The Courier
News
Mining District Re-forming in Camas County
Idaho has a long history of mining. In the mid to late 1800’s towns like Idaho City, Rocky Bar, Atlanta, Carrietown, Hailey, and dozens more, were the main population areas of our state. Today, most of those old mining settlements are ghost towns. Only those communities that were able to transition to some sort of recreational economy remain as actual cities. Mining, however, has continued throughout the state. Currently, there are nearly 2500 mining claims in Idaho covering 260,000 acres of public land. While most of those claims are owned by large companies, there are hundreds of private individuals working small claims, sometimes with nothing more than an old pickup truck and a few tools. These individual miners often do what they do just for the fun being in the backcountry of Idaho, but some actually make money from their endeavors. Unfortunately, over the last several decades, government regulations and/or policies have been making it more and more difficult to mine on our public, and private, lands. Various agencies such as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish & Game, etc. have created a multitude of rules that affect a miner’s ability to mine. In
some cases, government rules have made mining an impossible occupation. Those same rules also affect other public land users such as hunters, fishermen, ranchers, horseback riders, hikers, and campers. Yet, unlike most public land users, miners have a tool to push-back against overregulation by these agencies - the Mining Law of 1872. This federal law gives all citizens of the United States (18 years or older) the right to locate a mining claim on federal lands open to mineral entry. More importantly, this law provided for “mining districts”. Mining districts were originally intended to help miners in California establish rules to govern various mining activities within certain geographical areas. At that time, California was law-less and mining districts brought at least some order to the free-for-all known as the Gold Rush. The rule-making authority of mining districts was (or is) on par with all other government agencies. While there have been a number of amendments to our federal mining laws (including the Multiple Surface Use Act of 1955 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976), the authority of mining districts has never been rescinded. Miners across America have been reviving these old mining districts (including nine in Idaho) with the goal of forming a nationwide organization that will represent miners, as well as all other users of public lands. Last Saturday, June 17th, a handful of local miners approved by-laws and elected officers for the Skeleton Creek Mining District which was originally established around 1880.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
June 21, 2017
Volume 41 ~ Number 25
Independence Day Celebrations
July 4th fireworks are great fun to watch and to shoot off in your backyard, but they are not without dangers. Last year a 19-year-old man shot off illegal fireworks in the Boise foothills and caused a fire that burned 2500 acres and one home. That “little” mistake is now costing the young man about a half million dollars. While most of the vegetation in our communities is green from the extra wet winter, there is still plenty of dry grass out there that can go up in flames very quickly. Also, certain types of fireworks can cause damage to roofing and/or set fire to composition shingles. If you decide to create your own display of light and explosions, be aware of your surrounding and be courteous to your neighbors. And... make sure you have water available! Starting this week throughout our communities, firework stands will start popping up. These stands are often fundraising events for local organizations. Be sure to ask where your money is going, and try to support local causes. In Wendell, volunteer firefighters will be manning the stand in front of Hub City Performance (465 N Idaho Street) with portion of the sales going to help them buy/update equipment. In Fairfield, the Camas Chamber will be raising funds for the fireworks display at the city park with hamburgers & hot dogs. The safest way to enjoy fireworks, is to attend your local community fireworks display. They are bigger, louder, and you get to share the fun with all your neighbors.
Friday, June 24th ~ 3 to 6 Glanbia Fun Day at Gooding’s East Park (336 Illinois Street ~ next to the Gooding Pool) ~~~~~
Saturday, June 25th ~ 3 to 6 Gooding Fire Department BBQ (Gooding West Park ~ 9th Ave & California)