Why Research? Options

[CP]

We get alot of questions about research and reverification so we thought we should have a thread about why it's so important to know for each individual in the field and why this club/website is so adamant about it.

Many folks ask...... "Why do I need to do any research? I just want to go prospect at a recreational level."
"Can't I just go out and try it without worrying about research?"
This person or that club said I could "go there"....... "isn't that good enough for me to go there? I see alot of folks there all the time."

Well actually NO would be the answer to that.
Recreational rockhounding, sampling, panning, sluicing etc are all PROSPECTING ACTIVITIES.
You as a prospector at any level when entering the field (claims or non claimed land) are responsible for your own actions in the field. No one else nor any organization can/will accept your resposnibility in the field.

At the very basic level of one's own responsibility, one can never expect that someone else has "taken care of that" for you. When you enter the field, you must know where, when, and how to do or not do specific things on your own and why or why not. If you head out to the field with the thought of, "they said it's ok" then you do not know what you should or should not be doing let alone whether or not "they said" is even accurate at all! You must be able to reverify anything "they say" (including this club or my research) to have the proper knowledge in the field for your activities.

You would not expect to go out hunting, fishing or camping without knowing where you can or can't do those things or expect someone else to take that responsibility for you in the field. YOU MUST KNOW where the hunting or fishing is allowed. YOU MUST KNOW where private property is or is not to access lands.
YOU MUST KNOW when prospecting, where you should or should not as well as where private land or private location mining claims are held. ON THE GROUND YOU MUST KNOW where you are exactly and where to find the proper information to determine these things prior to your field trips.

The big difference from your RIGHT TO PROSPECT and all the other mentioned activities............ the others are paid privlages involving paid permitting. You have the RIGHT TO ACCESS public lands and you have a RIGHT TO PROSPECT those lands and develop the mineral deposits within them....as long as they are open to new claims. If you choose to recreate when you are accessing public land by right, then that is your choice and your responsibility.

If you do not know about your rights and how to enact upon them, then how can you know what field activities you should or should not initiate or where?
If you do not know, then how will you know "they said" is even close to accurate?
Do "they" actually know the law or show you where to locate it yourself for your own interpretation?
Do "they" actually have a claim? Is it valid? Is it marked as law requires or is that still on their "to do" list because of seasonal restrictions for their markers? (illegal by the way)
Do "they" offer any way for you to check or reverify their information when "they said" and sent you out to the field?

This very basic level of research and field responsibility is/can be easily over looked, especially when it's not offered as valid/useful information and as so not taught in such manner. Except that there is one club doing just that....Yep that's correct, it's the Colorado Prospector club!
We do not prioritize the price of gold to play on greed nor will we ever mislead your concept of how to conduct field activities of any level.
The entire crux of the Colorado Prospector club's concept centers around each individuals own knowledge which equals nothing less than full confidence in your field work/decisions ending in completely successful prospecting trips!

If this makes sense to you and you'd like to be a part, welcome aboard! We'd all be honored to have your participation.
As the train moves along down the track of knowledge we all steam ahead!!

Don't live in Colorado? Club membership can still benefit you greatly. We as citizens can prospect for and develop the mineral deposits within lands of 22 of the states. If you live in or travel to any of those 22 states then you can benefit from learning these topics. If you want to find out who owns private lands anywhere, you can benefit from learning these topics.

Check out details for the Colorado Prospector club membership and join up! Learning the research isn't as complicated as it looks to be but is absolutely necessary!

CP