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If you wish to submit a letter for publication in Miners Mail in Gold Prospectors Magazine or for Letters to the Editor the Pick & Shovel Gazette, please email your letter to content@goldprospectors.org with Letter to the Editor in the subject line. Please and include your first and last name, city/town state, whether or not you are a GPAA or LDMA member and your local GPAA chapter (if you belong to one). Please specify for which publication your letter is intended and include your phone number for verification. Your phone number will NOT be published. — GPAA Editor/Content Director Brad Jones

Camp is ticking along like a well oiled watch. The weather, always a concern in Alaska, has been---I was going to say a bit unusual, but waaaay up here where the weather for down below (the lower 48 states) is being made, it is always unusual! We have had a few days of light rain; some fog has rolled in, stayed a brief while then rolled back out to sea, some cold wind, and some days of bright sun. Through it all our hardy gold prospectors have dressed for the day and kept on prospecting! Everyone learned fast to carry rain gear, and bug spray, liquids to drink, a can of pork and beans in your pocket (a Buzzard Massie trick) layer your clothes, and you are ready for anything!

Greetings once again from the Cripple River Gold Camp! To all the new people coming here for the first time Welcome!!! To all the people returning to our camp Welcome Back! Summer has arrived in the far North Country bringing with it interesting animals to photograph, exotic colorful wild flowers, flocks of returning migratory birds — especially the rare but ever faithful Cripple River Gold Prospector Birds!

Suction dredge mining foes are crowing following news that an addition to the California budget bill will effectively extend indefinitely a moratorium on the controversial practice. Opponents are vowing to sue to restore miners' ability to used the dredges to find gold. A short bit of legislation attached to the budget means that a moratorium due to expire in 2016 will be extended indefinitely, unless the state's mining program can be made self-supporting and unless unavoidable environmental impacts are addressed, said Craig Tucker, a representative of the Karuk Tribe, which sued to stop the practice on the Klamath River. “No dredging ever until you guys figure out how to deal with these significant impacts," he said. "It's a scam," responded Rachel Dunn, a miners' representative, attacking the method in which the legislation was passed. She said it should've been addressed in normal legislative hearings, instead of as part of the budget. "This goes straight to court," she said.

Alaskan returned Saturday, June 30 with all new episodes, finishing up its second season with the sights, sounds, souls and stories of what makes up a remote mining camp outside Nome, Alaska. Alaskan: A Modern Day Gold Rush — Saturday’s at 1 p.m. ET only on Outdoor Channel.

While Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association members are able to enjoy the freedom of prospecting on private property, they aren’t immune to the battle for land rights, says GPAA Editor/Content Director Brad Jones. Speaking at the LDMA Caretaker Summit in Las Vegas, Jones touched on some hard-hitting issues that are currently compromising property rights and prospecting practices nationwide. Jones urged members to be wary of United Nations Agenda 21 and to get informed about the Wildlands Project map, which he called a “blueprint for government land management policies and a guideline for ‘sustainable development.’ ”

The Gold Prospectors Association of America is proud to announce the arrival of its new full-color GPAA Mining Guide, hot off the press and now available to members. In a recently released video promoting the new publication, GPAA Executive Director of Development Kevin Hoagland said the new Mining Guide will demonstrate that the GPAA is committed to our members. “Most people don’t realize how much gold is still available in just about every state of this great nation,” Hoagland said. “Our organization was founded to preserve your rights to be able access to find gold on public lands in a safe and responsible manner. And, now after 40 years and three generations, we are proud to unveil our newest Mining Guide, the most comprehensive guide to date. This new guide features over 350 member-exclusive claims throughout the United States.”

Gold fever is rising as the Gold Prospectors Association of America begins to welcome a fresh wave of gold prospectors to Cripple River Camp near Nome, Alaska to participate in the 30th Anniversary Alaska Gold Expedition. The completely renovated camp has been officially opened and there are still a limited number of spots left for those who want to experience the 2012 expedition.

You still have a chance to win an opportunity to attend a GPAA Outing for you and your family at one of the Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association Camps. But hurry! The deadline for photo submissions in the GPAA 2012 Calendar Photo Contest is August 1.

 Your source of small-scale mining news!

The Pick & Shovel Gazette is your best source of small-scale mining news, views and current events. Stay up-to-date on the GPAA chapters and local contacts, freshly added GPAA mining claims, Mining Guide updates and the latest on land rights, state director reports and GPAA events, such as Gold & Treasure Shows and GPAA Outiings and Expeditions. We’ve also recently added product reviews!

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