$5.00 pre-sale GPAA Gold Show tickets tonight at the meeting!

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1 T R E A S U R E S E E K E R S O F S AN D I E G O C O U N T Y February 2015 FINDERS KEEPERS Presidents Message September 2014 Editor: Charlene Myers Presidents Message Well, we will be hosting the February GPAA Gold Show in Pomona. There are six Chapters in So Cal, but I really don t know how many will be participating. I do know that we and three other chapters will get a portion of the grand prize funds that are brought in at the end of each day s show. That could be a substantial amount of funds for our organization. We also have enough volunteers for each day to help take care of all other GPAA show duties. We only have four volunteers to help set up on Friday. That is a negative volunteer duty because it s only set up and go home. I don t know how to fix that problem. Anyway, we did show GPAA that we are up to the task. This is the last time you will be able to get the presale tickets before the show. PLP Very important subject to me. I believe, without the PLP, we would not be as close as we are to go back dredging. I hear rumors of fund cutting. I hear about some clubs and chapters that could do better in supporting this organization. I also see who is doing more than their fair share in helping in all aspects in their support to PLP. And that is the American Prospecting and Treasure Seeker organization. I really hope that you see them at our meetings, purchase the PLP tickets and buy the PLP clothing. All the funds generated go to the PLP of which go to help us win back the rights to recreate and mine on our public lands. Elections are coming up in April. Vice President and Secretary positions. Start thinking about which position you want to take. I know its tough decision I will be appointing a nominating committee this meeting. Also, I understand that we will need someone to take over the Claims Guide printing. Sharon Crnkovic is planning on moving to Las Vegas to live with her kids there. We wish her the best. She really loves our organization and would still be working with us if the life change had not happened. Many a good time was enjoyed with Lee and Sharon. Well, I m going to cut this message off now. I know I probably missed telling you a lot, but that is where you need to come to our meetings and get the rest of the scoop. Sourdough Chet $5.00 pre-sale GPAA Gold Show tickets tonight at the meeting! Also tonight ~ the drawing(s) for the special yearly prizes! (The tickets that you received when you spent $20.00 or more on opportunity tickets)

2 Page 2 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Searching The Beaches: By Frank Trutta Our January 25 th hunt went well at Mission Beach. Nine of us showed up and everyone had a good time. The low tide was low enough to have a lot of room to hunt the packed sand but the targets were far and few with the ones recovered averaging 6 to 12 inches deep. Made for good exercise. I came up with $1.74 my wife Zee recovered 85 cents, John Howe 70 cents, Brian Kenear 64 cents, Terry Libby 35cents using his new CTX 13 x 17 inch coil, Cliff Vaughan 84 cents Brian Winter working mainly by the wall recovered $4.09 a knife and a pair of glasses, my new student Tom Alaniz found a G I folding shovel, a real nice Acquis mens watch and a junk ring with a heart shape opal in it He learns fast, and Jerry Kaplan came away with a few coins. Next months hunt will be at Pacific Beach around the pier. We will work a little north and south with a fair low tide to give us room to grid the flats. The hunt will be February 22 nd at 7:00 am. Any questions give me a call on my cell phone Hunt smart! Results from 11/9/14 Metal Detecting Mission Beach: By John Howe January Metal Detecting - 1/8/15 We didn't have a "normal" detecting outing as I was attending the Coinshooters of San Diego's mini-hunt. I sent out all the info, but apparently the weather kept some away. I was even thinking of skipping but decided to gut it out. The hunt went on with about 15 detectorists and a light drizzle. There were 4 TSSD members present; me, Brian Kinnear, Rich Heygi and Bob Waldrip. Rich and Bob were guests and they both told me they had a great time. This was their first competition hunt and they learned a lot. Basically you had to move fast and cover a lot of ground. Normal detecting requires a slow, methodical swing, not good for this event. So for results, Brian and I recovered more than our entry fee and Rich and Bob found coins, but I'm not sure what their final count was. Of course it's hard to not find any coins, with over 4000 planted. We also found tokens for silver dimes, quarters, dollar bills and buffalo nickels. I'm looking forward for the next one! February metal detecting will be at Coronado. Please note that I'm changing the date to the Sunday following the usual date. The reason is that the Pomona Gold Show is the weekend of Feb 7-8 and many club members will probably be attending. Because of this I'm changing the date to Sunday, Feb. 15. I'll be sending out a reminder as usual. TSSD Election and Nominating Committee: A nominating committee (at least 3 members) is needed for the upcoming April election of Vice President and Secretary. If you are interested in being on this committee, please see Chester.

3 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 3 February Guest Speaker(s): Earl Dorr and the Hidden Underground River of Gold or Kokoweef Mr. Ted Burke, is a director and board member of Kokoweef.com and Mr. Ralph Lewis, a past board member and current historian of Kokoweefinc.com. Both have been involved with Kokoweef for 20 to 30 years. Kokoweef is located off of Hwy. 15 as you head towards Las Vegas. GPAA Pomona Gold Show Vendor: Fairplex Pomona, 1101 W McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA February 7th and 8 th, 2015, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. If you would like to be a vendor at this event, sign up with Chester, as TSSD will receive points. Mark your calendar and let Chester know if you are interested in helping. GPAA Pomona Gold Show TICKETS $5.00 each: See Mary Troseth at the back table for your $5.00 GPAA Pomona Gold Show tickets! TSSD receives a commission for selling these tickets in advance. Good for either day of the show and at a discount! If you purchase them at the gold show you will be paying $10.00 per person. GPAA Membership Kits: Available at the TSSD meetings. Cost is $70.00 for a one year membership; start up kit and claims guide through TSSD only. Please see Chester. Finds of the Month: 3 categories to enter: Gold, Gems and Minerals, Metal Detecting Finds Bring in your best finds from last month. Prizes for 1 st and 2 nd place in all 3 categories. Remember, it is quality, not quantity.

4 Page 4 Treasure Seekers of San Diego January Meeting Summary: 143 people in attendance. Door Prize Winner Richard Gravel 50/50 Drawing John Davis Finds of the Month: Metal Detecting John Davis Gems & Minerals Lori Parker Gold Linda Starr Gold Nuggets Richard Gravel, Robert Gray, Ron Reagen, Charlene Myers, Gary Gilbreth and Darren McKenney Metal Detector Steve Ludovissy 2015 Free Entrance Days in the National Parks America s Best Idea the national parks is even better when it s free! Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free* dates in 2015: January 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day February Presidents Day weekend April opening weekend of National Park Week August 25 National Park Service Birthday September 26 National Public Lands Day November 11 Veterans Day Only 133 of our country s 405 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. So start planning your visit! If you re planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands-more than 2,000 in all. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents. Information on these and other pass options is available online. *Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

5 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 5 Cargo Outing: Saturday and Sunday, February 21 st and 22 nd, TSSD will hold it monthly outing to TSSD s Cargo Claims. This is wide open desert. You must be self-sufficient. There are NO facilities in the area. It is approximately 2 and ½ hours to a 3 hour drive south from Escondido. LOGITICS: Hwy. 8 towards Yuma, AZ. Exit Ogilby Road and turn Left (over the freeway) Travel 3.9 miles Turn Right onto Sidewinder Road just past the R/R Tracks Travel apprx. 2.5 miles to BLM Route #715 (aka: Jackson Gulch). Turn Left. Cross over the Power Line Road and start looking for a place to camp. This puts you at the very corner of Claim #1. Motor homes and trailers are able to get to this point. To explore the actual claims, you must have a high clearance vehicle. You can get gas, ice and supplies at the following locations off of Hwy. 8: 1. Golden Acorn Casino near Campo large RV and truck fueling area. Hwy. 8 and Crestwood Exit # th Street in El Centro turn right and then make the first right to a truck stop or you can turn left from the freeway and there are smaller gas stations in that direction. 3. Hwy. 8 rest stop WATER ONLY there are two bibs, bring your own hose. Located in the center of the Hwy. so be in your left lane. This apprx. 3 ½ miles before Ogilby Road turnoff. 4. Hwy. 8 and Sidewinder Road small gas station good for fuel and ice. You can NOT take this Sidewinder Road to get to the claims. You must go back to Ogilby Road. This road can become very soft sand at times th Street in Yuma, AZ. ARCO station on your right. You must travel back to Ogilby Road. Check the weather for Yuma area before you go plan accordingly. Weather does vary and winds do come on unexpectedly. This is a clean desert please keep it that way by picking up your trash and hauling it out. And, PLEASE, cover your holes. Make sure you are on a TSSD claim. Many, many claims by others butt up to TSSD s. Must have TSSD Claim Guide and TSSD Membership Card with you while on TSSD s claims. On Facebook? There is a group on Facebook San Diego Prospectors and Gold Miners It is a closed group and you must ask to join. This is for anyone who is interested in the great outdoors. Many SPMA, TSSD members, and others, are on this page.

6 Page 6 Treasure Seekers of San Diego More to the Cargos than gold By Bill Myers This is a partial list of items that you may encounter while visiting the cargos ~ The Blue Angels are stationed at Naval Air Station El Centro from January to March each year and can be seen flying around the cargo vicinity. They will fly below the peaks and many times along the Sidewinder (Power line) road. The military helicopters also do numerous flyovers and maneuvers in the area. You will see hummingbirds. Our Polaris has a red roll cage and the birds will approach the Polaris as if to feed. There are also Owls to be seen and heard. Owls eat bats and due to the many caves and mines in the area, the bats are always visiting our campsite. Some of the mines have bat gates installed at the entrance of the mines. Some of the gates to these mines are unlocked and will beg you to enter. Enter at your own risk. If you are in a mine and the bats evacuate just stand still the bats will avoid you, do not take evasive action. Do not try to duck and cover. Charlene and I saw a bighorn sheep in the cargos. He was above us and was looking down at us as we gathered fallen ironwood for our fire. A bighorn will do strange things during rutting season and January is the rut for bighorn. On occasion we have witnessed turkey vultures in the area. Coyotes are present and have always kept their distance from me. At night when we illuminate the area with flashlights we look for the reflection of eyes of animals. The eye of the coyote will reflect orangeish. When we are visited by foxes their eyes will reflect a greenish shade. (More on foxes later.) Cougars are present in the area. After the rains, look at every mud puddle or sandy wash and you may witness game prints in and around the edge. How do you define a cat print from a canine print? The canine print will always indicate the extended claw, Cat prints do not. White tail deer are present and Charlene and I have seen a couple of herds on different occasions. The first, was a few years ago when we flushed a small herd with a buck, does and fawns. Earlier this year we spotted deer on two other days. There were three does and three fawns. Deer will travel along the gullies and washes. If you camp along a wash you will more than likely see the hoof print and droppings. Note: My dog Tasha has a tendency to roll in, among other things, deer urine. The smell is pretty bad. We keep a bottle of Amber Listerine and Dawn Liquid soap to wash the dogs in the event they need a washing. Kit fox are in and around the Cargos. We have been visited by foxes but have not fed or watered them. The foxes we have seen have been very shy and I think they are drawn to us by the campfire. When you are aware of foxes remember the color of the reflected eyes. You can switch to a colored lens in your flashlight. Game are less spooked by red or green light than the bright white of an unfiltered flashlight. All animals will lose their fear of humans and will eat from your hand with time and exposure. The bad deal is they will become dependent upon artificial food supply. A fox has three vocalizations. a growl, a short sharp bark and a yip. I have heard the last two, with the moonlight and a filtered lens, could tell the mom had called her two kids and the kids returned to her. Snakes are present. While attending an outing at the Friendly Fox claim, a diamond back snake was found under some corrugated tin in the wash the members were working. He was about two feet from me and my daughter. Sidewinders are also present. We have crossed paths with a pink snake in the area of Cargo #2 claim.

7 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 7 More to the Cargos than gold con t: By Bill Myers Scorpions. I have only encountered one in the years I have been going to the Ogilby area. I had picked up some trash and a very small scorpion was in the trash and got loose in the tailgate area of the Polaris. He moved very quickly, so for some reason, I poured some water on him and the cool of the water slowed him down enough that I could ask him to leave. Sleeping circles. The light colored circles you might see in the vicinity are native sleeping circles. The circles would accommodate two, maybe three people and there is almost always a small pile of stones in the center to hold the center pole for the sleeping structure, usually of the native flora. These can be seen in the area of Friendly Fox, Cargo #2 and Cargo #6 claims. The Native Americans lived and traveled like this from 1500 to 500 years ago. The newest sleeping circles are 500 years old. Please walk lightly. Speaking of Native Americans a footpath up one of the Pasadena peeks can be found between Rt. # 715 and metal power line road. You will recognize it with the white outline of quartz rocks starting on the flats and winding its way up to the top of the peak. While in this same area is a Pebble Terrace (similar to the one up by Blythe). This starts around the metal power line road and goes until the Colorado River. Many interesting fossils and gem stones can still be found. I also have an example for you to look at. Tortoises come out of hibernation around January through March. You need to stay clear of them and do not touch them. Once lifted off the ground they will expel their bladder, causing them to lose their water. Desert varnished rocks. On the Dowsing Rod table I have an example of a desert varnished rock. The top of the rock is dark in color and the bottom is kind of an orange. Desert Lichen grew and died, leaving iron and Manganese salts when the area was under water, with time, the wind and conditions have turned the top a dark color but not the undersides. Take a look at the example, I found it interesting. Thank you You Make a Difference! To Don Starr for his presentation at last month s meeting on building a trommel. To David Rice for a fantastic gem and mineral exploration in the Painted Gorge/Plaster City area. 34 members and guests were in attendance. To Earl Sterrett for all his time and effort in maintaining and loaning out the TSSD equipment. To each and every volunteer that it takes to run a meeting and all the behind the scene actions. You are appreciated.

8 Page 8 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Miner s Cookbook Corner: By Judy Carpenter Ingredients: Monkey Pickle Bread aka Banana Bread 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 4 ripe bananas, finely crushed 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Directions: Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and crushed bananas. Combine well. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Keeps well, refrigerated. Websites to stay informed with: BLM NewsBytes a weekly publication - Western Mining Alliance Public Lands for the People (PLP) -

9 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 9 Supporting the Chapter: Dowsing Rods - $25.00 for members/ $30.00 for non-members. Limit one per family. The Desert Magazine on Disk 1937 to $5.00 for the set. Limit two per family. Membership Card Holders with clip or pin style $2.00 each at Membership table. Treasure Seekers Pins & Decals - $6.00 each Bags of Gold Pay Dirt - $10.00, $25.00, $50.00 and $ bags available for purchase (with limits). Claims Guides - $20.00 with your TSSD membership card. Opportunity Drawings: Door Prize taken off the meeting sign in sheet 50/50 Split Drawing Gold Nugget Drawing Raffle Table Drawing See Jerry Goldstein for your winning tickets! TSSD does not charge dues. There is no cost to check out prospecting equipment, outings are free, prospecting our claims is free, the library is free, and the education and companionship are priceless and free. Yet TSSD still has to pay rent, pay the mining claim fees, pay the storage bill for the equipment for you to use, gold and raffle item costs, printing fees and numerous other monthly costs. Please support your club! Participate! Buy some tickets! Win! A special ticket is given to you for every $20.00 spent at a meeting. This ticket is for a Super Prize that will be drawn at the February 2015 meeting. March Quarterly Prize : Minelab X-Terra 305 Metal Detector

10 Page 10 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Outings and Events: February 4th Wednesday: TSSD General 210 Park Ave., Escondido 6:30pm February 6 th, 7 th and 8 th Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Pomona Gold Show TSSD Booth and General Work February 15th Sunday: Metal Detecting with John Howe Coronado Beach 7:00am ish 10:00 am meet up to share finds February 21 st and 22 nd Saturday and Sunday: Cargo Claim outing February 22nd Sunday: Metal Detecting with Frank Trutta Pacific Beach around the pier 7:00 am. March 4th Wednesday: TSSD General 210 Park Ave., Escondido 6:30pm

11 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 11 Meeting Room Diagram Opportunity Table Podium Board Members Claims Guides Dowsing Rods & DVD s Audience Audience Club Clothing Gold Bags, etc Finds of the Month Ticket Purchas Entrance Sign In Sheets & Membership Name Badges Library PLP Refreshments

12 Page 12 Treasure Seekers of San Diego CLASSIFIEDS: For Sale: LDMA membership. $2, Contact Sharon For Sale: Gold Screw with pump ready to go. $ Call Frank Trutta For Sale: Keene Puffer Drywasher DW212V Includes 12 volt electric motor, hand crank assembly and a brand new 12 volt battery from O Reilly Can run 2 ½ gallons of material in feed hopper at a time and approximately ¾ cubic yards per hour. Sells new at $ plus cost of battery. Asking $ which includes the $ new battery. Contact: Charlene Myers no calls after 8pm. For Sale: Au-nique Vacuum and Hydraulic Mercury Amalgam Press Contact: Greg Heyser or visit his Percentage of sales goes to TSSD. If you wish to run an ad, please send to: charlenemyers@cox.net by the 20 th of each month.

13 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 13 TSSD Equipment for Member s Use: 2 Sluice Boxes 3 feet long 1 Sluice Box 4 feet long 1 Mini Recirculating 9 inch sluice with pump, motor and tub 1 Mini Recirculating sluice with pump and motor (no tub) 1 Highbanker with motor and pump 1 Gold Grabber (box type high banker with motor and pump) 1 Small Dry Washer (no leaf blower) 1 Large Dry Washer (Keene 151 with leaf blower) 1 Dry Vac (5 gallon size) with motor 1 Magnetic Sweeper on rollers TSSD has equipment that it loans to its members. All we ask is that anything that is checked out is returned in the same or better condition than when it was borrowed. It is understandable that with the nature of our hobby, the equipment will get some bumps and bruises, which is acceptable. But if parts are lost or broken, it is the responsibility of the borrower to repair or replace missing or broken parts. Further details of the equipment check out policy is on the form which you will sign when receiving the item. Earl Sterrett, , will be able to assist you with the equipment checkout. He asks that you give him a couple of days notice when you might need something, and when items are returned that they are CLEAN. All equipment must be returned by the meeting following when it was checked out. Equipment is located at Diablo Mini Storage in Escondido. TSSD Library: Treasure Seekers of San Diego has a tremendous library for its members usage. Librarian, Roz Laffoon, will gladly assist you in checking out books, magazines, VHS/DVD s that show you gold locations and history, treasure hunting, maps and knowledge of what to look for. Anything that is related to gold, gems and treasure hunting is available. TSSD Membership: Membership to Treasure Seekers of San Diego is free. We do not charge an annual dues. All that is asked is that you attend meetings, participate and support the group through its opporunity drawings and events. To maintain membership, you MUST attend one meeting every four months. 1 st meeting: Complete and turn in a membership application. 2 nd meeting: You will be given your TSSD membership card. 3 rd meeting: You will be able to purchase a TSSD Claims Guide with proof of your membership card.

14 Page 14 Treasure Seekers of San Diego TSSD Claims Guides: TSSD Claims Guides are available for purchase for $20.00 (Twenty Dollars). Inside each guide you will find: 1. List of Officers 2. Current year calendar of events 3. Claim Rules and Regulations 4. Chapter Support and Claims Etiquette 5. Equipment for members to check out and use 6. Claim do s and don ts 7. What to expect at an TSSD outing 8. Using Dowsing Rods 9. Detailed maps and information pertaining to the 15 claims of TSSD. 10. And several pages of useful information pertaining to mining and detecting. Claims Assessment Work Form: Each and every time you are at one of TSSD s claims, you should be completing a Claims Assessment Work Form (located in the front of the claims guides, or at the meetings from the Claims Guide Seller). This form needs to be turned into Robert Cook, TSSD Claims Manager, at the meetings or ing it to him at: rmjcc@cox.net or surface mail to: 1941 Rockhoff Road, Escondido, CA Needed information required: Claim used, Members name, Date used, Total people prospecting and time on the claim, Type of work done (clean up, maintain, filling in holes, etc.), Members signature, Claims access, Vehicle access, Claim Markers, Claims Guide Directions, Type of equipment used, Type of gold found. It sounds like a lot, but it really is not. This information is needed to prove that our claims are being worked. If BLM questions us as to the use of our claims or wants to close one of our areas to prospecting we want to be able to produce records that show that our claims are being used. Claim Assessment Work forms are available at the sign in table. Please return to Robert Cook. G.P.A.A.: Treasure Seekers of San Diego is a chapter of G.P.A.A.. This does not require you to become a member of G.P.A.A. but if you are, please advise them that you are also a member of TSSD, so that we are eligible for points from your membership. TSSD uses those points' to obtain opportunity raffle items. Interesting: ( Interesting fact is that the people who treasure hunt are all extremely nice, respectable people. They share many of the same qualities such as being patient and giving. These individuals live life with integrity and studies show the majority are excellent, dedicated parents. There is just something special about people that hunt for treasure in that they are balanced individuals that enjoy adventure.

15 Treasure Seekers of San Diego Page 15 Treasure Seekers of San Diego County Mission Statement Treasure Seekers of San Diego County (T.S.S.D.) was officially organized on May 21, 2003 when the election of officers was held. We are a G.P.A.A. chapter. Non G.P.A.A. members may attend meetings and participate in the raffle, but are not eligible to vote, hold office, be on the claims committee, or utilize G.P.A.A. claims. The purpose of this organization is to provide an environment to increase public awareness, with education and training, of locating, identification and legal removal of minerals, cashes and treasures while keeping in mind the preservation of the environment and wild habitat. Meetings are held at the Park Avenue Community Center (formerly Joslyn Senior Center) 210 Park Avenue, Escondido CA On the first Wednesday of each month, 6:30pm 9:00pm Board Members President: Chester Nowicki candhnow@cox.net Vice President: Jason Evans min-arch@hotmmail.com Secretary: John Hendricks kd6rhd56@aol.com Treasurer: Jerry Goldstein auprospector101@aol.com Activity Communicator: John Howe jhowe3@gmail.com Claims Manager: Robert Cook rmjcc@cox.net Claims Guides: Jim Mears jandcmears@cox.net Sharon Crnkovic slgacrnk@aol.com Engraved Name Tags: Mary Troseth jtroseth@yahoo.com Equipment Manager: Earl Sterrett earls@awproperties.net Finds of the Month: Dan McGuigan meomy92127@yahoo.com Gold Bags: Charlie Freeman Jeepingold@att.net Librarian: Rozalynn Laffoon rozalynnlaffoon@att.net Membership: Charlene Myers charlenemyers@cox.net Sharon Crnkovic slgacrnk@aol.com Newsletter: Charlene Myers charlenemyers@cox.net P.L.P. Sue Jeffery info@aptsgold.com Printing: Frank Trutta scthfrank@yahoo.com Refreshments: Sue Conner & Ron Gonsalves goldbusters@sbcglobal.net Sgt. At Arms: Keith Browning keithbro2001@yahoo.com TSSD Apparel: John Troseth jtroseth@yahoo.com Ways & Means Jerry Goldstein auprospector101@aol.com Director At Large: Jerry Kaplan jerryk23a@gmail.com Director At Large: Loren Raddatz Laraddatz@cox.net Director AT Large: Ray Wilkerson bwilkerson9@cox.net Find us at: