Please we need your help

[kcoulson]

Please we need your help- this is the last chance to kill AB1032 to save dredging in Calif.

If you live in Calif, visit Calif or plan to visit Calif in search of gold this is important.

Send an email, fax or call NOW NOW NOW

Here is the contact information.

Governor's Office:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-445-2841

Fax: 916-445-4633

Email

Go here to send an email

http://gov.ca.gov/interact#contact

I have attached a sample letter to give you some talking points.

thanks for all the help you can give .

Ken

The_Honorable_Arnold_Schwarzenegger_Sept.doc

[Reno Chris]

Please help on this one - it does matter as all of us loose as our rights are taken away piece by piece. Sending an email urging a veto will take only a few moments of your time.

I have done my part and sent in an email.

Please do your part and help as well.

Chris

[rexb]

Thanks for those talking points. I rewrote my version, which is my habit, and have posted it below. Feel free to personalize yours as well.

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I ask you to veto Assembly Bill 1032 (Wolk) when it comes before you for consideration.

Regardless of the recent amendments, this bill should be vetoed for several reasons.

AB 1032 denies the average citizen a right of appeal by not requiring proof of harm or damage to species under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The bill closes California rivers and streams to suction dredge gold mining without a complete environmental review.

Closure in the bill is based upon views of two Department of Fish and Game (DFG) biologists from a recent court case. The judge did not accept their initial thoughts and ruled that the DFG had to do an environmental review prior to closure.

AB 1032 closes some rivers to suction dredge gold mining year round and then requires an environmental study be done on these rivers. A cumulative study cannot be conducted if the activity is altogether forbidden.

There are many studies which demonstrate that suction dredge gold mining provides gravel for spawning fish populations. Suction dredge gold mining is heavily regulated and limited now to only 2-3 months per year on most waterways within California.

Many suction dredge gold miners have federal mining claims. These are akin to property rights. By closing rivers year round, the State will in effect nullify the productive use of these rights alloted to the citizens of California. There have been numerous Federal and State court cases which have upheld these federal property rights. If it is signed into law, AB 1032 will surely result in more uneccesary court cases that will be filed against the State of California.

This bill would also undermine an important part of Californian history while diminishing the vibrance of rural county economies - this without providing real demonstrable benefit to our State.

Many Californians enjoy this activity for recreation along with any extra funds it may provide. The allure of this activity is identical to that which brought the 49ers to California. It is also identified with that promise found in the minds of all immigrants who have sought fortune in this great state. It's really an essential part of California's native heritage.

Also, this hobby is not inexpensive. There are many that spend a great deal of money for their equipment, lodging, etc. This currently contributes to the economy of rural California in a similar way to how it did many years ago when the first prospectors arrived on the scene. Many people from other states and adjoining counties visit yearly to enjoy this great outdoor activity and rediscover the singular experience of literally finding their own piece of golden Californian history. If signed into law, AB 1032 would put an immediate end to the aforementioned nostalgic activity found within the rural lands of California.

Please do veto AB 1032.

Sincerely,

Rex Bi...

my address...

[kcoulson]

thanks guys

keep those letters, faxes and emails coming

Ken

[whats4supper]

my letter (perhaps as not well stated as some of the others):

Governor Schwarzenegger

RE: AB1032

It may seem to you that gold dredging in the state is more of a hobby industry than a viable income producing action, but the truth is that many residents and non-residents, myself included. make yearly forays to California rivers in order to retrieve placer gold.

Since 1930, some restriction has been placed on the backs of viable miners concerning access (Drifts and Crosscuts, The Mining Journal, August 15, 1930):

"California mine operators are very much disturbed over a bill that has been introduced into Congress, which is modeled after Senate Bill S-4774, and which is designed to place in the hands of the Forest Service, the full power to control the use of the water or timber, on mining claims, in the national forests of California, even to the point of refusing the use of the same to the locator of the claim.

"Water and timber, as well as ditches, pipelines, and other utilities, are necessities of mining, and in placing these beyond the control of mineral locators, the rights granted them by the Mining Laws of the United States, would be,. ‘to a great extent, nullified...

"The proposed bill, if it became a law, would give to the Forest Service the power to control the use of mining necessities. Development of mineral deposits within the national forests would be at the discretion of forest rangers, who are not competent to judge mining requirements.

"By withholding permission to use water, timbers or other necessities, forest officers might seriously hinder or prevent the development of valuable deposits of gold, and other metals and minerals within the forests of this state.

"Such a law, if passed, would prove, very serious to the mining industry. Mining development is certainly restricted and handicapped enough now, so much that it is wondered where the new mines will be coming from, to take the place of those being worked, and every little while, someone pops up with another brilliant (?) idea, for making the path of the prospector a little more rocky.

"It is time that the mining industry spoke its little piece to those in Washington who are presumed to represent us.)"

And every year, some new bureaucrat has worked to close access and clamp shut, the ability of many miners to work their legal mining claims, leases, and privately-owned parcels. Property and income taxes arise from these mining efforts, whether from individuals or mining companies and corporations; taxes that pay for infrastructure, construction, and salaries of state officials and employees.

Mining is a right of the people, as much of the gold extracted is associated with a waterway, as long as the miner is compliant with slime catchways, and so on, such access should not be denied. Some in the DFG want all miners to be classified as guilty of land damage in any degree, denying the facts that most miners are already constrained by several tenets of state and federal legislation geared towards reclamation activities, and most miners also have to post some sort of liability bond with the BLM and Forest Service, should anything arise that is amiss. Yet the DFG desires the destruction of an entire industry and segment of the working population that is acting as responsible denizens and protectors of the very environment where they both live and work. AB 1032 is against all common sense and reason in dealing with mining issues on a progressive basis.

In addition, several studies of Western state waterways suggest that turbulence and periodic turnover of streambeds, caused by Small Dredges, is actually far more beneficial to wildlife and aquatic species than any other method in renewing spawning grounds and contributing to postive habitat.

As long as miners have access to work their claims, rivers, and watersheds, all encompassing, they are also in a position to curtail or abate hazards related to runoff or other conditions, as part of their permit fees, and other use allocations and expenses.

To kill dredging will be to kill that which made California a state in the first place, and to deny the legacy of what California should be in the future. It will also kill another segment of working tradesmen and hobbyists that are cleaning up the environment, and place a vastly higher tax burden on the state by having to care for natural resources not adequately funded, as well as having to assume additional tax and financial burden of doling out welfare checks to all those idled by the work or seasonal hobby stoppage.

Please stop this bill!

Charlie Michael

Las Vegas, NV