Alert: Dugway geode beds collecting in danger

[RockMole]

Hi everyone. I just received an email from a fellow rockhound that has me very concerned. I'm posting it here, hoping some of you will respond. We're losing too many wonderful collecting sites!

Thank you,

Pam Smith (Rockmole)

From: American Lands Access Association
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 4:15 PM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ALAA Alert - Dugway Geode Beds


To all Rockhounds Everywhere,

ALAA received this request to help save the Dugway Geode beds from extinction! If you have ever collected any of the Dugway Geodes and would like to collect them again or would like to collect these one of a kind Geodes in the future now is the time to get involved in a Grass Roots action. Yes this claim is in Utah and it is a commercial mining claim. Under the mining laws as long as the claim is active the access to the claim must remain open. Some of you reading this are on the East Coast and Utah seems like a long long way away. It is, but if you have ever collected there or know someone who has collected there in the last 50 years or would like the experience of collecting the Dugway Geodes now is the time to take action and try to save the Dugway Geode Beds. If the claim is lost the entire Dugway Geode Beds may be in danger of complete closure. Think about it and take the power of the pen and contact the Utah BLM and let them know that this resource needs to remain open and accessible for future generations of Rockhounds to enjoy. In your writings to the BLM, let them know that whether the mining claim is renewed or not, you are asking the BLM for assurance that the Dugway Geode Beds and their access roads will remain open for public recreational collecting. Below are email addresses to contact all of the parties involved in the Dugway Geode Beds issue. Please help "Save the Geodes!"

American Lands Access Association
Action Alert Committee


“Happy Rockhounding and Enjoy Your Public Lands”



DUGWAY GEODE CLAIM


Save the Geodes! The BLM is threatening to close the only commercial claim on the Dugway Geode beds, in operation for the last 50 years, because the renewal paperwork was late this year. The claim is run by the Crapo family under the business name “The Bug House” and new mining claims will not be issued by the BLM for any commercial geode mining because the geode bed is a restricted area.

Public response to urge renewal of the claim is critical. The Crapo family has always supported the rock hound community and made sure that anyone who collected on their claim came away with lots of good geodes. Now it’s our turn to support them so please get the word out to anyone interested in preserving this important collection area.

Please send your e-mails in support of renewing this important claim to the following e-mail addresses at the BLM and bcc the bughouse at their address below, so they can see who is supporting their efforts.



Deputy State Director Lands & Minerals: Kent Hoffman E-mail: [e-mail]


Minerals Support Supervisor: Robert L Bankert E-mail: [e-mail]


Bureau of Land Management Fillmore Field Office E-mail: [e-mail]


The Bug House E-mail: [e-mail]


Thank you,

Golden Spike Gem & Mineral Society


[e-mail]
November 29, 2015

[Don]

What is the land status? I was under the impression that it's BLM with a designated rockhounding area, in addition to the commercial claim. is the land status becoming wilderness or restricted in some other way?

[RockMole]

Hi. A good question, which I've just spent a few hours researching.
As stated in the the above letter. under mining laws, as long as a claim is active the access to the claim must remain open:
"In your writings to the BLM, let them know that whether the mining claim is renewed or not, you are asking the BLM for assurance that the Dugway Geode Beds and their access roads will remain open for public recreational collecting."

BLM Resource Management Plans regulate access. A mine access comes under a law, not a plan. Resource Management Plans can change, as I learned of the BLM plan to close over 1000 public routes in Western Colorado, almost 2000 miles of roads used for over 50 years, closing off 10's of thousands of acres of public land to human access. That is still being fought, from the info I could get.

So, to me, the gist of the letter is to inform people of a potential problem should the Dugway area no longer fall under the mining claim laws keeping access open, and to ask that they be kept open for recreational rockhounding.

[opalandjasper]

First I would like to remind all miners to pay there mining permit fees early.   Like a almost a year early.  A few too many have the permits expire bec ause the end of the year is a busy time.  The fees are paid on a every other basis.

There a couple ways to continue mining.  Basically the best is to reapply but the miner has to prove the material is uncommon.  This takes lots of time and money and data.  I am am not an expert on this matter.  One thing is needed and that is proof that material is worth allot more than landscaping material.  So what needed  is more than angry letters are letters detailing monetary worth  as well as support of the mining operation.   

Pleaase don't get too upset if  my info is off a little.  

[colliel82]

I have already sent an email to the blm, and here is the response

"The Dugway Geode claims owned by the Crapo family are administered by the BLM pursuant to the Mining Law of 1872, as amended (30 U.S.C. 28f(a))and through the regulations found located at 43 CFR 3830.


In accordance with 43 CFR 3830, 3834, and 3835 holder of an unpatented mining claim, mill site, or tunnel site must pay a maintenance fee for each claim or site on or before September 1 each year to hold the claim or site for the upcoming assessment year. In accordance with regulations at 43 CFR 3835.10, the claim maintenance fee may be waived for a claimant who certifies in writing on or before September 1, the claimant had met the requirements for the fee to be waived. Failure to pay the required annual maintenance fee, without having timely filed a qualifying request for a waiver on or before September 1, will cause the claimant to forfeit their mining claim or site by operation of law (43 CFR 3830.91(a)(4)).


Unfortunately, The Mining Law of 1872, as amended and the regulations did not give the BLM authority to deviate from the requirement in issuing a decision to the mining claimant stating they forfeited their mining claim. The claimant only recourse is to file an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) or file a new claim if the lands are open to mining. In the case of the Geode Claims the land is not currently open to mining therefore the claimants cannot stake a new claim and re-commence mining on the lands in question."


We are hoping that if enough people send emails to them it might impact any appeals decision. I've been out there a couple of times, and the Crapo family was great. It allows people not capable of digging for geodes the ability to collect nice specimens.

[Don]

is the area still open to recreational rock hounding?

[colliel82]

Dec 11, 2015 16:01:07 GMT -5 Don said:

is the area still open to recreational rock hounding?

Yes the Dugway Geode Beds are open for recreational rock hounding. You just need permission from the Bughouse if you are going to collect on their claim, all other areas are open for collecting.