types. That is why PLP and the rest are worthless money and time wasters selling false hope to the few that will give them money.

 

[Clay Diggins]

There are more than 250,000 miners working full time in the U.S. They are some of the highest paid workers in any industry. Many of them are prospectors, explorers and support staff. Most will mine gold as well as any other valuable minerals.

We have been "banded together to protect our rights" for more than 140 years. There are several organizations that have supported prospectors very effectively and consistently. No need to feel alone out there. Mining, including prospecting, is a big well organized industry. Here are a few of the groups that have proven track records of supporting prospectors rights:

Mountain States Legal Foundation 47 years old. Easily the most effective legal advocate for prospectors and miners. Several Supreme Court cases won for miners. At the top of my donation list. Located in Lakewood Colorado.

American Exploration & Mining Association (Formerly Northwest Mining Association) 121 years old, 2,500 members. Probably the leading advocate of prospectors and small miners in the United States. Second only to Mountain States in my donation list. Located in Spokane Washington.

Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) 15,000 members in 100 countries. Located in Englewood Colorado.

Geological Society of America 125 years old more than 25,000 members in 103 countries. Look through their list of affiliate organizations for more leads to well established support groups worldwide. Located in Boulder Colorado.

The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation 62 years old. Dedicated to educating lawyers and legal professionals in effective mining representation. Located in Westminster Colorado.

There are many more.

No need to reinvent the wheel. More organizations aren't going to amount to better support for prospectors. The pie being cut into smaller pieces only weakens the excellent groups with a track record already supporting us.

Please support the fine mining organizations we already have.

Heavy Pans

 

[nh.nugget]

You tell em' Clay, If we all banded together and pooled our gold! LOL! We could take on all of them and get whatever we wanted just like them!

 

[goldog]

Thanks all for the well-thought out replies. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel or start a new group. Just get an idea of the potential. Based on the 250,000 FT miners I would guess maybe 2 million "weekend warrior"(at least a few trips /year) types. Am I close or all wet?

 

[ratled]

Any chance I can "Like" a post more than once? This would certainly be it

ratled

There are more than 250,000 miners working full time in the U.S. They are some of the highest paid workers in any industry. Many of them are prospectors, explorers and support staff. Most will mine gold as well as any other valuable minerals.

We have been "banded together to protect our rights" for more than 140 years. There are several organizations that have supported prospectors very effectively and consistently. No need to feel alone out there. Mining, including prospecting, is a big well organized industry. Here are a few of the groups that have proven track records of supporting prospectors rights:

Mountain States Legal Foundation 47 years old. Easily the most effective legal advocate for prospectors and miners. Several Supreme Court cases won for miners. At the top of my donation list. Located in Lakewood Colorado.

American Exploration & Mining Association (Formerly Northwest Mining Association) 121 years old, 2,500 members. Probably the leading advocate of prospectors and small miners in the United States. Second only to Mountain States in my donation list. Located in Spokane Washington.

Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) 15,000 members in 100 countries. Located in Englewood Colorado.

Geological Society of America 125 years old more than 25,000 members in 103 countries. Look through their list of affiliate organizations for more leads to well established support groups worldwide. Located in Boulder Colorado.

The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation 62 years old. Dedicated to educating lawyers and legal professionals in effective mining representation. Located in Westminster Colorado.

There are many more.

No need to reinvent the wheel. More organizations aren't going to amount to better support for prospectors. The pie being cut into smaller pieces only weakens the excellent groups with a track record already supporting us.

Please support the fine mining organizations we already have.

Heavy Pans

 

[winners58]

How about claim owners, something I haven't been able to wrap my head around, if there are 10,600(*) placer claim owners in California
that would be a powerful lobby if they just joined together, maybe a million man march on the state capital,
and yet only three groups showed up at the SB637 hearings,
the most powerful state mining lobby's are gravel & concrete groups, we all need roads, bridges & buildings
and they all belong to AEMA https://www.miningamerica.org/ if you want to band together join AEMA as a precious metal miner.
for retired 65+ its only $35 or $25 full time student $120 for active members. you would have the backing of some powerful groups
https://www.miningamerica.org/about/corporate-members/

Economic contributions of Mining 2012 Report
http://www.nma.org/pdf/economic_contributions.pdf
.
.
(*) numbers from goldmapsonline splash page

 

[Clay Diggins]

Winners58 there were 10,103 placer claims in California as of October 1, 2015.

That's claims not owners.

There were only 6,894 placer claim owners in California on that date.

Seems to me your numbers aren't adding up. Where did you get your figures?

Heavy Pans

 

[Terry Soloman]

There are more than 250,000 miners working full time in the U.S. They are some of the highest paid workers in any industry. Many of them are prospectors, explorers and support staff. Most will mine gold as well as any other valuable minerals.

We have been "banded together to protect our rights" for more than 140 years. There are several organizations that have supported prospectors very effectively and consistently. No need to feel alone out there. Mining, including prospecting, is a big well organized industry. Here are a few of the groups that have proven track records of supporting prospectors rights:

Mountain States Legal Foundation 47 years old. Easily the most effective legal advocate for prospectors and miners. Several Supreme Court cases won for miners. At the top of my donation list. Located in Lakewood Colorado.

American Exploration & Mining Association (Formerly Northwest Mining Association) 121 years old, 2,500 members. Probably the leading advocate of prospectors and small miners in the United States. Second only to Mountain States in my donation list. Located in Spokane Washington.

Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) 15,000 members in 100 countries. Located in Englewood Colorado.

Geological Society of America 125 years old more than 25,000 members in 103 countries. Look through their list of affiliate organizations for more leads to well established support groups worldwide. Located in Boulder Colorado.

The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation 62 years old. Dedicated to educating lawyers and legal professionals in effective mining representation. Located in Westminster Colorado.

There are many more.

No need to reinvent the wheel. More organizations aren't going to amount to better support for prospectors. The pie being cut into smaller pieces only weakens the excellent groups with a track record already supporting us.

Please support the fine mining organizations we already have.

Heavy Pans

There is a HUGE difference between professional miners and weekend prospectors. I respect Clay, and cannot challenge his knowledge or experience in this area, but I disagree that ANY of the organizations listed above can, or will, accomplish anything meaningful for the average guy with a metal detector or drywasher. "Recreational" gold prospecting is popular with a very small minority of white, middle aged men, that have a dream and a few thousand dollars to spend. It's pastime, a hobby, a "macho" experience to most.

 

[goldog]

Many of us are into it for a lot less than thousands.

Besides that. There are at least a few non male, non whites afflicted. It's ok if the numbers are a bit off. Just looking for an estimate.

 

[Jimmydolittle]

True, Terry, I may have a couple K rapped up in equipment, but I do it for quite a different reason. I do it for stress relief, I'll be 72 tomorrow, Lord willing. I go into the nursing home where my wife lives, and feed her twice a day, most days that is. She has had Alzheimer's disease for the past 11 years. Watching the ravages of that disease takes a toll. When I go out, it frees me of the stresses that build up, in a person. I do support PLP, and Pacific Legal Fund, and The New 49ers Legal fund, even though I'll never be west of the Mississippi. Throwing my money down a rabbit hole, I guess maybe, but that is my choice. Have a good day, sir.

There is a HUGE difference between professional miners and weekend prospectors. I respect Clay, and cannot challenge his knowledge or experience in this area, but I disagree that ANY of the organizations listed above can, or will, accomplish anything meaningful for the average guy with a metal detector or drywasher. "Recreational" gold prospecting is popular with a very small minority of white, middle aged men, that have a dream and a few thousand dollars to spend. It's pastime, a hobby, a "macho" experience to most.

 

[2cmorau]

great post
should read "how many informed miners are there", some great links too
but all these great organizations mean squat if the weekend prospector is not aware
public lands for the people, The new 49ers, Western mining alliance, American mining right association, are putting up the great fight for us small miners here in Crazyfornia
small miners need representation especially here in California , we are still not dredging ( scream all you want, we have mining rights) even with the recent sighing of SB637 ( soup and ladle will add more years to the delight of the anti-mining )
some of us depend on mining as a means of income, and this dredging ban has hurt a lot of family's
i would venture to say, 90% have a fulltime job outside this interest, and it is for them a thrill to find some shine
it is something i noticed with my recent move, closer to my claims, and this is only my experience but all them folks i meet on the river or hiking trials lugging their pride and joy are very much out of the loop
most them 250,000 miners with good pay are union and that's a hurt on the independent miner

 

[Goldwasher]

Nothing in any law anywhere that separates any miner by demographic....miners separate themselves...There shouldn't be a big guys vs. small guys barrier. I believe the reason Clay posted that info is that those groups DO help the small time guys...Maybe doing what all the middle aged men that have been supporting these groups that fight mainly for land use issues aren't the answer for mining rights issues. My experience as a younger than middle age prospector. Is that there are a lot of older than middle aged retirees that are jaded by EVERYTHING and bring their attitudes into the small scale community, that actually does meet up to try and get things done...They all group their negative attitudes in to one powerful black hole of negative energy and all focus on the actual issues. Any chance of progression ends up in some other dimension!! Most likely the one where the other socks go..maybe we can start a thread somewhere? Dowsing? long range locators?...... Oleophilic adhesion??...Tere must be a way for us to get some positivity back.....Thanks for trying Barry!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Large scale, small scale, what's the difference once the "Greenies" get their way? The size of our operations, which equipment we use or how many claims we have doesn't matter one bit if we remain fragmented and the opposition keeps gaining ground against us. They have a lot of money behind them as well as politicians in their pockets. The environuts have been working against us as well as many other groups for years now and we have a LOT of catching up to do. Sitting in front of the computer and whining about how we've been shafted by the opposition is not going to get things done. Do some research into the groups that Clay listed and figure out which one(s) are best fitted to your needs and then join and support them as they work for all of us.

We all know that if it's not grown, it's mined. This is a concept that can not be argued against in any logical way and one that I feel we'd be wise to spread far and wide. Most people in this country have never given this fact any real thought. The go to the stores and buy their smart phones, their T.V.s and other items and never give a single thought as to where the materials used to make them come from. Maybe... just maybe if we shine more light on this as well as how the "Greenies" have been misrepresenting both the science and the facts we might start gaining a little ground back. By educating people, keeping our claims clean and using responsible mining practices no matter what scale our operations are, we can prove several things. First being that we are true stewards of the lands and waters we mine. Second is that without us miners, the general public would not have many of the modern conveniences they enjoy. I'm pretty sure that the majority of them wouldn't like having to cook over an open fire and make their coffee in an animal bladder of some sort and drinking it from a horn mug. Without mining, we'd never have advanced beyond the stone age which is a fact we need to remind people of.

 

[Clay Diggins]

great post
should read "how many informed miners are there", some great links too
but all these great organizations mean squat if the weekend prospector is not aware
public lands for the people, The new 49ers, Western mining alliance, American mining right association, are putting up the great fight for us small miners here in Crazyfornia
small miners need representation especially here in California ...

It is important that prospectors are aware of all the organizations that support them. I suppose there may be a few new prospectors on these forums that don't yet know about those organizations. Thanks for sharing your favorite new California small miner/dredge organizations 2cmorau.

I'll point out that none of those organizations have won any court cases for miners ever - that's why they were not on my personal favorites list. Certainly not the only criteria to judge an organization by but an important consideration for me nonetheless.

The organizations I listed do represent California miners. They also represent small, non union, miners. That's part of my personal criteria when judging the worthiness of a mining support organization, along with having a long track record of winning cases for small miners.

Two of the organizations you left off your list have done more for California small, non union, miners than any other organization on earth.

Both these organizations were instrumental in helping Donald Eno recover his Hound Dog placer claim from both the BLM and Forest Service. That was a big win for California small miners.

Other cases these two groups have won for small, non union, miners have changed the world of mining for the better in ways that will echo through the history of mining.

Study the several issues won in the multiple Minard Run cases and you will see that these two organizations enforced small miners rights to the minerals below the eastern forests, and all public lands. An even more important result of Minard Run was to get the greenie practice of "sue and settle" banned for good. That's a big win in itself.

These two organizations are also providing funds and legal assistance in the Rinehart California dredge case. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

Now you do.

Here are those two organizations again. I hope you will support them too.

Mountain States Legal Foundation 47 years old. Easily the most effective legal advocate for prospectors and miners. Several Supreme Court cases won for miners. At the top of my donation list. Located in Lakewood Colorado.

American Exploration & Mining Association (Formerly Northwest Mining Association) 121 years old, 2,500 members. Probably the leading advocate of prospectors and small miners in the United States. Second only to Mountain States in my donation list. Located in Spokane Washington.

Please support whichever organizations you feel represents your interest best. As small miners it's important that we do so. I just wanted to make sure you understand that small miners, California and non union miners were not left out on my list of important and effective miner's organizations.

Look a little closer and I think you will see that miners are miners. Small, large, union, non union, California or any other State. Not just in the eyes of the law but in the heart of these strong and effective support organizations.

Heavy Pans

 

[Clay Diggins]

Nothing in any law anywhere that separates any miner by demographic....miners separate themselves...There shouldn't be a big guys vs. small guys barrier.

THIS

+100

I've been trying for years to get this concept across. The big mining companies get it. The junior exploration companies get it. Why can't the small miners get it?

Thanks for saying it so well Goldwasher.

Heavy Pans

 

[2cmorau]

union miners, voting for the party that is anti-mining
environmentals lobby the party of anti-mining
small independent miner have equal financial means as a large mining corp, give me a break
the uninformed weekend prospector will help who, and really could give a filp
thanks for proviong my point

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