EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
MARCH 2024
VOLUME 414
YOUR MEMBERSHIP IS IMPORTANT!
MEMBERSHIPS ARE DUE IN JANUARY. THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST NEWSLETTER Please send your dues to: EOMA, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814. You can also pay with a credit card on our website: eoma.us Or you can pay at the meeting. Your support is appreciated!
MARCH 1st MEETING AT ELK CREEK ENTERPRISES
The EOMA monthly meeting is at the Elk Creek Enterprises saw shop located at 890 Elm Street in Baker City. The Board Meeting will begin at 6:00 PM and the general meeting follows at 6:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings. There is time for discussing mining and getting to know other miners. We will give away a 1 oz. silver medallion at the end of the meeting.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Elections will be held at the March meeting. Either send in your ballots or turn them in at the meeting. We will take action on the future of the Executive Director position. We will also be exploring ways to encourage government agencies to issue the permits they have been holding up for years. Reasonable regulation is acceptable, continual delay and refusal to act is not.
We also have a lot of work to do in preparation for Miners Jubilee. The Chamber Director just resigned, and they have advertised for a new director. When the position is filled, we will be able to help the new Director understand the importance of mining and what we do at Jubilee.
The Chamber has asked for a list of our mining vendors and a map. Jan will work with the Chamber and others to provide this information. Jubilee is July 19, 20 and 21 this year. Seems like a long way away, but if we plan early, and keep the Chamber involved, we can demonstrate mining opportunities, and Grove Street, in front of the museum, will be all about mining.
KRISTI TAPIO-HARPER IS ACTING DEPUTY FOREST SUPERVISOR ON THE WALLOWA-WHITMAN NATIONAL FOREST-Jan Alexander
Kristi was contacted to see when the Final Powder Mining Projects EIS would be out. Keifer Nace had told me in February, another miner said he was told it would be mid-summer.
Kristi wrote me back and said that her understanding was that the document itself was completed December/January but the next step was to brief the leadership in the Region prior to publication. That occurred last week. Now the document must once again go to the Washington Office on filing for publication.
Powder River watershed miners have been waiting too long for Plan approval. Some have sold their claims, some now have health issues, some have died. There is no accountability, all we see is delays.
MSHA TRAINING 2024
Trent Hahn will conduct our MSHA classes again this year. Classes will begin at 8:00AM and will be held at the Elk Creek Enterprises saw shop at 890 Elm Street in Baker City.
March: New Miner Training March 12, 13, and 14, cost is $250. Fourth day for underground is March 15. Cost is $50.
Annual Refresher March 14, is full. Cost for the one-day refresher is $40.
April: Annual Refresher April 10, cost is $40.
Please call Jan Alexander at 541-446-3413 to register for the April 10th refresher class.
USDA PROPOSES FIRST-OF-KIND NATIONAL FOREST PLAN AMENDMENT TO CONSERVE AND STEWARD OLD GROWTH FORESTS-USDA
On December 19, 2023, consistent with direction from President Biden in Executive Order 14072 to conserve and restore old and mature forests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposal to amend all 128 forest land management plans to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests and grasslands nationwide.
Healthy, climate-resilient old-growth forests store large amounts of carbon, increase biodiversity, reduce wildfire risks, enable subsistence and cultural uses, provide outdoor recreational opportunities and promote sustainable local economic development. Land management plans provide direction for how national forests and grasslands are managed for their many uses, including conservation. The proposed amendment will use the best available science, including Indigenous Knowledge, to provide consistent direction related to old-growth forest conditions across national forests and grasslands.
FOREST SERVICE BURN BOSS INDICTED FOR BURNING PRIVATE LAND-Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY — The U.S. Forest Service and a federal union have expressed full support for Ricky Snodgrass, the Forest Service burn boss who was indicted in Grant County earlier this month on a single count of reckless burning. Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley arrested Snodgrass on Oct. 19, 2022, while a prescribed fire operation he was supervising was still burning. The incident is believed to be the first case of a Forest Service firefighter being arrested in the course of doing their job.
The Forest Service had been conducting a prescribed burn just north of the Izee-Paulina Highway and west of Highway 395. Embers from the planned burn area blew across the highway and charred about 20 acres of timber and grazing land on a nearby ranch before the blaze could be put out. Snodgrass was indicted by a grand jury on a Class A misdemeanor count of reckless burning on Feb. 2.
Arraignment in Grant County Circuit Court was held Friday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. A plea hearing was set for April 1 at 8:30 a.m. Grant County Circuit Court Judge Robert Raschio has recused himself from the case, citing a conflict.
Shortly after the arrest, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore vowed he would “not stand idly by” and would defend the agency’s employees. Jacqueline Buchanan, regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest region, said in an official message shared with the Blue Mountain Eagle last week that Snodgrass has the full support of the agency’s leadership.
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON MINING BILLS-AEMA
The Energy and Minerals Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee will conduct a legislative hearing on several bills, including two significant pieces of legislation for the mining industry. Following the Senate hearing last month on the bipartisan Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, the subcommittee will hear testimony on the House version of the bill (H.R. 2925), sponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Mary Peltola (D-AK). The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act seeks to address the aftermath of the Rosemont decision and restore the plain meaning of the Mining Law and regulations, as well as more than a century of practice, interpretation and judicial precedent regarding rights conveyed by the Mining Law to owners of unpatented claims and the ability to use surface resources to further the development of those claims.
Also on the subcommittee agenda is legislation from Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), H.R. 6862, which prohibits the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing their September proposal to narrow the mining industry’s eligibility for the expedited permitting review and coordination process under the FAST-41 law. AEMA submitted comments in opposition to that proposal, which you can read here.
GOOD SAM CLEARS SENATE COMMITTEE-AEMA
January 18, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a business meeting and approved S. 2781, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act by voice vote. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration. For more than twenty years, AEMA has worked on “Good Sam” legislation with industry allies and conservation groups to carefully craft the compromise legislation represented in S. 2781. The bill would authorize a pilot project program that provides limited liability protections to interested parties that have no legal or financial responsibility for an abandoned mine but have the expertise, funding and willingness to undertake remediation activities.
We would like to thank Senators Heinrich and Risch for their leadership on this issue, and Senators Kelly and Lummis for their work to guide the legislation through the committee. The number of bipartisan cosponsors continues to grow, and is now approaching 30, and we are grateful for that support as well. We will continue efforts to lay the groundwork for introduction in the House of Representatives.
CAROLYN MACINTOSH IS THE 2024 PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN EXPLORATION AND MINING–AEMA
In an interview, Carolyn stated: “The mining industry is facing a number of federal policy and legislative initiatives in 2024, as well. We are happy to report that the bi-partisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act advanced out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on January 18, 2024. This legislation would establish a pilot program for abandoned mine land remediation.
The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, which would address the Rosemont limitations on “activities incident to mining,” is also advancing in Congress.
On the other side of the ledger, we expect the BLM to continue its efforts to advance a public lands conservation rule, that would illegally amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to create conservation as a “use” on public lands. And 2024 is an election year!
Please reach out to me if you are interested in working on any of the issues mentioned here or to flag something AEMA should be watching or working on. I look forward to working with you throughout the year.
Carolyn McIntosh
2024 AEMA President
EARTHWORKS CASE ORAL ARGUMENTS–AEMA
In the midst of a D.C. snowstorm, oral arguments were heard virtually on January 16 in the long-running Earthworks case. You will recall that in October 2020, the mining industry received a significant victory in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that reaffirmed pre-discovery rights under the Mining Law and protected the rights of miners to explore, develop and operate on federal lands.
In the case, Earthworks et al. vs. U.S. Department of the Interior et al., (which dates back to 2009), the two primary claims of significant concern to our members and the industry were Plaintiffs challenges to BLM’s 2008 Mining Claim Rule and 2003 Mill Site Rules. AEMA intervened in defense of the Department of the Interior (DOI) regulations. The plaintiffs subsequently appealed the decision.
Plaintiffs have since dropped the challenge to the 2008 rule, so the case is down to the 2003 Mill Site Rule. Following this month’s oral arguments, which we feel went well, we anticipate a decision from the 3-judge panel by this summer. We will keep you apprised of this important case
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GOLD–Money Metals Exchange
Dating back as far as 600 BC, gold has been used as money and to preserve wealth. Today, mints produce gold bars and bullion coins for gold dealers to sell to buyers. The first coins with gold were struck in Asia Minor.
However, gold was used during the period of Grecian history before and during the time of Homer’s life. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, European nations starting minting gold coins rather than their earlier preference of using Silver bullion for coinage.
The gold standard for money was used throughout the years of industrial economies in the nineteenth century. Gold certificates and bills were added to this circulating stock of money based on the value of gold. After World War II, the gold standard was replaced by convertible currencies with a fixed Exchange rate based on the Bretton Woods system.
Starting in 1971, the United States refused to redeem its dollars (Federal Reserve notes) because excessive government debt and money printing had caused the gold price per ounce in the free market to rise way above the fixed redemption price of gold. Since the United States dollar was backed by gold up to that point and had gained the status as the most important reserve currency, most other countries around the world had already abandoned their own gold standards and instead pegged their currencies to the United States dollar. To maintain demand for an unbacked dollar, the U.S. persuaded Saudi Arabia to price Petroleum in dollars on the world market. The financial turmoil and debt problems in recent years have reinvigorated the debate about returning to a gold standard, particularly as gold prices have risen sharply.
JACK POWERS-GREENHORN MINER– By Brooke Myers
There is a wooden marker in the Granite cemetery bearing the name Jack Powers and
a simple epitaph, “Frozen Gnhorn Mtn.” Granite was never meant to be Jack’s final
resting place. He had requested to be buried in a place from which all of Eastern Oregon
could be seen, but Jack died in December of 1902 and snows were too plentiful
for his wish to be honored. So, he was buried in the Granite cemetery with plans for his
remains to be moved to the top of Vinegar Hill the coming spring.
On the evening of December 17, 1902, Jack strapped on his snowshoes and left the
conference of others at Greenhorn to embark towards his mine camp. This particular
evening was said to be plagued by a cold wind. Jack never made his final destination.
Some days later miners on the same trail found a wayward snowshoe and followed
tracks that lead some 700 feet below the trail to Jack’s frozen corpse.
Jack arrived in the Greenhorns around 1887 and became a veteran miner in the area.
He managed a group of mines he held shared interests in. These mines included the
Intrinsic group as well as the Tiger group. The Intrinsic lies about five miles give or take
from Greenhorn in a bowl near the headwaters of Salmon Creek. In the years Jack
worked the mine, a good wagon road from Robinsonville accessed the mine. The Tiger
is about a mile and a half northwest of the Intrinsic, but only a meager trail accessed
this property. Both groups of claims were located at relatively high elevations nearing
7,000’ or better. Silver was the predominant mineral being sought although gold and
copper, in limited quantities, were also present. The claims were commonly referred to
as the “Jack Powers Group.”
Jack was one of many men who came to the silver belt of the Greenhorns with intent to
find himself life anew, but Jack’s backstory was quite exceptional in comparison to his
comrades. Before Jack was a miner, he was a successful merchant in Cornelius, Oregon.
He eventually sold his business to Benjamin Cornelius who placed the headquarters
in Portland but kept Jack on as a manager. Jack married Benjamin’s young
daughter.
Jack had a mighty fine life, but his penchant for beating his wife would upend
his good fortune. In 1880, Jack’s wife left him, returned to her father, and filed for divorce.
Jack allegedly frothed with anger and began making utterances he’d kill both
his wife and father in-law on Independence Day of the following year.
On July 4, 1881, Jack and his ex-father in-law were engaged in a pistol duel on the
Portland waterfront. It was reported both Jack and Benjamin immediately fell after firing
at one another. Benjamin took three bullets to the body and succumbed to his injuries
JACK POWERS-GREENHORN MINER (continued)
the next day. Jack had received a bullet to the neck and another grazed his cheek.
Jack recovered from his injuries in time to be present for his trial. Although Jack had
also been shot in the ordeal, it was his commentary preceding the fight which led the
State of Oregon to view his actions as premeditated, and given that Benjamin had died
Jack was charged with murder. Significant public interest was taken in the trial to such
a degree the venue had to be changed to accommodate all the onlookers. Jack was
found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death. He was scheduled to
be hung on December 23, 1881. An appeal was filed on Jack’s behalf, and on December
22, 1881, a day before he was to be executed, he was given a stay until his case
could be heard by the Supreme Court. In 1885, the Supreme Court heard Jack’s case
and upheld the findings of the lower court. Jack once again faced a date with the gallows.
Jack had influential friends who worked on his behalf to save his life. Jack’s
death sentence was initially commuted to life imprisonment, but Jack’s friends were
ever persistent. They canvased the state to collect signatures on a petition to free Jack.
The petition was said to be one of the largest in Oregon’s history and included the signatures
of the judge, district attorney, and a good number of the jurors who had originally
convicted Jack. On August 31, 1886, Jack left the Oregon State Penitentiary a
free man having received a full pardon. After a brief layover in the mines of Northern
Idaho, Jack arrived in Eastern Oregon and this is where he would spend the bulk of his
next fifteen years, living life as a hardened miner until his cold demise on Greenhorn
Mountain.
The Intrinsic is now known as the Bi-Metallic. One can still access the mine by a
“good wagon road” although you’ll have to hike, ride your steed, or snowshoe, if you’re
so inclined. It was engulfed into wilderness in 1984 as part of the Oregon Wilderness
Act. The values of the Intrinsic were never fully reported, but it was said some 1000
ounces of silver came from its shipped ores. Noted difficulties for the furtherance of
this mine as well as the others managed by Jack was accessibility. The ores had to be
extremely high in value to merit the difficulty and expense of being sent to the smelter.
Ores were hauled by wagon over nearly thirty miles of rough roads to Sumpter, where
the ore was loaded on train cars, railed to Baker City, and then reloaded to a mainline.
At the time of Jack’s death, he had overseen the driving of 800’ of tunnel on the Intrinsic.
This was only a fraction of the proposed 3000’ of tunnel that was to be drifted prior
to investment being made on the installation of milling equipment. Various interests
have been taken in the mine since Jack’s presence there, but those are stories for another
time.
*Note: Jack’s given name was John C. Powers. Some reports indicate Jack was buried
in Greenhorn and not Granite, but whatever the case, his marker remains in Granite.
EOMA ADVERTISING AND SALE LISTINGS
WANTED MINING PROPERTY (17)
I would like to rent/lease/lease with option to buy property that may be productive for metal detecting and mining. Especially areas with tailings like the Powder River near Sumpter, or other local areas. Thanks, Johnny West. Email: jwestboise@gmail.com
WANTED-GOLD
Gold Specimens and Gold nuggets, mostly from Oregon mines. Fair prices paid. Also selling Gold nugget jewelry, specimens, nuggets and more. For an interesting and informative experience explore www.northernnevadagold.com Call Robert 775-455-6470
PRICE REDUCED-SIMPSON AND LUCKY PLACER CLAIMS FOR SALE
The Simpson is an 80-acre association placer and must be quit-claimed to a group of four miners. The Lucky group is composed of three 20-acre contiguous claims. These can be purchased by one miner. Both claim groups are covered by approved Plans of Operation and both are located on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
My health is forcing me to sell these claims. Give me a call if you are interested and please make me an offer. Call Dave at 810-523-7313.
MINING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
Equipment located in Baker City:
Small trommel, feeder/grizzly, infeed conveyor, Honda pump, 20KW generator, 3” flat hose, sluice
Commercial Sized trommel, feeder, stacker, pump (has cracked housing) sluice
Also, scraper, Conex boxes, clean-up table, road runner screen, screen, diesel tank and pump, army trailer, two slurry pumps, a Honda pump, clean-up room equipment, and additional flat hose.
Equipment located on Connor Creek:
Feeder
Additional flat hose
I can send pictures and can provide details on this equipment. I am willing to discuss offers. Call Bill at 503-781-4393. E-mail me at dei@teleport.com.
WANTED-MINERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW TV SHOW WITH DAVE TURIN–Johnny West (ca)
Because of my ad in our EOMA Newsletter, I received an Email from a lady in London, England.
Her name is Lizzie Jenkins, and she is an Assistant Producer for www.raw.co.uk.
My understanding is her company films and produces the TV show “Gold Rush” on the Discovery Channel.
Her company is starting a new TV show with Dave Turin, and they are looking for miners that are testing mining property, and could use Dave’s help. I believe the property would need to be fully permitted for testing/mining. So, if any miners would consider getting help from Dave Turin, please contact Lizzie to get the complete details, and make sure it is something you would like to do.
Here is Lizzie’s contact information:
Lizzie Jenkins
Assistant Producer
Third Floor, 13-21 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3LT
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 456 0800 | Mob: +44 7769 296 581
UK Company Reg. 4305751
VAT: 297 4286 51
RAW TV SHOW IS LOOKING FOR MINERS WHO WANT TO INCREASE GOLD RECOVERY- Rhys Towse Producer at Raw TV –
Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge’s Mine Rescue is looking for gold mines Freddy and Juan can visit in 2023 to see if they can help improve gold recovery.
https://www.raw.co.uk/takepart/do-you-need-a-new-washplant
If you are interested, please call Office: +44 (0)207 456 0800
EOMA members who have participated in “Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge’s Mine Rescue” report a very positive experience. Miners who do not have the resources to pay for equipment upgrades are not under obligation to pay.
MINERS WANTING TO PARTICIPATE IN EITHER PROGRAM IN OREGON ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE PERMITTING IN PLACE
If you have questions about permitting, EOMA will be glad to help you out. The best thing you can do to promote mining activity in Oregon, is to do it right. Call Jan if you have questions at 541-446-3413.
CAPITOL PROSPECTING-METAL DETECTING AND MINING SUPPLIES
We are located in Baker City at 2801 Broadway Street. We buy used equipment and sell both new and used equipment. Come in and see what we have, or call me at 503-269-8640. My e-mail is CapitolProspecting@hotmail.com.
We appreciate your business. Gary and Christina Earle
ACTION MINING SERVICES, INC.(ca)
AMS is selling assay supplies, screens, chemicals and labware! Call for a quote and mention this ad for 10% off! Assay supplies, concentrators, impact mills, technical books (for the beginner to the advanced mill man), & more! Call for our free catalog or visit us online! Check out our website for information on Wave tables. We are located in Plains, Montana. Please call 406.826.9330 to place your order. This way our staff can have it pulled and ready for pick up. Otherwise, we can always ship your order! sales@actionmining.com • www.actionmining.com
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & MINING ASSOCIATION(ca)
EOMA is a member of American Exploration & Mining Association, and many of our members are also individual members. American Exploration & Mining Association is a 128-year-old, 1,400-member, national association representing the minerals industry. With members in 46 states, AEMA is the recognized national voice for exploration, the junior mining sector, maintaining access to public lands, and represents the entire mining life cycle, from exploration through production to reclamation and closure. You can become a member of AEMA by going to their website at https://www.miningamerica.org
PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE PEOPLE
EST. 1990, A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation for 33 years
PLP exists to “Represent and assist outdoor user groups and individuals interested in keeping public and private lands open to prospecting, mining and outdoor recreation through education, scientific data and legal means.”
Our mailing address is:
Public Lands For The People
PO Box 1660
Inyokern, CA 93527
SUBSCRIBE TO MINING JOURNAL FOR UP TO DATE NEWS (ca)
ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal is your monthly source for news, legislation, how-to articles and more. Josh and Sherrie Lynn Reinke are the new owners of the Mining Journal, same great news source! A full year is still only $29.95; or get a print and an online subscription for just $44.95, and get access to our last 16 years of articles online too. Published monthly since 1931. Visit us at www.icmj.com or call at (831) 479-1500 to get your subscription.