For the past four years, miners and prospectors wanting to mine in the Siskiyou National Forest (SNF) of SW Oregon have been the "test case" for new anti-mining policy of the U.S. Forest Service. The ultimate goal of the anti-mining policy appears to be the total prohibition of mining in the Western United States. If our rights to mine are lost in the SNF, we expect the prohibition to spread like a cancer to all surrounding National Forests and BLM Districts in the Pacific Northwest.
. . . And we're not talking about just large-scale commercial mining! No, the "Forces of Evil" won't rest until even the lowliest prospector with just a pan is prohibited from entering the Public Lands! The attacks on mining in the SNF are, for the most part, coming from two main (and well funded) sources: 1) the Siskiyou National Forest, and 2) local extremist social/environmental-ist groups. Working separately, and in collusion, the Forest Service and the local environmentalists have come quite close to prohibiting all mining in this area. If not for the efforts of the Waldo Mining District, their agenda would be a "done deal"!
Over the past few years, the Waldo Mining District has been leading the fight to save mining in the SNF (and possibly throughout the Pacific NW). When the SNF first demanded (after loosing a friendly lawsuit brought by the environmentalists) approved "Plans of Operation" (POOs) - the same level of paperwork as a large-scale open-pit mine - for such minimally surface disturbing activities as gold panning, sluicing, and suction dredging, the WMD responded by burying the SNF in POOPs! (Plans Of Operation for Prospecting) So many POOPs were submitted (over 2100) that the SNF chose to Withdraw the whole SNF from Mineral Entry rather than process the POOPs!
The WMD fought back… and managed to get the proposed Mineral Withdrawals (there were two: 1.2 million acres of SNF lands and another 150,000 acres of adjoining BLM land) CANCELLED (this effort took 1-1/2 years of writing 100's of Comment Letters, attending meetings, and basically getting in people's faces).
The WMD was also instrumental in stopping a secret environmentalist effort to designate the whole 1.2 million acre SNF as a National Monument.
The miners and prospectors of the Waldo Mining District now face a battle in the courts. On February 6, 2003, the local environmentalists (the "Siskiyou Regional Education Project" or SREP) filed suit against the SNF in an attempt to force the Forest Service to again demand Plans of Operation for suction dredging. (NOTE: Not only does this go against the Forest Service's own 36 CFR 228 Mining Regulations, such a demand would ultimately be a prohibition, as the SNF has only approved one (1).Plan of Operations in the last 13+ years!) In March '03, the WMD retained the services of noted Property Rights & Endangered Species Act attorney James Buchal, and promptly filed to Intervene in the SREP v. SNF suit. After the WMD was denied "Intervenor Status" in the SREP v. SNF suit, Waldo stepped up to the plate and filed suits of its own against the SNF (to force them to follow their own regulations) and against the U.S. Dept. of Commerce (to delist several species of salmon from the Threatened & Endangered Species List).
Protecting, Preserving, and Promoting Mining & Prospecting from the Forces of Evil takes time, effort, and a big pile of money. To date, over $30,000.00 has been spent fighting off these anti-mining efforts. Funding for the Waldo Mining District comes from a variety of sources. Membership dues and fund-raising events only cover the normal day-to-day operation of the District (printing, copying, postage, mileage… all time is 100% volunteer). The Waldo Mining District relies on donations from people like you to fund its extra-curricular activities… such as the current lawsuit/s.
DONATIONS CAN BE SENT DIRECTLY TO
THE WALDO MINING DISTRICT
P.O. BOX 1574
CAVE JUNCTION, OR 97523
If you so desire, you can specify how we use your generous donation. It can go into our General Funds, where it will be used to keep the District operational. Or, if you specify, it will go directly into our Legal Fund, where 100% of the money will be used for the current and possibly future litigation.
If you have any questions, need further information, or would like to comment, please send us a letter, or email us at: waldominingdistrict@hotmail.com …thank you!