New Mining Claim Patent Issued Options

[Clay Diggins]

Congratulations to our fellow miners in Oregon!

The patent for the Garden Spot placer mining claim was finally issued.

Some hard working miners now have their own 50 acres of private land in the Siskyou National Forest and BLM managed lands.

The final cert was awarded in 1990 so it only took the BLM 25 years to get that stamp to the ink pad, stamp and sign the Patent and mail it out. Our fine employees at work!

ORMC86146 is now closed and private patented mineral property. The beauty is the proud "new" owners live on Galice Creek.

Read and Rejoice!

[swizz]

What exactly should we be celebrating here? The fact that this guy lived long enough to get his rubber stamp on a grandfathered patent application after 25 years? This changes nothing. There is still a moratorium on filing new patents for claims and not likely to change anytime soon. I'm happy for the guy but I'm not celebrating until the moratorium is lifted.

[CP]

What exactly should we be celebrating here? The fact that this guy lived long enough to get his rubber stamp on a grandfathered patent application after 25 years? This changes nothing. There is still a moratorium on filing new patents for claims and not likely to change anytime soon. I'm happy for the guy but I'm not celebrating until the moratorium is lifted.

I agree Swizz, not anything to jump up and down about. Seems like an absolutely ridiculous time frame ..... 25 years gad zooks!!

Very good points as well Auger, and I'll add a bit to that. Not that I think the mining law needs changing, maybe it does, but most importantly, we as citizens first need to learn/find what exists in the law books. Which much of it is helpful I believe or written with mining in mind as to the mining law and pertaining USC's/CFR's etc. Before we set off to make big changes or improvements, first we must know what is there already and use it to our advantage not only now but to continue or change anything for future benefit of the citizens.....otherwise like you said, only big money/corporations/government will prevail/profit while citizens get the shaft!

On a side note for the moratorium itself.......If I remember my reading correctly , much of what set off the movement to set the moratorium in place by 1993 was the misuse of patenting processes during the 60's & 70's by the now huge conglomerate ski corps to secure and then privatize vast parcels of land out of the FS lands (1,000's of acres). These are now the most popular winter tourist destinations in the state making billions per year. Still got what they wanted even though the moratorium went in place, deed was done literally and ski areas now have lots of private land to charge access for per head!
I wonder where the eco-whacko environmentalist like to recreate in winter?......think any are ski bums?!

Not trying to poke buttons at any skiers here , just telling the story as I remember it and what motivated the moratorium movement back then.