Check with the management agency. Get names of who you talk to. And check with the CA BLM state office.

Used to be that a valid mining claim was more or less "grandfathered" in when the wilderness designation was made by Congress, and as long as the claim didn't lapse and be closed, it could still be mined. You might be restricted in the use of mechanized or motorized equipment within the designated area.

Patented claims are exempt as they are private property.

Wilderness areas are "withdrawn from mineral entry". This just means no claims can be filed.

I've never heard of anyone being cited for prospecting in a wilderness area, but take that with a shaker full of salt. You might get away with a pan, as long as you don't disturb ANY vegetation, and when you're done the spot is rehabbed to the point no one can tell you were ever there.

Your mileage WILL vary.

Again, check before doing anything in a wilderness boundary.

Take the name of the wilderness area and Google the name to find the bill making it so, look it over to see what was grandfathered in. Then you will know what you have to deal with.

WOW !
I JUST WATCHED A YOUTUBE VIDEO CALLED BLACKBERRY PACER MINE TALKING ABOUT LOST DUTCHMAN MINING ASSOCIATION LAND WHERE MEMBERS HAVE FILED A CLAIM. IF THAT IS TRUE IT IS DENYING ACCESS TO ALL MEMBERS TO THAT PROPERTY AND IS DEVALUATING THE MEMBERSHIP.

SOMEBODY PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME AS TO HOW THIS IS NOT DEVALUATING THE MEMBERSHIP AND DENYIMG MEMBERS ACCESS THAT THEY HAVE PAID FOR.

The point is if you're going to research a claim/property then you need to also look for the claims that are within that property. Confusing??

Paul...

I'm not an LDMA member, but I know they have claims other than the camps. If the same as GPAA, members can list their claims and open them to other LDMA members. The main camps/properties are patented, and therefore private property.

I suspect that this is one of the LDMA claims besides the main camps, and actually owned by LDMA members and they have it listed with LDMA. If this is the case, it actually increases the value of the membership by allowing more access than you would otherwise have.

Many GPAA members do the same thing. Very few if any of the available claims are actually owned or filed on by the association.

Fine advise Arthur.
Verification with BLM is good start. Will be following up with them soon. Pretty sure most of them are teleworking. May take some time to get an answer.
Extra info in the claim: Got a copy of the legal claim description for 2020. It states that all area north of the mine road within the claim is wilderness. Luckily it isn't much.
I'll be gentle in there ;).

I hear you Scott, I've been trying to get info on a closed claim up here for over 5 months and nothing yet.

Good luck on what you find out. Since it says the portion is Wilderness, I suspect it will be grandfathered in....just a matter of what equipment you can use.

For what it is worth I was out there last week. the wilderness area is on the "Left" side of the road. I don't know the specific rules about that area and the claim but the vast majority is on the right side of the road. I found very fine gold in that area. I found an area that looked like old creek bed that had not been dug before. layers of smooth rock with dirt surrounding the rounded rocks in layers. (I'm new at this so I could be wrong about it but I think that is what I found.)

Sean. That's correct. The N/E corner is wilderness to the Red Cloud "trail". Hard to call it a road anymore.

Original Red Cloud mine closed in 2010. Hasn't been maintained.

Keep in mind there are 2 active claims in the area, but not next door neighbors to GPAA. Areas north and some westerly are open to active prospects - outside the claim boundaries. The Arrastra claim is 1/2 mile westerly. It is a small lode mine of 600' x 1500' with a N/W'ly tilt to it.

Will update after I get more info from the BLM.