Washington states new gold mining laws ?

et1955

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Just finished reading the new laws, one paragraph has me puzzled " You may operate non-motorized mini high-bankers or other non-motorized concentrators only outside the wetted perimeter. You may not allow visible sediment or muddy water to enter the wetted perimeter. A second excavation site may be used as a settling pond." Any of you know how to run a mini high-banker without a motor and pump ?. I wonder if this is a miss print " non ", motorized mini high-bankers were legal in the last WDFW fish and gold book. I will be contacting them soon for clarification.???
 

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et1955

et1955

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After reading the new laws to the point of getting dizzy this what I have determined, mini high-bankers are legal and my new trommel I spent the last 3 months building is legal too. First the mini high-banker is not motorized but the water pump is and they allow a water pump with the proper screen to operate. As for the trommel it is a classifier not a concentrator, play with words I know but it is about the law.
 

ncclaymaker

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Just a bit of wit... what happens if it rains a lot. Does that enlarge the wetted area? Washington is searching for the means to Californicate themselves for no reason whatsoever. They can't reasonable even control coronavirus-19, do they think that they need to put high-banking anywhere in their agenda at the moment? I'd just fire the lot of them.
 

Mad Machinist

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Are you wearing your mask Mad? 8-)

HELL NO!!!!!

Doctors think I had this back in February right after Valentines day. Put me down for 12 days. And I have tested positive for the antibodies. So I'm immune now either way and don't need a mask. Not that I would wear one anyhow. Doctors believe a friend of mine here had it back at the beginning of November. He was sick for three weeks and nothing worked on it. Of course, it wasn't "officially" here yet so nobody cared then so I dont care now.
 

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ncclaymaker

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ncclaymaker

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Sorry to hear that Mad Machinist tested positive for Covid-19. Not wearing a mask... the mark of an irresponsible diseased mind! What he's really saying is that he doesn't care if he kills someone close to him or in the general public. I for one, did not serve and survive Vietnam, so that I could possibly be intentionally murdered or infected by some irresponsible individual wanting to walk among us like nothing has happened. Mad Machinist has an attitude that deserves the self inflicted Darwin Award for those that shun wearing a mask in public. Want to be anywhere in his vicinity... HELL NO!!!!
 

ncclaymaker

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Thanks! My faith in miners is restored. :thumbsup:

Heavy Pans

Let's really see if your "faith" in Mad Machinist is restored... bring him to your house for diner with lots friends and family present and nobody wearing a mask. Please share a common glass of beverage with him. He just might be asymptomatic. Read the article attached to my opinion. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/even-asymptomatic-people-can-spread-covid-19-within-a-room

I hope that you were just being sarcastic... if so, my apology. I for one do not wish to self terminate due to abject stupidity.
 

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Mad Machinist

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Sorry to hear that Mad Machinist tested positive for Covid-19. Not wearing a mask... the mark of an irresponsible diseased mind! What he's really saying is that he doesn't care if he kills someone close to him or in the general public. I for one, did not serve and survive Vietnam, so that I could possibly be intentionally murdered or infected by some irresponsible individual wanting to walk among us like nothing has happened. Mad Machinist has an attitude that deserves the self inflicted Darwin Award for those that shun wearing a mask in public. Want to be anywhere in his vicinity... HELL NO!!!!

Yea I tested positive for this Wuhan Kung Flu. So what!!! I had this LONG before masks were required. NOBODY gave a damn when we were dropping like flies here from this. ALOT of my friends went down with the same symptoms. NOBODY cared and the doctors acted like we were bothering them by asking for help.

Now with antibodies to this, I CANNOT EVEN BE A CARRIER OF THIS ANYMORE. Two ways to build antibodies is to either get it and fight it off or get a vaccine, which is actually a part of the virus, so your body builds antibodies to this. That is how the human immune system works.

Irresponsible? Get a life. Many of us had this before it became an "official problem". No I won't wear a mask because of medical reasons. Irresponsible? So I guess when I show up to the Red Cross blood donation tonight I'll tell them I can no longer donate blood for the antibodies in convalescent plasma to help treat others who are fighting this.
 

Goldwasher

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Wuhan Kung Flu? This board does not permit racial slurs of any kind whatsoever, nor does it permit politics to enter the fray. I suggest that you READ the attachment to my comment. You can sometimes win an debate with someone that knows a little about a subject, but never with someone that knows it all.

it's not a racial slur.

the rules also prevent you attacking him yet you are.

99.9% survival rate. an infection rate much higher than is stated because such a relatively small portion of the population can reasonably be tested.

a mortality rate that never reached what they claimed it would. Deaths dropping daily even with more positive cases.

Did you know that people who test positive more than once during recovery go in the new positive test count until they test negative?

Ca. has 40 million people less than 8k deaths more people will be harmed by the shut down.
1.5 million people die of tuberculosis every year.

wearing a mask is the same thing as wearing your participation t-shirt for a fun run that raises money to save endangered butterflies.

Putting a mask on now four plus months in. is like putting on a condom before you go to Le Mons classes with your wife when shes 8 months pregnant.

Middle aged was 25 a hundred years ago. People died of everything. You used to literally get dysentery and poop yourself to death.

We have immune systems the bug needs to spread. If humans needed masks we would grow them on our faces.
 

jeff of pa

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I think allot of this thread is Political.
 

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jeff of pa

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I'm offended the Chinese Unleashed this Virus attack !
I'm offended by being forced to wear Masks at certain times .

But I see nothing to warn or delete over :coffee2:
 

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ncclaymaker

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Interactive map of over regulation link only.

https://waecy.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=36f9b4cf01724c55b4b795de2d7d1615

Some Effects of Suction Dredge Placer Mining on the Short-term Survival of Freshwater Mussels in Washington

Category: Fish/Shellfish Research
Published: 2007
Pages: 10
Author(s): Kirk Krueger, Patrick Chapman, Molly Hallock, and Timothy Quinn
Northwest Science, Vol. 81, No. 4, 2007


Abstract




Suction dredge placer mining is an increasingly frequent activity that may affect the survival of mussels, however, the effect of suction dredge mining on freshwater mussels has received little attention. We quantified the effects of being entrained, exposed, and/or buried by suction dredge placer mining on the short-term survival of western ridged mussels (Gonidea angulata, Lea) and western pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera falcata, Gould) in the Similkameen River, Washington. The primary experimental treatments were entrainment by a suction dredge versus non-entrainment. The secondary experimental treatments were exposure and burial. No obvious physical damage to mussels was observed due to entrainment by the suction dredge and entrainment had no effect on the survival of mussels. All exposed mussels survived the 6-week experiment. However, burial by dredge tailings resulted in the death of a substantial percentage of mussels of each species and no mussels were able to excavate from experimental dredge tailings. Our results have significant conservation implications and emphasize the need for additional research.


What in the hell happens when the spring floods or any other excessive rainfall occurs and buries the great tasting mussels. Can Washington state ban mother nature from providing too much rain?


Enjoy the Californication by the state of Washington.
 

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Hardent

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Just curious, I'm new to WA state and I'm trying to understand all these new laws and such - hoping someone can answer a couple of questions I had regarding highbanking. It seems like the majority of the new rules are intended mainly for suction dredging and not as much for high-banking, especially if using smaller "mini" high-bankers - am I reading into that correctly? They specifically call out mini versions with less than 3 square feet of riffles and say that these are considered "hand-held" prospecting tools that you can use year round without restrictions. Immediately after that they say "If you use motorized types of the mineral prospecting equipment listed in the previous provision, you may do so ONLY in certain waters." This sentence is really confusing to me because A.) I don't know of any high-bankers that are themselves "motorized." The only motorized component would be the water pump you use, so is the pump considered part of the highbanker and therefore makes it a motorized version? What would a non-motorized version look like then? Why do they make the distinction between mini and regular highbankers if they are then going to just lump them all into "motorized" versions etc.

In the next sentence they "When using motorized mineral prospecting equipment, all process water must be completely contained within your equipment and you may NOT discharge any water to surface or ground waters of the state." Are they saying you can't discharge the water back into the river OR anywhere on the "ground"? Or does it mean you just can't discharge it in a way that would drain into the "Ground Water" supply? Doesn't everything drain back into the ground water? If you can't discharge water, does this mean you would have to bring a settling tank with you or something?


I guess what I really want to know is whether I should go ahead with my plan to get a "mini" highbanker to do a little weekend prospecting here and there with my kids. I've heard the gold around here is so small and fine you really need to have a highbanker to make it worth your time. I have a small bazooka gold trap but I can't really put enough material through it to make it worth taking out for a half-day here and there. If I go out with a highbanker in Eastern King County what are the chances I'm going to get harassed or get a ticket etc? If I were to go out with an electric pump instead of gas would that circumvent the "motorized" definition? Any help you guys can give me would be appreciated!
 

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et1955

et1955

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For now motorized pumps in the river, gas or electric are not allowed, however you can run a closed system. What that means is you can run a mini electric high-banker but your discharge must go into a tub witch also contains the water for your pump. Same type of system I use for beach mining. Just curious, what rivers are you thinking about mining, I've mined them all that has gold.
 

Hardent

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Jul 6, 2015
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Well, I live like 5 mins from a part of the Tolt river that has some historical placer mining - was thinking of giving that a go but seems like a lot of the land along the river is owned by Snoqualmie Timber. Otherwise thought I might head up to North Fork of the Snoqualmie (southeast of the reservoir) a go. Any better suggestions maybe? Thanks!
 

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