BONDING RAISES TO THIRTY ($30) DOLLARS
The Board of Directors looked at the increased libility of standing behind a bond. The Board of Directors voted to raise the bonding for the $1,500 dollar bond to $30 dollars. For miners that have had a previous $1,500 or $2,500 or higher bond the annual fee will be $30. For the first time miners applying for a $2,500 bond the fee is 10% of the bond one time fee, or $250 dollars for a $2,500 bond. There after it will be a annual fee of $30 per year.
THE LAST OF THE 2008 MEDALLIONS
Ken has informed me that the new 2008 Silver Medallions and some of them have multiple nuggets. Ken sez that he wanted to remind all of you who don't have a 2008 Medallion, we still have a few left. With Christmas coming up the 2008's make a swell gift to that young graduate. The unique thing is the date commemorates their Graduation and the Gold Nuggets lets them know how much you care. Get your order in now. Mail your check or money order to: EOMA, Medallion, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814. The 2007's sell for $25 plus one dollar shipping. The new 2008's went up to $27.50 this year because of the high silver prices. Don't wait too much longer, it's a real deal with silver going up and up, by next year these will be cheap.
EOMA MEETING
Come to the EOMA meeting and catch up on the latest things that are happening in upcoming mining season. The EOMA holds their meeting the first Friday of the month here in Baker City. The meetings are held in the second floor in the City Hall Chambers of the City Hall. The Eastern Oregon Mining Association (EOMA) will meet at 6:30p.m. Friday in the City Hall Chambers. All are welcome for the general meeting to learn about the association and enjoy our monthly presentation. EOMA's monthly Director's meeting will precede the general meeting and begin at 6:00p.m.) Should be an interesting evening so come on down and see what is happening. For those of you from out of town go South on Main Street until you come to Auburn Ave. Make a right, go one block, City Hall will be on your left on the corner of 1st and Auburn.
2009 EOMA CALENDARS ARE IN !!!
In time for holiday gift giving and the new year, our Third Edition Calendar is out ! Fill out the flyer in the newsletter to order your 2009 calendars today. If you liked the prior years, you're sure to love this one too. The 2009 edition includes all the important dates, contact info, and mining facts that you've come to rely on plus a whole new array of pictures. With gold prices making history in 2008, some great operations began so don't miss seeing some of the snapshots. Order one for your house, one for your cabin, and give 'em as gifts... all year long... they're collectable ! If you missed out on the First or Second Edition of this collectable set, we may be able to come up with another 2007 or 2008 calendar for about five bucks, plus another buck for postage - just send us a note with your completed order form and check.
MARCH 1, 2009-DATE WHEN ALL MEMBERSHIP FEES AND BONDS ARE DUE
Bonding for 2008 is still $25, Bonding for 2009 will go up. Mine operators with EOMA bonds will be billed in March for their membership dues and bonds. You will need to keep your reclamation bonds current. This will simplify things for you miners, and there will be no questions about who has bonded and who has not. If yours is a new Plan of Operation, you may post bond any time during the year, then you too will be billed annually in March. If a miner posts a cash bond or surety bond, he or she needs to notify EOMA and the Forest Service of this change in bonding. If a miner has reclaimed all disturbances, and no longer wishes to have a Plan of Operation, that miner must contact EOMA and inform us that they no longer wish to be bonded, and they must get their reclamation signed off on by the Forest Service. Remember, EOMA is responsible for your reclamation if you do not do it. So the bottom line is, mine under the terms of your Plan of Operation, keep your bond current, and when you are done mining, reclaim.
OREGON LEGAL FUND DONATIONS....THANK YOU
Thank you for your donations, please specify which Legal Fund you want your donation placed. We would like to thank Joe Mann and the Show Me Gold Prospectors for their most generous support and donations. With out the support from all of you we would not be able to carry the fight on DEQ Dredging Turbidity Permit. A suit filed by Hell's Canyon Preservation Council filed as Interveners on our dredge permit, because they don't think it is stringent enough. We have counter filed in the Court of Appeals. Help us keep up the good fight.......Send your generous donations to the 'EOMA Legal Fund, 700 PM'. A special thanks to all of you for your continued support to defend our dredging rights. Mining Clubs and Associations across Oregon and Washington and as far away as Kansas and Missouri mining clubs and associations have formed an alliance. We are soliciting donations to defend our right to mine. If we lose it lays open all aspects of small scale
Although the suit against Jan has been thrown out the animosity between us, Jan and the BLM hasn't changed much. Jan has requested that monies given in her name be placed in the EOMA Legal Fund. There will be a next time, the only thing I don't know is when. Through a change in the BLM regs on 338 Regs the BLM has been aggressively pursuing miners on mining claims to change over to the new 338's. where you loose all your Grand-fathered rights. If you haven't put in for occupancy do so. Send a request to the BLM Field Office in your claim area for occupancy, every thing you get from the agencies is like pulling teeth.. My sources tell me that BLM cop Tom Averet is back in business again harassing miners. If I missed listing donors, please forgive me. We can't let a precedent be set where they can draw back in to recreation or grazing CFR's to give out citations to miners. It is as important to our mining rights as the 'Dredge Permit' we are currently fighting. To those of you that like to camp on your mining claim when you mine this summer, dig holes or do your reclamation, this fight is for you. We have already paid out to our lawyer better than half of our personal legal fund and we need your help. There are two good causes before you and we are trying our best to stay out in front of.
NEVER MISS A BLM FILING DATE AND LOSE YOUR CLAIMS
That will never happen again with the 2009 EOMA Calendar. These wall calendars have all the important dates for filing your waivers, fees, and proofs of labor. They also include BLM's fee schedule, as well as various county, federal, and agency addresses, phone numbers, and contacts. The calendars highlight important mining meetings throughout the year, offer many great mining pictures each month for you to look at and pick out the folks and places you know, and include a pull-out section of interesting gold facts and lore. Each month also includes regular holidays, lunar phases, and space for your own remainders. These calendars are essential to those of you who have mining claims, just really neat if you like mining at all, and may offer some good education for those that don't. They make great, easy, and inexpensive gifts so grab the flyer in the newsletter and order yours now... Christmas is coming and a whole new year of birthdays and other gift giving occasions. Calendars will also be available for sale at our regular first Friday meetings held in Baker City. SHOW ME GOLD PROSPECTORS (SMGP) Doug Foster President of Show Me Gold Prospectors of Kansas City, Missouri and Joe Mann of Kansas City, Kansas have been large supporters of the Eastern Oregon Miners Legal Fund. Each month Joe Mann sends in a check for $50 towards (where we need it the most) he states in his note. This month not only did they donate their $50 towards the legal fund, but they took up donations and had a nugget raffle and their E-Board had a meeting and came up with another $77. Bringing the total up to $50 to the Legal Fund and $200 to Betty and Twilla to keep them from being evicted by the Forest Service.
Thank you Joe Mann and Doug Foster and the SMPG for all your support in helping to keep mining alive. Without miners supporting our legal efforts we would have been done a long time ago. Thanks again Guy's the EOMA really appreciates all you have done....
RS2477 COUNTY ROADS TO BE DESIGNATED JANUARY 7, 2009 By Jan Alexander
Baker County Commissioners will consider designation of four roads as County roads under RS2477 at the Commissioner meeting on January 7, 2009 at 1:00PM at the Baker County Courthouse.
All four roads run though Forest Service System lands, where the Forest Service has been trying to close these roads at every opportunity. The North Powder Road, and three roads on Dooley Mountain, the Mill Creek Road, Alternate Dooley Toll Road and the Auburn road, will all be considered for adoption as County roads at this meeting. Once they are officially County roads, the Forest Service can't close them.
Write Baker County Road Master, Ken Helgerson, at 3050 E Street, Baker City, OR 97814, and tell him you are in favor of the County adopting all RS2477 roads as County roads.
UPDATE ON TWILA COMBS AND BETTY MORRIS By Jan Alexander
Donations are still needed to help these elderly widows keep their homes on Malheur National Forest lands near Bates, Oregon. EOMA has an account set up and ready to receive donations. To date, $450.00 has been donated. The fees this year are due in December and are $750.00 for each lady. We need a total of $1,500.00.
CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY By Jan Alexander
Both Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Greg Walden have been contacted concerning the Forest Service's treatment of Twila and Betty. Both of these Congressmen are asking the Forest Service some pointed questions about why the cabin fees were raised so high, and why the ladies must destroy their cabins when they can no longer use them. Hopefully help will be coming.
STATUS OF THE FOREST ROAD CLOSURES From an article by Guy Michael
The Baker, Union, Umatilla and Wallowa County Commissioners signed an agreement with the Wallowa Whitman Forest (WWNF). A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) giving the Forest Service absolute supremacy on the proposed road closures by the WWNF. The Forest Service has proposed closing 4,261 miles of Forest roads, around sixty percent of all our Forest roads. Now our esteemed county Commissioners is saying 'how can we help you get them closed.' All the 2005 National Travel Management Rule requires is that all National Forests regulate travel, but does not require changing any current Forest Plan. Baker County also violated its own ordinance Resolution 94-1003, which opposes any land management decision made by the Forest Service that would further restrict public access to public lands. By signing the MOU they can't even appeal the Forest Decision on road closures no matter how bad it is.
We, the EOMA and the Stakeholders of the affected counties affirm that the County Commissioners reject the MOU with the Forest Service. Adopt the 1990 Wallowa Whitman Forest Plan and instead of Cooperating with the Forest, which the legal definition is the counties are subordinated to the Forest. The Counties need to adopt Coordination (which gives the counties supremacy against the Forest) with makes them the Forest Service tier their Forest Plan to Baker Counties, which is the one the Forest has in place now.
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF TWILA AND BETTY'S CABINS
By Jan Alexander Twila and Betty's cabins, along with the Workman cabin that is nearby, are historic structures associated with the old town of Bates, a community that was home to several thousand Oregonians from 1889 to 1975. The Edward Hines Lumber Company closed the sawmill at Bates in 1975. The mill was dismantled, the equipment and material was sold. The 131acre town site was cleared of structures, and all that remains of the original Bates cabins are the Morris, Combs and Workman cabins, making it essential that these cabins be preserved.
BATES STATE PARK By Jan Alexander
The old town of Bates is the site of the new Bates State Park, which will be dedicated next summer on July 25, 2009, on the Bates site. The Morris, Combs and Workman cabins are located adjacent to the new State Park, along the Middle Fork of the John Day State Scenic Waterway, immediately adjacent to the Journey Through Time State Scenic Byway.
The Malheur National Forest should be requesting that the cabins remain in place when they are no longer being used, instead of requiring the ladies to destroy their cabins. It is anticipated that recreation use and demand will increase in the Bates area, since this area is centrally located between Bend, Boise, and the Tri-Cities. All Forest and State Park visitors will enjoy seeing the cabins and envisioning what the town looked like so many years ago.
The Malheur National Forest should welcome the opportunity to work with the State, County and other interested parties as neighbors and supporters, of not only the State Park, but also in recognizing the important historic component that the Morris, Combs and Workman cabins would add to the overall plan, instead of threatening the ladies that they must destroy their homes. The Workman cabin, and Betty and Twila's cabins, should be left in place when Twila and Betty no longer need them, and these structures should be added to the National Historic Register.
NEW EOMA WEBSITE By Jan Alexander
EOMA is getting a new website! Brian Gardner, an EOMA member and owner of LanGard MicroDevelopers LLC, John Day, has designed the new site. It features state-of-the-art technology and is the largest publication ever produced for the EOMA. EOMA members can sell gold, silver, claims, equipment... anything they wish to list, FREE OF CHARGE, in the Miners Xchange section. Members can also submit articles or rants n raves for publication and manage their own contact information - all from the Web.
Visitors to the site can join EOMA live online, contact sellers to buy items listed in the Miners Xchange (including EOMA silver medallions). The site provides the public with general information about mining, State and Federal regulations, locating and maintaining claims and much, much more.
The site also features a 'Miners Co-op' (supported by Amazon.com) whereby the EOMA receives 3% to 4% of each sale going into our coffers. TO GO THERE type in http://www.h2oaccess.com, or search Google for 'EOMA h2oaccess'. IF YOU WANT TO WANT TO START USING THE NEW SITE TO LIST ITEMS IN THE MINERS XCHANGE IMMEDIATELY, E-MAIL BRIAN AT: eoma@h2oaccess.com , ALONG WITH YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE, ETC. AND HE'LL E-MAIL YOU YOUR PERSONAL LOGIN ID.
NEW ATTITUDE TOWARD MINERS AT BLM BAKER FIELD OFFICE? By Jan Alexander
Geologist Richard Chaney is gone now, and miners are looking forward to establishing a positive working relationship with BLM. Miners are only looking for fair and equal treatment by BLM, and mining administration according to reasonable interpretation of the mining regulations. The next field season will tell us if there is a change in treatment of miners.
FOREST SERVICE STILL STALLING ON PLANS OF OPERATION. By Jan Alexander
The 49 operators in the North Fork Burnt River watershed are still waiting on approval to operate. The oldest plans were submitted in 1998, and after 10 years, these have still not been approved. The Forest Service conducted additional fieldwork in 2006 and 2007 because their EIS approving these operations was appealed by the environmentalists, but still, they don't have the revised EIS completed. These bureaucrats should be sued for 'failure to perform'. It's amazing how they can stop mining by simply doing nothing.
NORTHWEST MINING ASSOCIATION CONVENTION, SPARKS, NV
The NWMA convention runs from the 1st through the 5th of December in Sparks, Nevada at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort. The EOMA will be sending four members this year, President Ed Hardt, Executive Director, Chuck Chase, Vice President Ken Anderson, Board Member Guy Michaels. It is important that small miners keep attending these conventions if nothing else to find out who has us in their cross hairs. Last year it was the 228's revision by the Forest Service. Myself and Tom Kitchar of Waldo Miners Association were assured that the changes were benign and wouldn't affect the Small Miners. When we started going through it, it not only affected small miners but some parts were very onerous. An alert went out to all small mining associations for input on the 228's. We pooled our money and resources and had our lawyer address our concerns. The small business administration was also alerted by EOMA Board member Art Sappington. Art succeeded in getting the SBA to stay in the middle of the Forest Service with our concerns. The SBA was one of the main reason the Forest scrapped the 228 revisions.
The latest word is that the 228's have been scrapped and will start all over. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say on any revisions they plan. To say the least we will be geared up this time for any surprises.
INFORMATION NEEDED ON BATES HISTORY By Jan Alexander
In order to keep the Forest Service from destroying the cabins when Twila and Betty no longer have need of them, we must gather as much of the history of these structure as we can. If the cabins are nominated to the National Register of Historic Properties, the cabins will be protected and Forest Service can't have them destroyed after the ladies are gone.
What we have found out so far, is that prior to Betty and Twila buying their cabins in 1965, Twila's cabin was occupied by Jeanie Graham after the death of her husband, who worked for the Forest Service. A lady by the name of Gwyn (don't know her last name) lived in either Twila's or Betty's cabin. She was an artist, and her art studio now sits in Austin where it was moved. The Workman cabin, which is empty now that Merle is gone, (Forest Service is currently trying to get this cabin removed or burned) was the first store in Bates. Merritt Weldon is one of the old timers who grew up in Bates, and he is being contacted to see what he remembers about the three structures. If anyone knows about the history of these structures, or knows someone who grew up in Bates who might know some of the history, contact Jan Alexander at 541-446-3413.
PLEASE HELP TWILA AND BETTY IN THEIR BATTLE WITH THE FOREST SERVICE By Jan Alexander
EOMA is supporting these ladies in their battle with the Forest Service, but we need your help. Twila is 79, Betty is 82 and each lady lives on a fixed income. They paid their fees when the Forest Service raised them to $100 per year (this was when they illegally switched permit types), and even paid last year when the Forest Service raised them to $400. But this year the fees are to be raised again to $750, and they just can't find that kind of money. The Forest Service knows this, and they are delighted. For some reason they just can't wait to get rid of those ladies and their cabins. Pam Ubeler of the Forest Service has been telling Betty and Twila to start getting their possessions out of the cabins, since she was certain they couldn't pay the fees that are due in December. I called Ranger Brooks Smith and told him that the Forest Service needed to stop bothering the ladies, and that the cabin fees would be paid. Brian Gardner of John Day is working on a website dedicated to letting the public know what the Forest Service is doing to Twila and Betty. Donations to help these ladies keep their cabins are being accepted through EOMA.
DO YOU NEED TO REGISTER WITH MSHA?
For many years we have mined our small deposits without worrying about MSHA. After all, none of us hires employees, and many of us are simply in the exploration phase of our operations.
Well, unfortunately, MSHA has discovered Northeast Oregon. Anyone can turn you in if you are not registered, it could be the Forest Service, BLM, or environmentalists, so all miners need to protect themselves. Ron Jacobson, head of the Boise office of MSHA, informs me that it doesn't matter if you hire employees, and it doesn't matter if you are a one man/woman operation. If you are involved in mining, and use mechanized equipment, your operation may be of interest to MSHA. Several Baker County operations are now on the MSHA roles, and a lot more will be registering before the mining season rolls around.
Some operators, such as EOMP, have already contacted MSHA, and been told they are 'hobby mines' and do not need to register. But it is up to each of you to make the call. Ron Jacobson's phone number is 208-334-1835
EOMA MINING AND PROPERTY DIRECTORY
It only costs $1.00 per month to run your ad in the EOMA newsletter. Send your ad and payment to: EOMA, Attn. Editor, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814.
FUN SIDE OF MINING WITH EOMP
Lets support our sister organization, they have supported us with their membership and contributions to our legal fund. I have attended several of these and they are a lot of fun. Chuck Chase, Executive Director, EOMA (Eastern Oregon Miners & Prospectors Inc) For a $75.00 annual family membership you can mine on any of our claims all you want, any time you want, keep all you find. We will show you how if necessary. For more info write to: EOMP P.O. Box 66 Baker City, Or 97814 http://www.h2oaccess.com
STORIES AND LEGENDS (by Carmelita Holland) (4) Now in a paperback at the Oregon Trail Museum and The Record Courier for $39. Some good color photos. Sewn backs on these books, a collection of historic photos.
FOR SALE (1) Three family owned gold mine claims. Aprox. 20 acres each in Elk Creek area. Two year around creeks, 1 pond, county road access. For more information call: 503-658-5737 or 503-286-5893.
FOR SALE (8) Eighty acre association placer claim on Elk Creek. Good dredging creek, for more information call 541-523-3285.
FOR SALE (5) Placer Mining equipment, large trommel, Contact Bert Aylward at 509-337-6744.
FOR SALE (2) Twenty foot Tandem Axel trailer with a self contained pickup camper. This is set up to haul 3 ATV's or mining gear, a must see. $1,695, or consider trade or offer. Picture available, call: 541-856-3642.
FOR SALE (3) 2 v 4 Wisconsin 4 inch pumps were running up to two years ago, both for $450. 541-856-3642.
FOR SALE (5) For sale 4 placer & 1 load claims. All equipment, to include, trommel, classifier, backhoe with bucket and scoop, 5000 watt generator, dump truck, various hoses, pumps, clamps, etc. Water rights to pond, furnished log cabin and storage shed, water tank. Forest Service land. Claims only. Not patented. 541-856-3862 or 541-910-3054. $40,000. Possible terms.
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