Gold Hill Reclamation Meeting 5-23-06

[e28bimmer]

Dear Gold Rush Supporters,

Gold Hill, Utah is in danger and needs your help. The Division of Oil Gas and Mining has defined Gold Hill and the surrounding area as a reclamation site. There will be a public meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd from 6-8 pm (details below) to discuss the plans for this. I would ask that anyone who can make it out, please do. This is important and if no one shows up it shows OGM that no one cares. Really, all you need to do is show up!!

Utah is one of the few states left in the West where you can still go out and find an old ghost town or mine. You can freely walk through the areas, exploring, treasure hunting and seeing the rich history that is our heritage.

However, your freedom to explore these historical sites is in danger. Each year the Division of Oil Gas and Mining defines new areas for “reclamation”. What is reclamation? It’s an effort to close historic old mines and mine camps and return them to their “natural” state. Have you ever tried to search out an old mining camp or ghost town only to find the area and there is nothing left? This is the end product of reclamation.
Sometimes mines are gated, with no way of gaining access, often times the gating also causes other dangers as explorers and others try to gain access. (http://www.ogm.utah.gov/mining/default.htm)
Additionally, a few of you may have seen some reclamation sites that show terrible workmanship and have left the area in worse shape than when it started. (http://www.goldrushexpeditions.com/ophir_canyon.htm)

How does this affect the 4wd Community? Well, there is a little law out there, the RS-2477. (http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_name=Camp_2477_Home) It basically allows public access and sometimes maintenance for road that lead to mine sites or claims. You don’t have to own the claim, but if there is a mine site, the road must remain open for access. So when these sites are “reclaimed” the roads are no longer protected, which allows many groups to step in and attempt to close these sites. Many popular trails are the result of mining roads. Fins and Things in Moab has an old copper mine near the end of it, Five Mile Pass has open roads due to the many mine sites in the area. Little Moab, well, I’m sure most of you have seen the mines in the area. Without the mines, your access will go away. Look at California, Arizona and Nevada. Offroading is prohibited in many areas and they all claim a near complete reclamation of their mining history.

Gold Rush Expeditions strives to monitor ghost town and mine sites throughout the state. Some of the threats to these sites are vandals, developers and some who just don’t realize the value of the sites. One of the biggest threats to these sites is “reclamation”.

Below is a table of the projects planned by OGM currently.

Project Name County Project Summary Approximate Date
Serviceberry Project Tooele (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of approximately 70 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of grates, block or rock wall closures. Summer/Fall 2006
Labyrinth Project Emery & Grand
(PDF Map) Closure of 22 uranium mine openings along the Green River corridor and revegetation of disturbed areas. Mostly manual labor with several block wall closures. Summer/Fall 2006
Star District Project Beaver (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of 293 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of grates, block or rock wall closures. Summer/Fall 2006
San Rafael Swell Project Emery (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of approx. 181 Uranium mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2006/Spring 2007
Mammoth Project Juab (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of 135 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007
Paria Project Garfield & Kane (PDF Map) Equipment and manual closure of approx. 23 mine openings in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007
Gold Hill 1 & 2 Project Tooele (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of approx. 194 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007/Spring 2008
North Tintic 1 Project Utah (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of 82 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Lakeside Project Tooele (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of 32 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Kessler Project Tooele (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of 198 hard rock mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Brown's Hole Project San Juan (PDF Map)
Equipment and manual closure of approx. 40 Uranium mine openings and revegetation of disturbed areas. May include construction of gates, grates, block or rock wall closures. Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Your Utah heritage and history is being destroyed on a daily basis and if we don’t do something about it, we will all lose out. Can you imagine not being able to drive out to an old ghost town, or never finding an old mine in the mountains. How about restricting all your offroading to small parks that you have to pay to access? This and more is what apathy will bring about. I strongly urge you to please come out to this meeting and show your support for Utah’s mining history. If you cannot make it out, please consider a donation, of any sort, to Gold Rush Expeditions to help us keep fighting these closures.
I have attached a flyer about the meeting to this email, here are the pertinent details:
When:
Tuesday, May 23 • 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where:
West Wendover Library
590 Camper Road, West Wendover, NV

I will be leaving Salt Lake City at 4:00pm, I may be able to carpool with one or two other participants, if you would like more info on this, please contact me as indicated below.
Thank you for your support.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'de like to go... but I have the Corner Canyon planning meeting on Tuesday at 4:30... once again someone trying to shut out historic 4x4 usage...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I just spent a couple minutes reading through their upcoming projects. Insane... the Swell, HEY JOE CANYON MINES!!!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'de be interested to hear their response of your RS2477 assertion. Lands managed by the US Forest Service (not sure which if any of these are on FS land) do not have to adhere to RS2477 law. Here is Mike @ Usa-All's explanation:

RS
2477 generally does not apply to roads on forest service managed lands
unless the road existed PRIOR to the creation of the forest it lays within,
in this case the Uinta National Forest. FLPMA specifically allowed for the
continuation of all R2 2477 ROW, but didn't allow for any new RS 2477 ROW.
When you read what RS 2477 allowed for it also specifically allows ROW
across federal land that is not reserved for other purposes. These
reservations include things like National forests, parks, Indian
reservations, military testing grounds, etc. BLM lands for the most part
were simply wide open land unreserved, up until FLPMA. That is why RS 2477
applies so frequently to BLM managed land. The Uinta NF was established
(reserved) on Feb 22 1897. The forest service was officially established in
July of 1905. You would have to be able to show that the road existed prior
to 02/22/1897 in order to even begin pursuing litigation on RS 2477 over
this road. If you have that info let us know we would jump all over it!
Otherwise find out why the road was closed and see if there is anything we
can do to open it. The private land owner would have alot of leverage in
opening the road for his personal use and it may be possible to convince the
FS to open it or issue a title V ROW to some entity to allow it to be used
for certain purposes.

Now, as for other lands, I see no reason you couldn't claim an RS2477 right of way. Of course I think the major issue at hand is the fact that many of these mine claims lay on patented mine claims, meaning private property. RS2477 can be more difficult to prove on private property as is has to be shown that it was legally open. Many old mine sites at one time had gates, no tresspassing signs, etc. Something to take into consideration...

Also, there is a state statute that basically reads that anything that has been legally open for public passage for 10 or more years shall remain open unless it has yada, yada, yada comment periods, etc... etc... etc... Worth taking a look at and trying to force the issue.

I really wish I could make it to the meeting next week... but I am dealing with a VERY similar situation in our own backyards (especially yours Cory ), Corner Canyon was closed last year in the name of a conservation easement... closing roads that have been open for 50+ years, some built with federal money (the main road was a CCC project if I am correct). Sad to say the least. There are a group of residents that are working on forming an OHV park of sorts, if it happens it could be a very cool project , I just want to be there to make sure 4x4's are included in their planning.

 

[great scott]

I'm glad to see your on this. I believe any loss is still a loss and personally historic sites are among my favorite destinations. But alas I can not make it either. There has got to be a better way, all this sending letters and showing up to meetings only goes so far, but its the best way I know.

 

[e28bimmer]

Interesting points, I'll bring them up and give a full discertation of the meet... keep me in the loop on the Corner Canyon thing too, I wandered up in there last week from the Alpine side and didnt see any no trespassing signs, however, I did almost end up right on some guys deck on the draper side... There is a lot of sweet trails in there, a lot of which put areas like little moab and such to shame, its just too bad more people dont know about it. If there is anything I can do to help out, let me know and I will do what I can!!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Sounds good... you keep me in the loop and I will do the same on the CC thing.