New 49'er Newsletter

SECOND QUARTER, MAY 2017                               VOLUME 31, NUMBER 5

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

 

 

 

Story by Laura Bagley

Now that spring is in the air, Scott and I are back out along the Klamath River. Finally!

Since we live here year-around, it occurred to me the other day that it is common to take things for granted that we experience every day; things that others would really wish for. For example, your life partner, or your kids, or your mom. They are there all the time, so we can get into this mindset that we accept them as commonplace and don’t stop often enough to take a real close look or listen and appreciate them. When someone I really love suddenly is gone from my life, my biggest regret is always that I should have taken more time to fully appreciate them while I had the time.

Klamath River Young girl smiling on river
Happy Camp

This is where Indian Creek flows into the Klamath; where “Happy Camp” got its name. This is also the location of our K-21 property on the river

This is not only true of the people in our lives. It is true of all the blessings we get used to. Especially the surroundings where we live. Being from southern California, I think this is one of the many reasons I love living in Happy Camp. There are four distinct seasons here. The surroundings are changing all the time. We just went through a brutal winter. While some of it was pretty uncomfortable, every day brought on something new. New things cause us to wake up and take a fresh look. Waking up and taking a fresh look is a good thing!

Now that we are into spring, I am noticing that a lot of things are waking up. Spring flowers are coming alive in places that were under three feet of snow just a while back; the grass is that beautiful shade of green; a new season of beautiful green leaves are changing the landscape; the singsong of summer birds is in the air when I wake up in the morning. I assume these are the normal wonders wherever there are four seasons.

The most amazing thing about Happy Camp is that we have the mighty Klamath River, and all of the incredible miracles which are intimately linked to it. We all know that the river is full of gold, even though Mother Nature is so good at concealing her most precious treasures.  The gold is what brings many of us to Happy Camp and the Klamath River. But it is not the gold which prompt many of us to live here. We live here because of all the other wonders that the river provides; you would be challenged to find a more abundant setting anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. There are also good people here; others who have also made the choice to live in a more serene setting.

But living here all the time, with all of the life-situations which occupy our minds, it’s common to just accept our surroundings as they are and stop recognizing the real jewels that are all around us.

Dave Mack’s boat sinking adventure several newsletters ago ended with a simple and profound wisdom. He said that every breath matters. Because, when you cannot get a breath, nothing else matters for very long. If I may, I would like to add something to that: Every moment matters. Because each moment is all there really is – and what you decide to do with it. You can think about the bills you have to pay, or cannot pay. You can wish you were somewhere else. There is an infinity of things you can do with the present moment.  And you should do all of those things.

My suggestion is that you make the most out of the ever-present moment, whatever you decide to do with it.

River Elk

Which brings me back my idea for this story.  The search for gold along the Klamath places you in locations where you or others would likely not go. Like sitting down along the river working your gold pan.  Sometimes we get so narrowly focused on finding the golden hotspot, we don’t take the opportunity to appreciate how lucky we are to just be there in the first place. Here is just one example:It would not be uncommon to be panning at the river’s edge to glance up to see two yearling bear cubs playfully meandering upriver towards you. They are a good quarter of a mile away, having not seen or smelt you, yet. In that moment, you’ve forgotten all about your gold pan. Fifteen minutes pass by as these cubs have captivated you in fascination at their comical antics. They’ve been working their way along the bank pouncing and pawing in the shallows. A hunting training program in the works, seems they have targeted frogs they spooked to hop into the river.  Obvious to you they are novices at this skill, but it hasn’t deterred their fun. The lack of talent is quite amusing.

PanningYou keep scanning the river bank, because these cubs are a year shy of being too far from their mother. The cubs continue closing the distance between you, rambling on this frog finding expedition. They’ve no idea they are being observed. Suddenly one of the cub’s pops out from between some boulders much closer than it was seconds before, a wee bit closer, uncomfortably close. You stand up finally, not to get a better view. Now you want to be seen. The cub still has not noticed you, it just keeps running in the shallows spraying water everywhere. It climbs up on a rock so close that you are startled it hasn’t seen you. Now you are looking for Mamma bear in earnest. How fast can bears swim?

The cub whips its head up just as you’re considering your plunge into the river. Did he catch your scent? Nope; without so much as a glance in your direction, both cubs are fleeing the scene in a head long race back down river. You were spotted for sure. Mamma bear must have called those cubs back to her when she spotted you. Last you see is the two cubs sprinting up into the trees down by where you first saw them.

Then you snap back to the task at hand; ah that’s right you were panning, “I wonder if there is any gold in my pan…” 

My advice is to not miss out on the beauty of nature while you’re out looking for gold. Take in the bald eagles, the osprey, the hawks, the otters, the turtles, the frogs, the elk and the deer. Be spellbound by the landscapes, the wind whispering though the pines and the roar of the river rapids. The Klamath National Forest has more wonders than we can experience in a lifetime!

The added bonus is that you get to keep all the gold you can find!

See you on the river. 

Preparing for the 2017 Season!

New PipeHaving really worked hard to get through the learning curve last season in setting up gravity water feed systems, we are busy preparing something special to support our Group Mining Projects this season. Fortunately, there is a water source directly across the river from a high-grade pay-streak we located towards the end of last season.

The following two videos pretty much tell the story:

 

 

Legal and Political Perspective

We certainly do live in interesting times!

Now, with two of President Trump’s major initiatives blocked by federal judges (setting immigration policy, and threatening to withhold law enforcement funding to sanctuary cities that refuse to enforce federal law), it would appear that a big part of his agenda “to make America great again” can be prevented from happening by his (our) opposition just filing lawsuits in front of left-leaning judges. This is where our industry has been sitting for about nine years.

Anyone who has been watching the news knows that to designate a federal judge for life, he needs to be appointed by the president and confirmed by a majority in the U.S. Senate. According to Wikipedia, There are currently 874 authorized Article III judgeships: nine on the Supreme Court, 179 on the courts of appeals, nine on the Court of International Trade and 677 for the district courts.

So we have this interesting situation where there are, more or less, 677 federal district court judges in America who have the power to block President Trump’s team from moving forward with the’ agenda to “make America great again.” This was the job America voted him in office to perform!

So it would appear that the President of the United States is not truly our Chief Executive after all.  I wonder if the Trump team is figuring this out at the same time we are?

According to my limited research, federal judges are appointed for life, and can only be impeached (removed) by an act of congress, for cause, in a trial setting. Only a handful of judges have been removed over time. Seems odd that it is so much easier to appoint a judge than to remove one.

So, while the Trump Team can probably do a lot with how the federal bureaucracy performs, my best guess is that when it comes to the larger issues that are holding America back, particularly at the State level, the Trump Team is going to have to fight it out in the courts – likely the most left-leaning courts in America. Yet again, there is always a solution if you are looking for it.

It is all going to be very interesting as we watch America try to unshackle itself from the chains that are holding us down. One thing is sure in my mind: If Trump cannot figure out a way, it’s never going to happen.

Legal Fund-raiser with 25 American Gold Eagles!

Gold and Silver Eagles

Grand Prize: 1-ounce American Gold Eagle
Four ¼-ounce American Gold Eagles
Ten 1/10th-ounce American Gold Eagles
Ten 1-ounce American Silver Eagles

Our office will automatically generate a ticket in your name for every $10 legal contribution we receive ($100 would generate 10 tickets, etc.).

This drawing will take place at 3 pm on Friday 23rd of June 2017 at our headquarters in Happy Camp. You do not need to be a member of our organization to participate. You do not need to be present to win.  There is no limit to the size or frequency of your contributions, or to the number of prizes you can win.

Legal contributions can be arranged by calling (530) 493-2012, by mailing to The New 49’ers Legal Fund, P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, CA 96039, or online.

All contributions are tax deductible. You can find more information about the drawing right here.

Purchase Tickets for the next legal Fund-raiser Drawing

  $10.00 each – Enter the number of tickets you wish to purchase into the quantity field then click “Update” before checking out. Our office will automatically generate a ticket in your name for every $10 legal contribution we receive ($100 would generate 10 tickets, etc). There is no limit to the size or frequency of your contributions, or to the number of prizes you can win. Your contribution to The New 49’er Legal Fund is tax-deductible.
 Summer Office Hours Start on the First of May

Starting on the first of May, our office and store in Happy Camp will be open between 9 AM and 5 PM Monday through Friday, and Between 8 AM and 12 Noon on Saturdays.

Join us for our Group Mining Projects This Season!

There is a learning curve to successful gold prospecting.  One of the most effective methods of progressing through the learning curve is to go on prospecting adventures with others who more experienced than you are.

Our 2-day Group Mining Projects are one of the primary benefits of New 49’er membership which set us apart from other mining associations.  All weekend events are free to Full & Associate Members. All participants share equally in the gold we recover.

2017 Schedule of Events: June 3 & 4; June 24 & 25, July 15 & 16; August 5 & 6; August 26 & 27 

Schedule of Events

In addition, electronic prospecting specialist and New 49’er member, Dennis Dickson, in concert with Whites Electronics and Armadillo Mining Supply will host two 2-day electronic gold prospecting projects in Happy Camp this coming season. Bring your own metal detectors. The projects will happen on Friday & Saturday June 9 and 10 and Friday & Saturday August 18 and 19.  Meet at our office at 4 PM on Friday. Bring your own drinks. Dinner will be served.

We are also hoping to organize some underwater suction mining projects (without the use of motorized pumps) in an established very rich gold deposit (in shallow water) this summer. Watch for more news on this as we attempt to move forward.

Group projects are limited to a certain number of participants. Scheduling in advance is strongly advised to ensure a position on any specific weekend project: 530 493-2012 

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We strongly encourage you to sign up for the free on line version of this newsletter.  The Internet version is better. This is because you can immediately click directly to many of the subjects which we discuss; because the on line version is in full color; because we link you directly to locations through GPS and Google Earth technology; and because you can watch the free video segments which we incorporate into our stories.  Actually, the video segments show the adventures better than we can write them!

Signing up also places you on our Political Action Team.  Things happen so fast these days; it takes too long to organize political action through the U.S. mail.  As an example, by contacting our supporters this way, in a matter of hours, we recently generated a large bundle of letters to the California Supreme Court. All of these future battles will be organized over the Internet since it is so much faster.  Please join us in the battle to maintain our remaining freedoms!

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The New 49’ers Prospecting Association, 27 Davis Road, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012  www.goldgold.com

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