Directions to the Middle Camp Claim

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Shanna Blake
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1 Directions to the Middle Camp Claim Directions from 29 Palms 1. At Hwy 62 & Utah Trail, turn right and drive 8.1 miles to Cottonwood Springs Rd turn off (sign indicates Cottonwood & I-10). 2. Stay on Cottonwood Springs Rd for 21.6 miles, on the left side of the road will be the junction of Cottonwood Springs, Old Dale & Black Eagle Rd's. Take the right hand road, this will be Black Eagle Rd. (Total mileage from Hwy 62 is 29.7 miles) 3. Stay on Black Eagle Rd. for 9.4 miles, you will see two signs facing away from you, (See Photo) turn left at the second sign, this is Grubstakes Rd. (Total mileage from Hwy 62 is 39.1 miles) 4. Stay on Grubstakes Rd for 2 miles, you will start into a large wash. Follow the winding trail across the wash to the Middle Camp campsite over the rise on the east side of the wash. (Total miles from Hwy 62 is 41.3 miles) Directions From I From I-10, take the Cottonwood Springs Rd. exit; stay on Cottonwood Springs Rd for 13 miles. On the right side of the road will be the junction of Cottonwood Springs, Old Dale & Black Eagle Rd's. Take the right hand road, this will be Black Eagle Rd. (Total mileage from I- 10 is 13 miles) 2. Stay on Black Eagle Rd. for 9.4 miles, you will see two signs facing away from you, (See Photo) turn left at the second sign. This is Grubstakes Rd. (Total mileage from I-10 is 22.4 miles) 3. Stay on Grubstakes Rd for 2 miles you will start into a large wash. Follow the winding trail across the wash to the Middle Camp campsite over the rise on the east side of the wash. (Total miles from I-10 is 24.6 miles) OTES: 1. All mileage was taken by GPS odometer, your mileage may vary to some degree. 2. You will have to enter the Joshua Tree National Park to get to the Middle Camp claim. It costs $10.00 to enter the park, unless you already have a pass or get there before 7am. 3. Black Eagle Rd traverses a Tortoise preserve area the speed limit is 15 mph. 4. There are two 20 to 30 ft deep washes you have to drive through. I had no trouble with either of them. I believe a truck towing a small trailer like a tent or ATV trailer would make it ok. Would not recommend a large tandem axle trailer. Road is not passable by motor home.

$\ From 29 Palms (Hwy 62 and Utah Trail) it's around 30 miles to the junction of Cottonwood Springs, Old Dale and Black Eagle Roads. JTNP signs at the junction of Black Eagle Road and Grubstakes Road.$

2 Map and Photos to assist in your travel to the Middle Camp Campout Map showing the junctions of Cottonwood Springs Rd/Old Dale Rd/Black Eagle Rd, and also Black Eagle Rd/ Grubstakes Rd. \ From 29 Palms (Hwy 62 and Utah Trail) it's around 30 miles to the junction of Cottonwood Springs, Old Dale and Black Eagle Roads. JTNP signs at the junction of Black Eagle Road and Grubstakes Road. These signs are facing away from you as you come to them.

3 At about 9-10 miles you will see the backside of two signs. At the second sign, turn left, this is Grubstakes Rd. Follow it for 2.2 miles to campsite.

4 The following article is reprinted from the Gold Prospectors Magazine: Prospecting businesses struggle to overcome SB 670 By Larry Brillhart The impact of California Senate Bill 670, combined with the weak economy, has devastated business owners who make a living by selling prospecting and dredging equipment. The cost and time required to fight SB 670 has been just as staggering. Lawsuits against SB 670 can t come fast enough for families whose financial survival depends on mining and suction dredging. While optimism is high for an eventual victory and the restoration of rights, it will be too little, too late, for some. Public Lands for the People (PLP) president Jerry Hobbs said there are five current lawsuits filed in an attempt to overturn the bill, and each case is estimated to cost between $100,000 and $150,000. The time involved in fighting these bills can take years and, even if victory is achieved, environmental groups normally file an appeal. We don t know how long these cases are going to take, Hobbs said. Federal cases could take two years at cost of $3,000 per month. According to Hobbs, initial lawsuit filing fees are $400 while motions range from $300 to $500 and appeals cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. The U.S. government paid $4.7 billion in attorney fees from for environmental lawsuits. And the results for both sides aren t always satisfactory. It s cheaper for the government to settle it out (of court) - pay what they want and pay attorney fees, Hobbs said. We (PLP) have to intervene to protect our interests, otherwise the government will settle out and we ll get nothing. SB 670, which was passed last year, imposes a temporary moratorium on the granting of new suction dredging permits until the ongoing environmental review is certified. It prevents the Department of Fish and Game from spending general funds of the issuance of new dredge permits. The bill stems from a lawsuit by Leif Hillman and the Karuk Tribe. As a result, the DFG is undergoing a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review to study the effects of dredge mining on fisheries. The DFG failed to complete the study by the July 2008 deadline and SB 670 created the dredge mining moratorium until the CEQA review and subsequent rule changes are complete. As a result, the United States Forest Service has closed roads in California to prevent dredging on streams and rivers. According to the PLP Web site ( El Dorado National Forest was the first to complete its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and its Record of Decision (ROD). The PLP is fighting the El Dorado National Forest to stop the road closures and to set a precedent against closing roads in other forests. A preliminary injunction could lift California s moratorium if the court finds the state is infringing on federal rights, particularly under the federal General Mining Law of 1872.

5 Attorney David Young has filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of PLP, according to the Lake County News. The state has gone into an area that is preempted by the federal government, Young stated. Patrick Keene, owner of Keene Engineering, a leading manufacturer of prospecting equipment, says the length of time in court is a waste of taxpayer money. I think there s a lot of inefficiency in the system because extreme environmental groups are getting grants to do projects and I think they need to do a better review of the process, Keene said. I feel that this whole situation could have been avoided with common sense and real science. It would become real clear this is not an issue about dredging but an issue about environmental groups and Indian gaming tribes flexing their muscles. The government needs to watch these groups much closer because it is a huge waste of money on a lot of these grants. Hobbs predicts all the efforts will soon pay off. He is optimistic about the return of suction dredging in California in the first quarter of this year. If we win the injunction, and it doesn t get put on stay, I think we ll be in the water at the end of March at the very latest, Hobbs said. Time is of the essence because we want SB 670 addressed by March. If we file the injunction, it should take 30 days for the judge to make a decision. I don t think we ll lose. We have some very strong arguments and they have very little. Keene is also optimistic. It s very possible this will come to an end now that we ve taken the state of California to court, Keene said We feel confident PLP will win this lawsuit and we are supporting PLP heavily and hope everyone else will support PLP so we can get through this. Until that day comes, however, California companies continue to struggle due to loss of business. The state brings in more dredging revenue than all the other states combined, said Hobbs, but now prospectors are selling their equipment. They re flooding e-bay and craigslist with their equipment and they don t buy from the dealers, Hobbs said. I m getting letters of harm from these people (business owners), so we can use (the letters) in court. Businesses are hurting. Keene is grateful for foreign interest during this time of financial crisis. If we didn t have any foreign business right now, we would be out of business, he said. At this time, we are building a bunch of larger scale equipment for Africa, South America, and some of the (South) Pacific islands for reclamation and environmental cleanups. Our dredges are used (in those countries) to clean up canals and waterfalls and pump material to disposal sites. In California, however, the news is bleak. The entire industry is in the drink right now. We probably experienced an 80 percent drop in sales since February of 09 when Senator (Pat) Wiggins placed a moratorium on dredging in the state of California, Keene said. Many small scale and professional gold miners did not work this season due to the August 6 deadline. As a result, all dealer sales in the Western states have flatlined. Many smaller dealers and stores have gone out of business due to lack of sales and a lot of them are hanging on by a thread. One of those dealers, Philip Bonafede of Prospectors Depot in Joshua Tree,

6 California, submitted the following letter to Michael Stopher, environmental project manager for the Department of Fish and Game regarding the plight of his company since the passage of SB 670: I have owned and operated a small mining supply company in a remote location of the lower Mojave Desert for five years now. I sell metal detectors, dry washers, dredges and the accessories which accompany this equipment. Annually, I sell approximately $60,000 worth of Keene Engineering dredges and equipment to the California public which has completely stopped since the imposition of this petty moratorium. The income from the local customers provided a necessary stimulation to the local economy and was helping employ people who were previously out of work. This moratorium is hurting my business and many others by dragging into the winter months. Many of my customers were making a living in this rough economy by harvesting small amounts of gold with the use of the Keene dredges. At a time in California s history when the issue is income for the state, it seems like rotten timing to simply smother a thriving industry with such a devastating blow! It is greatly diminishing the tax revenue from these sales! California is trying to put good companies and people out of business with no credible environmental proof beforehand. Logic would clearly state that an investigation into the environmental issues should have taken place long before the moratorium was ever initiated. Would you not agree? Let's pull the plug on these petty politics and put California's mining industry back to work before good businesses close their doors under the guise of unsubstantiated speculation. The negative impact of SB 670 has spread beyond California borders, as well. Dealers on the East Coast have also dropped in sales, Keene said. All prospectors who cannot generate any gold are economically depressed. Retail merchants are producing very few sales to keep their doors open. Even if SB 670 is overturned, Keene agrees with Hobbs that more suits will be filed from opposing groups. We know once everything is completed, there will be many lawsuits from Indian tribes and environmental groups, Keene said. They ll be getting a stay in court which could delay dredging for a longer period of time and there will probably be more environmental lawsuits if regulations aren t restricted enough to satisfy the environmental community. If we don t get dredging back online, the industry will collapse. This will not just affect people in the United States but also small scale mining all over the world. We want to hear from you. If you have faced restrictions outside of California, please share your information by ing Larry Brillhart at: lbrillhart@goldprospectors.org To help support the PLP, please visit To participate in online discussions, visit the GPAA Web site at Click on Communication and Forum to offer an opinion on current prospecting news and issues. From: Larry Brillhart [mailto:lbrillhart@goldprospectors.org]

FIRST CLASS MI ERS, I C Sunday, ovember 8, 2009 at Doug and Janet Peercy in 29 Palms at 1:00 p.m. Minutes of general membership meeting

FIRST CLASS MI ERS, I C Sunday, ovember 8, 2009 at Doug and Janet Peercy in 29 Palms at 1:00 p.m. Minutes of general membership meeting OFFICER REPORTS: President Doug Peercy opened the meeting with the