Hello Friends!
PLP Update
Legal Fund: As many of you know, our Legal person retired this year (to mine full-time), leaving us with no one to manage our and member’s legal affairs. We are currently searching for a replacement. In the meantime, we are establishing a separate Legal Fund. Our hope is to find a lawyer or paralegal who is both Miner-friendly and knowledgeable about mining regulations. All our raffles, additional donations, and a percentage of our membership funds will go into this account to pay such people to help our members in need.
Claim Specialist: We often receive emails from members regarding problems with their claims. We now have a volunteer, Troy Ray, who is one of the most knowledgeable people we know. We will forward all inquiries to him, and we thank him for taking on the role!
Who is Walt Evens?
After my speech at our annual Fall-fest Celebration, one of our long-time supporters, Roger Plata, asked, “Can you give us your resume?”
I have been prospecting and mining since 1999. In the early 2000s, I met PLP President, Jerry Hobbs, who came to speak at our club meeting. He reported that we had just beaten the Forest Service’s 14-day rule. The judge said a miner can live at his claim 24-7-365 (must be actively mining!). That really impressed me. I started supporting PLP right away.
Through the years, and after many of their legal triumphs, I moved to Oregon, I joined my local club in Roseburg shortly thereafter. I met a gentleman named Desi Raines. He was constantly visiting the Mining Districts in Southern Oregon. He always wore a bright yellow T-shirt that read “Mineral Estate Holder.” He also rallied us in letter-writing campaigns. At one meeting I asked, “How goes the battle?” He replied, “I’ve retired. It’s time for a younger man to take over.” It wasn’t until a few years later, when I became a co-plaintiff on the Bohmker et al. vs. the State of Oregon Dredge case, that I realized I was that younger man.
Several years ago, someone at a club meeting mentioned that PLP members were conducting Reclamation Dredging in California. Wanting to learn more, I used my Mining Journal subscription to read everything I could find online, then emailed to ask how we could bring it to Oregon. Our Legal Researcher called and explained that they needed $3,000 in new memberships from Oregon to fund the research. We raised the money in about a year, and six months later, they developed a solution.
Because of the work I did here, they asked me to join the Board of Directors in September 2025. I was voted Vice President in December. After decades of dedication and ten years as President, Ron Kliewer wanted to work towards retirement. However, he will always be involved in the organization. I became President in August of this year, and he stayed on as Vice President to mentor me. Having been involved in both Gun and Prospecting Clubs, I have held about every position there is, especially President. I look forward to leading PLLP into its next phase as a key Land and Mining Rights group in the U.S.
Federal
US HOUSE PASSES BILL TO FAST TRACK MINING PROJECTS — Jackson Chen
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make mining projects permanently eligible for accelerated federal permitting under the FAST-41 framework. The Protecting Domestic Mining Act (H.R. 1501), introduced in February 2025, would add “mining” and “mineral processing” directly to the list of sectors eligible to become covered projects under FAST-41. FAST-41 provides coordination between government agencies, more predictable permitting timelines, and increased transparency.
The program was first established under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act in 2015. While mining is already treated as an eligible FAST-41 sector under existing regulations, the legislation would codify that status in federal law, making it more difficult for a future administration to reverse the policy.
H.R. 1001 would prohibit the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council from administering, or enforcing the proposed rule. Instead, mining and mineral processing would be explicitly included in the FAST Act itself.
Importantly, the legislation is not limited to lithium, rare earths,, antimony, tungsten, or other commodities included on the US critical minerals list. The broader eligibility means mining and mineral processing projects across a wider range of commodities could potentially seek FAST-41 coverage.
The legislation adds to the Trump administration’s efforts to strengthen domestic mineral supply chains and accelerate the development of US mining projects.
Permitting reform has become a major part of that strategy, with the administration seeking to reduce delays that can add years to the development of new mines and processing facilities. However, the legislation has also faced opposition over concerns about the potential environmental and community impacts of accelerating mine approvals.
With House approval secured, the legislation would still need to clear the Senate and be signed into law.
California
Yurok Tribe and Karuk Tribe Kick Off Major Restoration Project
McConnell Bar Initiative Located Immediately Below Recently Removed Dams
July 30th, 2026
Contact: Yurok Tribe — Matt Mais, (707) 954-0976, mmais@yuroktribe.nsn.us
The Yurok Tribe and Karuk Tribe, through their respective fisheries and natural resource departments and partners, are preparing to implement a large-scale restoration project spanning 1.25 river miles and covering up to 45 acres in the mid-Klamath River to address the impacts of historic mining operations and sedimentation from the McKinney Fire footprint.
Just downriver from the recently removed dams, the McConnell Bar project site is about 7 miles northwest of Yreka and 3.7 miles downstream of the Klamath’s confluence with the Shasta River. Humbug Creek runs into the McConnell Bar site, and the popular Tree of Heaven campground is nearby.
Conducted in collaboration with local landowner, philanthropist, and hospitality entrepreneur Lance Evans, the Karuk Tribe, Mid-Klamath Watershed Council, The Watershed Research and Training Center, and the Klamath Indigenous Land Trust, the project aims to correct the detrimental alterations of widespread gold mining, which have resulted in a scarcity of salmon and steelhead habitat.
“We are excited to begin healing this long-neglected stretch of the Klamath,” said Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “Once this project is completed, it will benefit fish and all other living creatures for generations.”
“This project in the Karuk Tribe’s ancestral territory is an important effort that will help restore Klamath River fish populations and complement the beneficial effects of the recent removal of the Klamath River dams,” said Russell “Buster” Attebery, Chairman of the Karuk Tribe. “We are hopeful that projects like the McConnell Bar project will continue throughout the mainstem Klamath River and serve as a model for future collaborative fish restoration projects.”
Since time immemorial, both tribes have relied on salmon as primary food source. Similarly, the fish are integral to tribal culture and traditions.
Currently, this river segment is unnaturally straight and shallow, providing little to no fish rearing or spawning habitat. It is also surrounded on both sides by large piles of mine tailings. Compromised of softball-to bowling ball-sized rocks, the mine tailings, deposited between 1910 and 194, prevent critically important native vegetation from taking root within the riparian area.
Funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Reclamation, the project will restore the land and river roughly to its pre-mining state, improving habitat complexity, reconnecting floodplains, and allowing fish better access to Humbug Creek, a known salmon-bearing tributary.
This stretch of the Klamath was heavily affected by the July 2022 McKinney Fire, which burned more than 50,000 acres in its first three days. Torrential rains in the area triggered heavily sedimented flooding in creeks and the Klamath that killed tens of thousands of fish. Fish species impacted include suckers, lamprey, and juvenile salmon and trout. The influx of sediment from Humbug Creek and other tributaries has impacted fish passage, spawning grounds, juvenile rearing habitat, and has significantly compromised the overall health of this part of the Klamath River and five tributaries.
The McConnell Bar project will rectify these issues and put the area in a much better position to weather future fires, floods, and droughts. Typically, wildfires can improve conditions, as they tend to add wood and coarse sediments to waterways, but the impacts of large-scale mining have made these benefits much less likely.
The Tribes’ restoration approach to the McConnell Bar project will include reshaping the river channel, increasing the extent and frequency of floodplain inundation, removing tailing piles and other mining remnants, and introducing more wood features to the waterway. The wood features, coupled with the river’s hydraulic pressure, will scour fine sediments onto the banks and create new deep pools with cover for fish.
At a minimum, this project will double the fish rearing capacity of the site year-round, create cold pools for salmon and other fish to take refuge during the summer heat, improve native amphibian habitat, and restore the native riparian flora that supports wildlife and a healthy river ecosystem.
Planting native trees and shrubs will provide shade for fish and habitat for terrestrial wildlife.
This project will complement work the Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and their partners — including Siskiyou County and the U.S. Forest Service — have undertaken to minimize further sediment inputs from Humbug, Little Humbug, McKinney, Vesa, and other tributaries. The Tribe’s fire recovery efforts have already shown promising results in these nearby watersheds and demonstrate that post-wildfire restoration can be both fast and effective.
Oregon
UPDATE ON DEQ 600 PERMIT — Jan Alexander
We have not heard anything about the draft WPCF 600 permit. Once we get through the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Plan Revision comments, we will see where DEQ is with this permit.
We are still looking for content from other states. Feel free to reach out if you have something important to share, especially if it involves mining or land rights!
Wrap-up of the 2026 PLP Fall-Fest
Once again, PLP’s Fallfest at the Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association’s Duisenburg campground was a big success! Our four days of mining activities, classes, a museum tour, demonstrations, meals together, entertainment, prospecting, and metal detecting, brought together a unique group of gold miners that can’t be beat!
PLP has a new President, Walt Evens. He lives in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and pulled his trailer all the way down with his friend John. Thank you, Walt, as the new president, for getting Fall-fest organized and making it happen!
A huge thank you to our volunteers for pulling it all together, making the activities fun, and running everything so smoothly for everyone. Thanks to Judy and Gene Lepper for bringing tables and setting up, along with Don and Linda Starr. Judy Lepper and Linda Starr were the registration “Goddesses” who organized our check-in area like pros. Thomas Heflin brought the T-shirts and PLP supplies from storage and put together the big detector coin hunt on Saturday. Many commented on his creative target burying, which made it more challenging. Thomas also helped in many other ways, from running the Grand Raffle and fixing a torn-off trailer awning to trailer electrical, refrigerator, and plumbing issues, quad starting problems, and much more as a good neighbor. Big Thanks, Thomas!
Former PLP Secretary Laura Zayats was a huge asset in bringing this event together. From preparing a to-do list for the new President and purchasing the food and supplies for Saturday night dinner to designing our posters and new Desert Reclamation T-shirts. Thank you, Laura! You were invaluable to this event’s success.
We had almost 30 participants at our seeded metal-detecting hunt on Saturday afternoon.
Prizes awarded right after the hunt included a Gold Nugget, a 1-ounce Silver Round, and a bag of pay dirt aka a God Bag. We gave a Copper Round to the person with the most trash!
LDMA Duisenburg Campground Caretaker Peggy Schlichter again made a fantastic fundraiser spaghetti dinner Friday night. Thank you, Peggy!
Special thanks to Tina Woodbury and her husband Robert, Marcia Betz, and some others who helped in the kitchen with preparing, serving, and cleanup. Thank you to Kim Holmes and David Autels for grilling the chicken and helping around the clubhouse. Thanks to the Antelope Valley Gold Prospectors, who put together delicious fundraiser breakfasts and lunches Saturday and Sunday. They also had their detector hunt and raffle on Sunday.
Dan and Arlene Stanton gave a great tour of the Randsburg area, the Randsburg Museum, and their own Owl Café Museum on Friday morning, which several carloads of folks enjoyed.
Jerry Marquez gave his metal detector class, which was packed, and then an additional, more advanced class.
Mike Pung, Gold Cube Inventor, gave a very informative class with a full clubhouse on Saturday morning.
He also set up his trailer outside to sell his mining equipment to everyone. It was nice to meet his wife, Carol.
We also want to thank San Diego Treasure Seekers for once again opening their South Freedom Claim down the road; several folks went there to prospect.
After spaghetti dinner Friday night, we had professional entertainment by Brad Lee Allen, the juggler!
What a treat it was! He juggled knives, fire torches, and pins that lift up different colors in the dark around the campfire.
We presented the Grand Raffle prizes to those who were there, and we’ll mail them to those who weren’t. The prize for the person who traveled the furthest, which we thought would be Walt Evens from Oregon, went to our good member Bob Thurber and his wife, who traveled all the way from Minnesota! Bob got the prize again this year.
We were a little concerned that the hurricane hitting San Diego might affect our weekend. But it was quite hot the first couple of days, cooler at night. It cooled off and was a little overcast on Saturday and Sunday. Then the wind picked up late Sunday, with moderate rain on the last night, and then it was over.
LDMA Duisenburg campground has become a perfect place for PLP to continue to have Fallfest. It’s a patented claim, so we can group camp, have entertainment, campfires, and even have an awesome clubhouse to gather in when it’s too hot, or when rain or wind comes up.
We hope to see more folks at PLP Fallfest in 2027, especially GPAA Chapters and Independent Clubs, as we are already scheduled for the first weekend in October. There’s plenty of room for camping, and no limit. PLP will have registration on the website and will work to open it earlier. For one price, you get a new one-year PLP membership or a renewal membership, 3 nights of camping including a BBQ Potluck dinner, classes, and all the gold prospecting you want to do!
PLP 2026 Grand Raffle Winners
- Gold Quartz Specimen donated by Meeting of the Mines/Goldstrike Corp — Kim Holmes
- Big Bear Placer Mining Claim, donated by Laura Zayats — Kim Holmes
- Riverdance Max Gold Jig, donated by www.rgmak.com — Tim Trask
- Lifetime PLP Family Membership, www.publiclandsforthepeople.org — Tim Trask
- Minelab Xterra Metal Detector, www.usa.minelab.com — Renee Staats
- 1 Year Membership to www.RainkeGoldMining.com — Tim Trask
- Garrett Goldmaster 24K Gold Detector plus Z-Lynk Wireless System with Pro-Pointer AT, donated by Walter Evens — Roy Davis
- $250 Golden Paydirt Bag, donated by PLP — Michael Armhurst
- Roaring Camp 4 days/3 nights donated by www.roarigcampgold.com — Red Willet
- Gold Cube 4-Stack donated by www.goldcube.com — Shawn E.
- 1 Week Alaska Mining donated by www.SkookumGoldCamp.com — Jeff Hurst
- 1 Year MineOperator Pure Au Membership — Tim Trask
- Gift Certificate to the Carriage House Inn, Downieville — Jeff Hurst
- Gift Certificate to the Carriage House Inn, Downieville — Roy Davis
- Gift Certificate to the Riverside Mt. Lodge, Downieville — B. Proved
- Gift Certificate to the Riverside Mt. Lodge, Downieville — Tim Trask
- Gift Certificate to the Riverside Mt. Lodge, Downieville — Patty Russell
- Coarsegold Prospectors One-Year Membership, donated by Coarsegold Prospectors — Jason Auger
- Coarsegold Prospectors One-Year Membership, donated by Coarsegold Prospectors — Zang Pham
- Knife — Tim Trask
- Superbit — Tim Enterline
- Axis Deer Knife, donated by Kim Holmes — Vance Jones
- Duisenburg Hat, Patch & Vial, donated by Peggy Schlichter — Pat Hawton
- Snake Guards — Treasure Seekers of San Diego
- Ladies Prospector Belt Buckle, donated by Peggy Schlichter — Karen Darnell
- Mini Sluice — Hi Dessert Gold Diggers
- 24K Layered Coin, donated by Temecula Valley Prospectors — David Shaw
- Silver Coin — Jeff Hurst/Casey Holtz
- Bucket Head, donated by Jerry Marquez — Steve Hayes
- Bucket Head, donated by Jerry Marquez — Jeffery McKlveen
- Bucket Head, donated by Jerry Marquez — Tim Trask
- Spin It Off — Ron Mathias
- Copper Round, donated by PLP — Royce
- Goldibox Fluid Bed Sluice Box, donated by www.goldibox.com — Ross Hopkins
- Sluice Box — David Sevcik
- Handheld Manual Chainsaw — Royce
- Coin, donated by Treasure Seekers of San Diego — Romaro Ramirez
- Small Gold Pan with $50 Bill, donated by Temecula Valley Prospectors — Wetzel
- Copper Round, donated by PLP — Tim Trask
Because we added prized to the event, two prizes from the original list weren’t drawn and will be included in the next year’s raffle.
We’ll mail prizes to winners who weren’t there to receive them. We’re working to streamline the whole process, from tickets sales to drawing winners and tracking them. It will be much simpler and more efficient next year.
Thank you for supporting PLP through ticket purchases and prize donations!
Special Recognition for Two Long-time Volunteers!
We had two plaques made for past President Ron Kleiwer and Board member Walt Wegner. We also included dinner gift cards so they could celebrate with their wives.
We were hoping Walt would stop by Fallfest for the Saturday night barbecue, since he lives only a few miles away. We heard he was busy deer hunting. We stayed the night with Ron and presented it the next morning.
2027 Quartzsite Gold Show
Thank you for standing with PLP and supporting the protection of our public lands
— Your support strengthens our mission — Thank you for being part of PLP —
