Ok, I tried to save the GPAA...And the leaders did nothing to save it. They have no plan to save it...I'm done paying Brandon & Kevin's salary.

                                        And I do have a clue, and I know Tom is NOT in charge...But he should be...

Posted By WILLIAM HALL on 08 Nov 2016 04:25 PM
OK the door is open....

I for one Have heard enough PISSIN, MOANING AND WHINING out of you Adam
Adam, sell or in some fashion dump your GPAA membership, please, I would consider buying it from you
As Tim said "you have no clue" how business operates
You bad mouth Brandon, you don't know him or what he does or anything about his life
All you know is, he wont answer your sniveling questions
Brandon, Kevin and the 16 others are not here to hold your hand or wipe your butt, they wont show you where gold is, thats your job
You can "demand" all you want, do you really think that will accomplish any thing ? NO it wont
I will fill out a report a problem it will have your name to be removed on it, I fact I will "demand" it
All you have done since day one is complain and whine about how Kevin will not answer your simple question, GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON
Your the one that needs to "grow up" and act like an adult instead of a 7 year old throwing a tantrum laying on the floor kicking his feet
My 6 year old grandson doesn't act like that
The only thing that matters to you is post counts
I tried to clue in a few weeks ago but you didn't take the hint
The GPAA does far more behind the scenes for the mining communities, yes communities, than you will ever do or know
The GPAA has thousands of members that do far more behind the scenes than you ever will or ever know

Go on an keep complaining, just go somewhere else and do it
I/we are tired of it, in the immortal words of the Hag....TAKE THIS MEMBERSHIP AND SHOVE IT
MOVE ON

This will be the last time I will address you Adam
GO FORTH AND COMPLAIN ELSE WHERE

Bill
Gotta let my key board cool down

Pissing and moaning does not get things done .As i give many hours to help the people out with no rewards other than my own satisfaction.Step up and put something forward .I do as I am volunteering my time now to help out in camp .I only have one thing to say ADAM .Put up or shut up.

  I have put up. Many times over. I've helped the newbees, I've helped out on the claims while the leaders do & say nothing. And I've never said anything bad about any of you. So William can trash me all he wants & I could care less. I always take the high road... If only the GPAA leadership had a plan and the means to take action to save the GPAA...They should learn from our new Pres. with... 'Make the GPAA great again'.  

                                                But unfortunately the GPAA leadership stands by and does nothing.

    The plan forward?

   #1 Contact your new Pres. Trump...Ask him to force the USFS & BLM to be more Gold Prospector/Miner friendly... 

   #2 "The GPAA is not a resort"...Make it a resort, you might get the wives & kids to go. The GPAA will make money. I just got back from Yosemite. While at the old Grand Majestic hotel I thought, "Why can't the GPAA make money like this?"...$380 a night or camping $30

   #3 George Massie inspired people about the hopes and the future of the GPAA...Now the leadership says and does nothing...You figure out the rest.

  #4 It's the 21st Century, will the on-line guide be working before I turn 100? You figure out the rest.

   I actually have shared my honey holes, because others did it for me. All they asked was "don't run the dirt we're drying out for the dry washer". That kind of friendly prospector is an asset to the GPAA

    "pick a problem near and dear to your heart"

    The San Gabriel Mountains east fork river is mine. We battled the 'Monument' status to no avail. Watch Shannon Poe's east fork you tube video with the FS...He reasoned with and educated the Ranger. I tried to rally everyone during the public comment period about the future use of the east fork with a comment about how it's on the map because of Gold, so the history is primarily Gold panning, and it should be allowed to continue...But they are threatening to arrest Gold panners soon.

       Sooooooo, that's why I'm saying for the 10th time...Why can't the GPAA leadership be more like Shannon Poe???

Who is actually giving them the approval to cut the tree's? That i think needs to be found out. This is something that needs to be taken directly to Washington DC. DT Junior is an outdoorsman and willing to listen to these issues. That is where it needs to go. BLM management has had 8 years of infiltration by the operative of these activists. I dont see much happening like that in Nevada, but then again they don't have as many tree's. A lobbying office is needed in DC or at least a group organized to start contact with the right personnel.

Here is a morsal of food for thought.......since these "National Monuments" are generally created with a stroke of the President's pen, I see no reason they can't be disolved by the same......  While I have no objection tto the creating of one that is truly deserving, and at the minimal area required for protection, most have been done to just flat out lock it up, and should be returned to multiple use.  I have to wonderif it would be worth the effort and work to push that adgenda................

I don't think you will see many created in the next four ears.  I also see the Keystone XL getting "greenlighted in the first 100 days.

How did the Rogue river, one of the richest rivers in Oregon, end up banned from mineral entry?

Buy a lifetime membership like I did.

Put your money where your mouth (or keyboard) is. Lobbying costs money. Leadership can do nothing without membership support.

Mary-  you can thank the federal "Wild and Scenic Rivers Act" for that one.  Then add on Oregon SB 838 from a couple of years ago that put in the 5 year motorized mining moratorium.  For a bit of irony, the state senator that pushed that bill died while fishing on the river, catching the fish he was supposedly protecting with the moratorium.............

As for reversal or minimazation of existing monuments, I have not read enough of the Antiquites Act to even know if it is possible, but just thinking out loud.   We are facing a possble monument up here that in no way would qualify as one, just another "lock up".

I need to add this very important point;

If GPAA files a Lawsuit against the GOVT it is one entity and one Lawsuit, so it does us no good to file as a whole. Instead each individual needs to file a complaint, and you had better act quickly, the Obama admin plans on shutting down over 8 million acres before he walks out of office.

Go to our Chapter's Facebook page and join us in our fight, we keep up with many organizations out West with similar interests in saving our lands and have info on who to call and email complaints to. The land we are fighting for is as much my land as it somebody living in New York City, IT IS YOUR LAND TOO.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WCGPAA/1824493481129516/?notif_t=group_activity&notif_id=1479058738281953

Shane and Leo have valid points here as well.  Virtually everything worthy of being "saved" is already protected by either Monument or Wilderness status. Except in extrodinary conditions we don't need any more.   I in no way want to see the return of the "rape and run" tactics of the 1800 and early 1900's by the timber barons and mining forces, and others.  There have been many laws/regulations placed to ensure, for instance, the reforestation after harvest, recontouring and revegetation of mining operations such as the big leach operations.  That I see as a good thing, not only for the enviornment, but for the population and their enjoyment and use of the land and resources.

The enviros have gotten rulings from the courts that the federal agencies must look at "wilderness characteristics" when revising management plans, and to do nothing to impair those.  What it means in the long run, for instance, if a two track falls into disuse and is overgrown and can't be readily discered, that could end up being "untrammeled by man" and be a future wilderness area desiginated by Congress.

I would really like to see a "sunset provision" enacted for all current wilderness study areas (WSA).  If not acted on in a certain time frame they would be taken out of WSA status and retuned to multiple use.  As it stands now, the agencies can do no management activites that would impair the characteristics of that area.  The enviros don't want to see the the WSA's come to a vote of Congress as they might be rejected and returned to multiple use.  As it stands they are "defacto wilderness areas", under no real management.

We got dealt a pair of "pocket rockets" by surprise, and an even bigger surprise, the flop had the other two.  At least the next two years, and maybe the next four may be our best chance to get some changes form the recent past.

A lot will depend on who is selected and confirmed as Sec. Interior and Agriculture, and who will end up heading BLM and USFS.  You can count on changes coming in those areas.  It remains to be seen if those changes are benefical to multiple use advocates or the enviros.

In another vein, the old mining districts are being reactivated (most were never disbanded/disolved, they just fell into disuse), and they appear to have some pretty heavy clout at the table.  We just last night took the first steps to reactivate one here in Oregon that was established in 1867.  Others in the state are also being restarted.  There have been sucesses on mining already with the agencies.

The Electric company that services Temecula, CA has been doing some kind of upgrades to the Electric service grid in the business park and surrounding area. That being said they have had our power shut down at GPAA office in mornings and then when power is shut down our servers will not come back up on their own. So someone has to go through the sequences to reactivate the system. Sometimes more than once. When power is down not even the phones work, when power goes on part of the phone system comes up usually, the rest has to be manually started.

sorry for the inconvenience.

I am a little confuesed about the hole mess that goes on in the gppa camp ,i was in alaska gold camp and i saw tom mass ride up the beach ,and he wouldn,t even stop and stop and ask how your doing ,he jest drove wright on by all week .so that was my last trip , to gppa camp in nome.

I am a little confuesed about the hole mess that goes on in the gppa camp ,i was in alaska gold camp and i saw tom mass ride up the beach ,and he wouldn,t even stop and stop and ask how your doing ,he jest drove wright on by all week .so that was my last trip , to gppa camp in nome.

Tom and family still own property up there, but he sold his interest in the GPAA.  I suspect he didn't want to get into an all day talkfest with everyone who would want face time with him.  Has other irons in the fire and probably wanted to get things done.

So don't hold it against him or the organization.

   Just so we're not getting side tracked here, I'm not talking so much about the GPAA website leadership, I'm talking about the lack of GPAA leadership. Period...Compared to the George Massie days.

     Ben said it all...Leadership is local. And in my opinion, it's because there's no national leadership. Their lack of website participation is a side issue, meaning where's the on line guide etc.

Posted By <a href='http://www.goldprospectors.org/Profile/userid/2879977' class='af-profile-link'>Benjamin Crain</a> on 19 Nov 2016 07:50 PM
Anybody care to join me for a swim on my new claim?

Stop looking for the GPAA to solve some of your questions. I have my own at times and ask and usually somebody can give me a lead to at least a link that can lead me in the right direction, but not always. I have had a few problems with the GPAA leadership not following up myself and not all with administrative rights really know what they are doing.

What really bothers me is the follow up time and the fact we have gone to war against the BLM in Colorado and the leadership will show up for shows but when it comes to helping in a legal battle it is crickets. And I am not talking about a legal battle per individuals, I am talking the big ones that effects us all and will for decades to come. I also understand that these people have lives of their own and that is why I filed my own lawsuits against the DOI and BLM, frankly I don't think the leadership of the GPAA has the first clue how to fight what the BLM is doing because they are accustomed to the restrictions they grew up under in California.

Do you know what this sign says? It says that all Handicapped, Disabled, and Elderly people cannot access this trail and to make matters worse Volunteers from the Sierra group have cut hundreds of trees and dragged them across trails so even if on foot you had better be ready and able of crawling over downed trees across your trails. This is going on all over the West and at times even encouraged by the BLM and US Forestry Department. This is in direct violation of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and they are doing it anyway, they don't care. So when we asked the BLM leaders if they were going to help us our not we got crickets, it's not because they don't want to help it's because they are clueless of the issues at hand, and it is the same for the GPAA Leadership?

    Ben my friend, I wish you could get this story to Pres, Trump...Then a photo of you & him and a Gold friendly Sec. of Interior and a good injury attorney. I know the President would clear those trails and help you sue the crap out of the BLM & the USFS. Try the local news first. We have those investigator news guys here in So. Cal. Our local 'Turko' news guy embarrassed the FS over road closures and disabled access to Gold claims. Turko won a round for us...If only the GPAA leadership had the guts to help you and your painful problem.

       Brandon could help you, but he won't, because in my opinion, he doesn't do or say much...That's the problem. Ben, you need to rattle some cages and get your story national. The BLM intentionally hurts people. I've seen these log barriers, they are here too. They say the barriers are there to stop vehicle traffic...I know local tv news people, maybe they know a Co. media person who could help?

    So when I find out who Pres. Trump's Sec. of Interior is, we must all write him with all of this. To tell your story & restore the 1872 Mining Act. The fact that they use 'Wilderness areas' to deny us access should be illegal. The rich environmental extremists buying every acre that's not a wilderness area should not include the mineral access and fishing. I'm pretty sure the feds own the rivers...

    If everyone helps out and writes this letter, something might get done. With or without the help of the GPAA leadership.

I seen that same story pop up and I was thinking "No way, its too good to be true"....and when I clicked to read the story it took me to some BS scam site. be careful

We fight the same battles with leadership and the agencies in the OHV community as well.  But we did get trails for 4x4's where none were desiginated in a planning document.  Stay with it and use the regs/laws/rules to back up your point.  Do your research with the feds, just like you do in finding a claim.

BC, I'll probably join you, if I outlive the bit**.  Ol Henry has to still be spinning at around mach 9 over that.

  Adam

       I  for one am glad that Tom SOLD the Gpaa/Ldma to Brandon in the last five years the tom had the gpaa/ldma he let them run down to a shameful mess. Brandon and other leaders of the gpaa/ldma have spent the last five years cleaning up the mess left behind> they have spent many hours planning and working to make it back into something George can be proud of.

 I have spent time with most of the leaders of this great org. and they all want to make it into a family friendly org. again. They as well as a few good people have spent at five camps making them usable and clean and user friendly.

  If you want a org. to fight for mining rights in the public the join arma or ppl the gpaa/ldma work behind the scenes with these groups and some others to fight the beauracrats  for mining rights. 

 I for one am tired of your whining about Brandon and the rest of the leadership. If you truly want to fight the system start writing texting calling your government reps about your rights which we all should do.

                                                                      Have a wonderful whiney day

                                                                                                     Linda & SpongeBob

                                                                                                   Proud members of team endeavor and  gpaa/ldma

    And I'm tired of Brandon's lack of leadership and his silence...Just today...On the news, Pres. Obama OUTLAWED Gold mining near Yellowstone. So what will Brandon's and the GPAA's response be??? (Dub in the sounds of Crickets here)

     "and they all want to make it into a family friendly org. again"   That proves my point, it's not.

     "tom had the gpaa/ldma he let them run down to a shameful mess"   And sadly. this also proves my point.

   I thought Tom might care more than he does, an error on my part. So the question remains "Where's the GPAA leadership?"

       Oh ya, and welcome to the Forum. I see that was your third post. I hope everyone notices that I've never said anything bad about any member, even the one's with the "You're a whiner' romper room comments. I'm trying to fix the broken GPAA. But I see some of you like it the way it is....Broken and Rudderless (For those of you from Rio Linda, a Rudder steers the boat.)

Hi Adam

Always happy to see people step up to the plate. 

I do hope that you have already sent properly edited letters to local business owners, environmentalists and Montana elected officials who have opposed the Canadian company’s project. Also you could organized a letter writing program through forums with instructions on how to layout the letter. I am sure that GPAA members as well as members in other clubs would also be willing to put hand to pen to help. Thank you for your efforts and being involved in advance.

   Walter, thanks for your info skills, I could use a list of folks to write to. We can start at the top with this...

    "President Trump, Two months before you became our 45th President, the out going President Obama outlawed Gold Mining near Yellowstone. Please restore Americas 1872 Mining Rights Act, and open up the Gold Mines and the Coal Mines again. President Trump, you said you would put the Miners back to work, and the Gold Miners & Prospectors need your help too. Some of our members have been hurt by felled trees blocking roads that should be open to the public. The 1872 Mining Act needs to be up held and restored to its rich history. I know many folks in the GPAA (Gold Prospectors Association of America) voted for you because we know you will remove the EPA/BLM/USFS restrictions on Gold Prospecting.

   Thank you President Trump.

     _______________ (Sign your name)

    Come on GPAA leadership...Say something...Do something...How about a congrats to Trump since he's miner friendly?...How about a 'We need a Gold friendly Interior Sec.' How about a woohoo & a hooray!! for the new EPA chief. The Sierra Club hates him, so that means we support him 100%.

 The Dec-Jan Pick & Shovel Gazette says absolutely nothing about any of this. (Put in the sounds of Crickets here) The Pick & Shovel headline is 'Send us more money for gift memberships'. Whether or not the GPAA deserves more money depends on what they say and do about our mining future.      

            This month, the GPAA wasted a Golden opportunity...They said nothing about the real headlines & dropped the pan again.

Don't expect Brandon and the rest of the staff to jump at your every demand.  They are rying to rebuild a nationwide organization.  Tough job in any case.  If the GPAA doesn't meet your expectations, then perhaps you would be better off joining another organization that will jump to your demands.......

They are taking steps, maybe small ones right now, but at least they are steps in the right direction.

From a longtime GPAA member

    Unfortunately here in California there are no legislative (R) Republicans...They're all bought & paid for brain dead communist anti Gold mining liberals. That's why we are focusing on writing to Pres. Trump, and the new EPA chief Mr. Pruitt & hopefully a Gold friendly Interior Sec. And the GPAA leadership needs to say something...But they're not saying anything

    The GPAA doesn't respond to (my) demands...In fact...They don't respond to anything. Great leadership.

 ADAM, See if I got this right?

You said "And the GPAA leadership needs to say something...But they're not saying anything" You mean they are not saying anything to "YOU".

Maybe that is because they are to busy saying things to the right people that CAN do something. They don't need to worry about "YOU", you are already getting plenty of attention crying in this forum. 

     This isn't about me. It's about us...All of us. The GPAA doesn't need to say anything to me...They need to say something to all of us...Period. You guys can trash me all you want, but don't hold your breath waiting for the GPAA to say something about our mining future. That's the problem Joe. Click on the 'news' above. Are the headlines telling us what's going on? No. Are the headlines saying anything at all? No.

          Ok, without changing the subject, answer this..."When was the last time the GPAA said anything? To anybody? Show me...

   Again, this isn't about me...And I don't care about 'being the center of the universe'. About the letter writing...I have written those letters. Trash me all you want, I could care less. My only goal here is moving forward with a plan to up hold the 1872 Mining Act. Thanks for the link Kevin.

WOW, I started writing about all the <g class="gr_ gr_733 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="733" data-gr-id="733">drama ,</g> and said.. <g class="gr_ gr_676 gr-alert gr_spell gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="676" data-gr-id="676">nawww</g>. let it go.. your NEW here.. as in just joined.. &nbsp;and for whatever reason read this thread 1st.. cuz it seemed to have a lot of activity .. <g class="gr_ gr_876 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="876" data-gr-id="876"><g class="gr_ gr_803 gr-alert gr_spell gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="803" data-gr-id="803">ooops</g>..</g>&nbsp;</p>

Anyways.. new to GPAA as I said.. in the Tucson, AZ area. so if anyone wants a greenhorn asking stupid questions in the area..  Hey .. i'm here.  

Can't wait to learn more about this.. I've already been on youtube and watched about 100 videos on it.. even a 46 episode mining course offered on youtube.  got a LOT from that.. and of course saw I think just about all of Mr. " Let's GOoooo" .. Jeff W's. videos on youtube. 

there is a GPAT group here in Tucson, so I'm going to go look them up!!  

Hope you folks get everything worked out here !  

Lifes way to short to get upset about what other folks are , or aren't doing.. I always find it easier to just do things myself  and Not rely on others.. 

Frank

Posted By Brad Lamb on 22 Nov 2016 10:39 AM
UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL (FAIL)

We are all like minded in that we got obsessed, to some varying degree, over prospecting for the Au.

If nothing else, the discourse over the last 4 pages has almost come full circle. There is more respect in the posts, more substantive information and some strategy, with a letter example, for returning the rights of the land to the rights of the people.

Well said and sometimes those not in the know  can get upset and lash out as opposed to asking what can be done to help. I have worked with Brandon as well as Kevin to help educate and bring in new members which in turn funds efforts to work at keeping our right to mine alive. Openly bashing the leadership of a group only displays weakness to our foes on government for them to exploit.

 

 

Complaining and throwing insults does nothing positive and  our efforts should be to helping leadership succeed as a company and a voice against government regulating us out of existence. This forum is not here for the leadership, but for us and they indeed see what is written here I would think. Expecting  them to respond to insulting posts is  way off base. I see very little agreement here Adam and perhaps we should concentrate our efforts on support even if not fully in the "know"

 

Cheers, Bill

    "Openly bashing the leadership of a group only displays weakness to our foes on government for them to exploit."

The only weakness here is the silence & lack of leadership at the GPAA...Our foes exploit us because our leadership lets it happen. They sit by while we slowly lose our right to mine & prospect.

I rally everyone to do something...Because the leadership doesn't. This isn't about me, but if it makes you feel better to trash me...I could care less. I only care about doing what the leadership 'should' be doing.

I am new to the gpaa and I assume that you are talking about Brandon Johnson. Shortly after joining  I submitted a request for a shop profile and he was johnny on the spot emailing and even giving me a call and making sure all my info. was correct so this don't sound like somebody who does not care. One thing for sure is that you have wrong is IT AIN'T DEAD, As long as there is one prospector with one pan and a pick and shovel it ain't dead. Sound familiar, the line from the movie Monty Walsh  with Lee Marvin where he tells them as long as there is one cowboy and one cow it ain't dead. When I was young I had  dinner   with him at a watering hole in canyon dam ca. where Lee came in and bought the whole place steaks and whisky. Most people don't know this but Lee owned a mine in the ghost town of Senaca ca. You as one person can make a difference whether you believe that or not,  I know I believe I do and I believe whether you are from calif. or any of the other 49 states you can to. The Name of some of our claims reflects that, The Rotten Luck Willie, the Rumson #1, The Mad Jack, No Name Creek, The Horton and others and we own these not the government  so suck it up buttercups and stand your ground and as the old saying go's if you need more than five to stay alive your in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tom Glenn

   Monte Walsh is a great western, I just watched it again last weekend. That's a great saying... "If there's one Gold  panner left, it ain't dead"

Lets all help Brandon win our rights back. I'm not trying to pick a fight with Brandon, I just don't want to see anymore golden opportunities get wasted. The Dec. - Jan. Pick & Shovel 'should have' rallied everyone to ask our mining friendly President to get the USFS & the BLM off of our backs and stop closing our forests to Gold prospectors.

Posted By ADAM ANDREWS on 13 Dec 2016 09:26 AM

   Monte Walsh is a great western, I just watched it again last weekend. That's a great saying... "If there's one Gold  panner left, it ain't dead"

 

Lets all help Brandon win our rights back. I'm not trying to pick a fight with Brandon, I just don't want to see anymore golden opportunities get wasted. The Dec. - Jan. Pick & Shovel 'should have' rallied everyone to ask our mining friendly President to get the USFS & the BLM off of our backs and stop closing our forests to Gold prospectors.

 

I'm sure that will be coming, as soon as the new admiistration is in place, and we have names to go with our comments.  Until the new people get in, it will just fall on deaf ears and get round filed.

   Monte Walsh taught me to be nice to cooks...Or else you'll literally get the crappy flap jacks

Posted By ADAM ANDREWS on 13 Dec 2016 03:30 PM

   Monte Walsh taught me to be nice to cooks...Or else you'll literally get the crappy flap jacks

AND THE CRAPPIES!!!!!!!!  oh, that's what you said huh.

The camp cook is the most important person in camp. 

           Many thanks to Shannon Poe for his important speech at the Calif. Water Board meeting about Dredging...

   And what did Brandon & the leadership of the GPAA have to say about this...Nothing...(The sounds of Crickets)...Are any of you getting it now???

  Why are three of my GPAA friends refusing to renew their GPAA dues??? You figure it out.