Check out these two sites for some GREAT information!

WELCOME TO GPOC'S TEMPORARY PAGES

Hooked on Gold is pleased to bring this page to you as requested by The Gold Prospector's of Colorado to assist you in finding information concerning the club while they are in the process of revamping and relocating their permanent site.  Check this page for changes and information concerning the club.  The Events page also contains this information as well as other activities by other groups and things going on in the State.  This page is being provided to consolidate all of GPOC's information in one place, but please feel free to visit other areas of Hooked on Gold.  You will find additional information on gold, small mining operations, and recreational prospecting.  New people will find the site informative, and those who have been around gold for a while will find, at the very least, some “pretty pictures” of gold.

LET'S GO GOLD PANNING DAYS

Yes, folks, Let's Go Gold Panning Days are coming up the first part of May.  This get to together is sponsored by the Gold Prospectors of Colorado and is open to the public. 

• When:  May 9th - 11th
• Where:  Point Bar Recreational Area off of Highway 50, south of Salida, Colorado
• What:  Hand and motorized equipment will be allowed.  You will have to have your Arkansas River motorized equipment bond to use anything that pumps water out of the river with a motor.

Come on out and join us on the river for some fun as the prospecting season begins.  Good Times; Good Friends

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NEW '08 FORMS FOR ARKANSAS RIVER USE IN COLORADO FROM THE BLM CAN BE FOUND HERE http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/minerals/locatable_minerals/placer_mining.html

That's Woody with the pan!  Click around the pages to find all the forms you will need for the various activities you will be participating in.  Hand use equipment including battery operated, recirculating, and dry washers do not need these bonds.  They are intended for dredges and highbankers.

NEW 2008 BOARD MEMBERS: President - Eric Vesterby - sopris51@yahoo.com , Vice-President - Phil Vigil, Secretary - Rosa Gallaghan, 1 year Trustee - Burt Greenfield, 2 year Trustee - Terry Marshall, and 3 year Trustee Patrick Hill- .  The TREASURER position has not been filled, and MUST be by the end of the year.  Anyone who has bookkeeping or CPA experience, or can share this job with someone else needs to step up and take over these duties.

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The 2007 Colorado State Championships were ended Sunday, August 5th, with the usual breakdown in the rain in Breckenridge, Colorado.  Competitors came from around the country, and we had a fabulous three days of competition, fun, and lots of work.  Many new winners were “crowned” this weekend and there were few surprisies.  The new reigning competition winners are posted below, and they have a year to think about having to pan first next year.  CONGRATULATIONS to all!  Join the GPOC next year the first weekend of August in Breckenridge, Colorado for the three day Colorado State Gold Panning Championships.

There has been the usual ongoing problems on the Arkansas River drainage with invalid claims being filed.  People who file claims seem to assume that, simply because they file, their claim is valid.  Two more have cropped up this year.  One that was filed on

 Sometimes they take three months to decide, so be sure and check back with them to make sure you have a valid claim.  Land purchased by the BLm with conservation money (as in Cache Creek) CANNOT BE CLAIMED.  Alternate Power sites also CANNOT BE CLAIMED.  When you file you must check these things out.  Just because the BLM or Forest Service has open areas does not mean they are claimable.  Sometimes they do not own the mineral rights and some of these issues go back to the late 1800's.  If you file on these sites and they are disallowed, you will lose your filing fee.

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BEAVER CREEK ROAD is now closed for the '07 season.  Opening should be some time at the end of May '08.

ARKANSAS RIVER:  Is now open to motorized equipment until October 1, 2008.

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CALENDAR

APRIL

• 1st  April Fools Day - Arkansas River opens to motorized equipment

• 3rd  Board Meeting

• 9th  Regular Meeting  7:00 p.m.  Elks CLub

• 25th-27th  Spring Mineral and Fossil Show   Merchandise Mart

MAY

• 8th  Board Meeting

• 9-11  Let's Go Goldpanning Days

• 11th  Mother's Day

• 17th  New Members Orientation and Introduction to Prospecting - Mining Museum in Colorado Springs

• 26th  Memorial Day 

JUNE

• 5th  GPOC Board Meeting

• 11th  Regular meeting 7:00 p.m. Elks Lodge

• 14th - 15th  Kingdom Days Panning Demo in Breckenridge

• 21st-22nd  Panning Demo at the Colorado Springs Gem and Mineral Show  Phil Long Expo

JULY

• 3rd GPOC Board Meeting

• 4th  Independence Day

• 9th  Regular Meeting

• 26th-27th  Burro Days Panning Demo  Fairplay

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GPOC CLAIMS UPDATE:  Prospector #3 -  The Ranger in the area is requiring that vehicles not be more than 30 feet off of the road.  Camps cannot be more that 100 feet off the road.  The banks are steep in areas, so be aware of that, and also, that the area below our claim can also be prospected. That area was removed from BLM mineral entry in 1894 as a water reservoir, but can be prospected until those rights are exercised.  It CANNOT BE CLAIMED, as the BLM does not have the mineral rights to it

 GPOC CLAIMS REPORT

The new regulations on the Beaver Creek claims are in place for this season (07) HIGHBANKING IS PROHIBITED.  DREDGING is allowed with a dredge hose size of 3 inches.  Panning, sluicing, and metal detecting are allowed as long as you do not move more than 2 yards of material every two days with any type of equipment.   Violators will be ticketed and prosecuted by the U.S. Forest Service.  It is your responsibility to obtain any information you require BEFORE you go up there.  The access road on the east side of Beaver Creek may be closed to access.  USFS phone number is 719-836-2031 if you require additional information.  Wendy is no longer in the office, so you will need to talk to whomever has taken her place.  Your co-operation in this will greatly assist the club in negotiating with the Forest Service on the plan of operation

The Point Bar public open recreation area is open to motorized equipment from April 1st until October 1st.  Colorado State equipment regulations apply and any one who is out there dredging or highbanking MUST fill in holes.  You must have your Arkansas River prospectors bond for any mechanized equipment other than a dry washer.  Do Not undercut banks, trees, or other vegetation.  We don’t need a fisherman falling into someone’s dredge or highbanking hole and getting hurt. 

GPOC Badger Creek claim is open to GPOC members for prospecting from April 1st to October 1st, except for dry washers. You are required to have your Arkansas River prospectors bond to work any claims on the Arkansas River.   It is located south of Point Bar and is marked.

Beaver Creek Directions

From Colorado Springs, take highway 24 west to highway 9, highway 9 to Fairplay.  Drive through town to the street on the far side of the park and turn right.  Follow that to the end of the street and turn left.  Travel the gravel road to the sign pointing you to the Beaver Creek area and turn right.  You will go through the Forest Service gate with the cattle guard.  Continue to follow the road to the White claim markers and you are there.  From Denver take highway 285 south to Fairplay and repeat the directions in Fairplay given above.

From Pueblo take highway 50 to highway 9 and follow the directions through Fairplay given above.

When I get specific road numbers I will post those.  For now, these directions will get you where you need to go.  The sign showing the road up to Beaver Creek is large enough not to be missed and is a ways out of town.  When the creek starts to turn you will be close to your turn as well.

PROSPECTOR 3, Buena Vista

Drive to the northern edge of Buena Vista on highway 24 to county road 384.  Turn to the east and take the right hand road, 384A, not the one going straight, past the pavement until just before the dirt road bends to the right.  At that place where the ridge is apparent, you will find a dirt road to the hard left.  Take the left hand road going down the ridge to the river bottom.  Follow the road north going between the large rock outcroppings to the claim markers.  (The river will be on your right)   Prospector 3 will begin just past the pit that you will see on your left against the rock face.  There will be several posts around the pit, and ours is the white round post on the upstream side of the pit.  A midline post is also on your right inline with the corner post down by the river.  The claim then angles across the river, at that point,  to the rocks above the county road.  We did not place a marker there as the area is a known Spanish Trail Monument, and we did not wish to take a chance on destroying any of it.  Arkansas River bond permit is required to work with motorized equipment in the river.  Dry Washing, Panning and Sluicing do not require this bond.  All motorized activity (except dry washing) is confined to the high water mark in the river.  Any highbanking material leaving the box must be kept in a holding pond before returning to the river.  No additional silting can be put into the river other than the incidental silting done by Mother Nature.  

GPOC has been working with the BLM to open a public prospecting area on Cache Creek near Granite.  [New information on the BLM restrictions for '08 can be found on the Arkansas River Drainage page.  You will find a blue link to the BLM page that explains the area and links to the new forms.

The directions to the area are below along with some of the restrictions the BLM is imposing.  The subject of ATV use in the area has come up, and since ATV's are not allowed down the road we assume they are not allowed for use at all. 

CORRECTION OF EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:  Cache Creek has special requirements for the area.  NO DREDGING IS PERMITTED!  Since Cache Creek is in the Arkansas River Drainage, you must have your Arkansas River Bond, obtainable at the Arkansas River Headwaters Recreation building at 307 West Sackett in Salida, or the BLM office at 3170 E. Main St. in Canon City, before you run any mechanized equipment other than a dry washer. 

Highbanking requires an additional bond from the BLM, in addition to any Arkansas River bond you may have.  The area will be accessible from Memorial Day until early December, or the snow closes the road.  5hp pumps or smaller are allowed for highbanking, and work areas and the filling of pumps must be 20 feet from any water source.  Diversion ditches are not allowed to divert water from any source.  BLM will be restricting camping in the parking lot.  The lot is for DAY USE, and if you are overnighting they will require you to move your vehicle to a camping spot.  Vehicles left in the parking lot over night are will be subject to ticketing and fines. 

The boundary on the west side is the ROAD.  There are brown stake markers outlining the open area.  Your bond papers will say that a 1 1/2 inch nozzle size is allowed, but we believe this is either a typo or an error in understanding terminology as dredging is not allowed in this area. We believe this part should read 1 1/2" discharge hose, which would pertain to highbankers. 

Stay within the well marked boundaries, fill in your holes, do not undermine trees and vegetation.  According to Dan Grenard, panning, sluicing and metal detecting can be done on any of the BLM open property, but watch for the private property and active claims in the area.  Directions to the area follow.  Good prospecting to You.

Cache Creek Public use area directions:

To get to the Cache Creek Placer area, take Chafee County road 398, which goes west directly behind the Granite General Store and Restaurant located on the west side of highway 24, 1.1 miles.  There you will cross a road intersection that goes to the left of the cemetery.  KEEP going straight ahead.  At 1.7 miles, Chaffee County road 398 bears to the right.  Keep going straight ahead here.  At 2.o miles you will see a road heading south.  This is the power line road.  Turn left here.  Note that this road is not graded or surfaced and can be a problem during wet weather!  At 2.25 miles you will come to a gate.  This gate is closed November 30 until May 30.  At 3.25 miles you will see a parking lot area on the left.  The road continues past this point but only for administrative purposes, and no motorized vehicles are allowed beyond this point as it joins the Colorado Trail up the hill a bit.  The highbanking boundary area is marked. Stay within the marked boundaries for , and east of the road for highbanking activities.  The rest of the BLM open area can be prospected with pans, sluices and metal detectors  DREDGING IS PROHIBITED.

JULY, 2007.  Good gold has been found in an area just to the south east of the parking area under the tailings piles.  The small creek runs water, and many holes are showing decent color.  Be careful not to undercut trees, and be sure to knock the entire bank down so that we maintain a safe work area.  Fill in your holes when you leave the area. 

Feb. 2008 - NEW regs coming concerning Cache Creek.  Check the BLM.gov page for updates as they come out.  Separate fees, pump and hose restrictions, camping restrictions, number of days you are allowed in the area with a pump and hose will be regulated.  DREDGING WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED ON CACHE CREEK