Oregon gold mining stand off with BLM….Next bundy ranch

From the info on the YouTube video:

Share In route To Grants Pass Oregon BLM Stand Off! Gear Up! 7-8 hours out! Boots on ground! Been Driving all Night! Will Update once on the ground! Share Green light headed to Oregon for Stand Off BLM Get your guys here there is no order to stand down repeat green light for a go! I got Marines on the ground my guys we are 100% a go........... You Can donate to us here www.gofundme.com...
IT OUT CALL TO ACTION: GET TO OREGON NOW! If you are a true Militia, true III%, Oathkeeper etc. then you are needed. If you can get away from home to help, NOW IS THE TIME. Just like Bundy ranch, the BLM is out of order! SHUT DOWN THE FOREIGN CORPORATION NOW! The miners need you!!
Chris W. Langer III
This has been verified. Get your teams together.
Posted by Alex Sealey.
Operation Gold Rush
For Oregon III%
Ok now that I have had time to contact the person in charge at the Sugar Pine Mine this is the info that needs to be passed out:
EVERYONE WILL BE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF OATHKEEPERS OF JOSEPHINE COUNTY!!!!!
Person of contact at the mine
Joseph Rice
541-326-1911
Oath Keepers of Josephine County
PO Box 553, Grants Pass, OR 97528
Resource
Alex Sealey
541-786-8372
[email protected]
Rally point
42.550514, -123.529695
Needs 60 minute leeway before you arrive to rally point
This will be off I-5 exit 61 Galice Rd.
LOGISTICS
We need 50 + people on the ground within the next 24 hours
They need to be self sustained for 7 days with food and gear.
There is water and firewood on site.
This is mountain terrain plan for adverse weather conditions
Do to some lack are real-estate we are asking people to carpool if they can.
There will be limited cell phone coverage.
They have the ability to program some radios (baofengs and others) to the frequencies they are running.
SUPPLIES WE NEED AS OF RIGHT NOW
Fuel cards from chevron Fred Meyers
Medical supplies
Batteries
Food
4-wheeler or side by side
SUPPLY DUMPS
At this time we will be setting up supply dumps in Oregon and activating the Patriot railroad. If you can help with manning a dump or have supplies for a dump please let Alex Sealey know by one of the means above or getting on the Patriot railroad on facebook.

So it sounds as if they have some other form of news they are getting from the miners. Seems like they know something is going down in the next few days and are getting out there to show they mean business. Will be interested to see how many of them make it out and how much coverage this gets.

As far as them being able to drop what they are doing for this....I couldn't, but if I felt strongly enough about something like this then I would. If you have a decent company you work for or own your own company then it is pretty easy to get some time off. I would guess a lot of these guys support themselves in the manner in which we are seeing.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

By blowing up an issue and asking for money to 'defend it'?

I am all for protest, I just found it funny that during the more recent protest the people where chastised for being unemployed and freeloaders for being able to take the time out of their life to protest.

But when something like this comes about, nothing of the sort.

Must be that double standard people are always talking about.
/shrug

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

By blowing up an issue and asking for money to 'defend it'?

I am all for protest, I just found it funny that during the more recent protest the people where chastised for being unemployed and freeloaders for being able to take the time out of their life to protest.

But when something like this comes about, nothing of the sort.

Must be that double standard people are always talking about.
/shrug

I don't see them blowing an issue up. I also don't see anything wrong asking for donations. They obviously have the means to go there and do this even if they don't get donations....that is the beauty of donations....you donate.

Unemployed protesters are a burden on the system....completely different.

What about this story seems a double standard to you?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Maybe there isn't one and I am jumping the gun, but I am talking about the protesters lively hood getting called into question. And using that tactic to dehumanize them , usually after they have been pepper sprayed and belted with rubber bullets. Or being forced on marches or told where they can protest.
Guess they should of just started pointing guns at the cops, we saw that works our fine at Bundy.
Are you saying that you know for a fact that all the people going to this place are gainfully employed?

And this entire thread is blowing the issue up, as well as the call for arms done by the youtube video, it paints the miners as having done nothing wrong without knowing the other half of the issue.
All we have is their word of what is going on, what have they supplied to show their claims are true?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have not followed the happenings but when Pres Bush passed a new law revoking the right of miners that had been on the land for generations, we saw a Family on the Illinois River West of grants Pass, near cave Junction forced to leave their home on the river. 20 years we had been swimming near their home and now it was all emptied and home for generations torn down.

At this same time Bush auctioned off public lands and i remember a huge chunk sold above Redding Ca and other areas in Northern Ca.

The river is so heavily mined by claims in the summer it is hard to find a spot to swim because of the dredging. The mining they are speaking of is mostly dredging that causes no damage to the land although we had to stop swimming in the area as the gold price went up the mining did also.

ADD: (I meant the dredging is the only mining we have seen, no hard rock mining in that area that can be seen, and yet these people did have to move) Like I said I really don't know much about the situation.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
Man these militia guys must have no jobs to be able to just stop what they are doing and be able to go and protest for days on end.

There are many that believe they have a constitutional right to defend the Laws of These United States (even if those that are breaking the laws represent the United States). I quote the Oath of Allegiance (regardless if one has a job or not);

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

Even the Founding Fathers anticipated (back when drawing up the Constitution) that there might be those that would try and undermine our rights that were a part of the US (both as citizens and leaders). I also find it interesting that many that are trying to defend the constitution have been labeled terrorist themselves.

I provide the below simply because of trying to provide information on the events (that at least have some form of Public attention).

Militia Units Ready to Defend Oregon Gold Miners In Battle with BLM

Finding information from the other side of the coin on why these events are happening have not been that forth-coming. And anyone complaining that were hearing only one side of the story has done little to provide much more than repetitive whining and complaining of such (just short of trolling).

I would be eager to hear what the official word and stance is by the BLM on why they are moving in this way. As I believe that something stinks here and this is some form of agenda being tested out. I'm reminded of something by former President James Madison said; "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

I provided links in previous pages as others have that this seems to be tied into a pollution issue and people just mining as the see fit with out going through proper channels.

I haven't seen much from the miner side either outside of the claims of the group.

I have no problem with them exercising their right to protest, by all means go and do it.

I just found it funny that when people were in other circumstances, the peoples lively hood was called into question almost non stop.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Maybe there isn't one and I am jumping the gun, but I am talking about the protesters lively hood getting called into question. And using that tactic to dehumanize them , usually after they have been pepper sprayed and belted with rubber bullets. Or being forced on marches or told where they can protest.
Guess they should of just started pointing guns at the cops, we saw that works our fine at Bundy.
Are you saying that you know for a fact that all the people going to this place are gainfully employed?

And this entire thread is blowing the issue up, as well as the call for arms done by the youtube video, it paints the miners as having done nothing wrong without knowing the other half of the issue.
All we have is their word of what is going on, what have they supplied to show their claims are true?

This thread isn't blowing anything up....as far as I know there are only a handful of people in the world that even know this thread exists, you included. The ones headed there obviously have information we do not, or they would not be headed there.

I have no idea of their employment status, but if the guys in the video are driving across the country to get there, I would say they likely have enough TO get there. They even said that folks going there need to have rations enough for 7 days, so I don't see them just showing up with nothing and expecting to be taken care of in the middle of nowhere in the woods. Most militia/protesters in this case ARE well prepared and have the ability to do this. They would also not look kindly on anyone coming to "mooch" off of them.

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

Finding information from the other side of the coin on why these events are happening have not been that forth-coming.

One thought, the mining laws are very old. The law allowed the miners along the river to basically live in a nice home on public land for generation after generation as long as they mined a certain amount of time per year. We felt a little jealous of the Family we was aware of ,as you could not approach that area of the river in a wilderness and scenic area because their children and Family played and lived and worked there free.
I am not sure how to feel about the old laws.

1872 Mining Law Is Obsolete and in Need of Reform

www.huffingtonpost.com...

I guess it was this one...

Mining claims on public lands across the nation would be up for sale to private developers under a provision slipped into the 2006 federal budget last month.

The brief language, buried within the 830-page House spending bill, lifts the 11-year ban on selling mining claims established under the 1872 Mining Act. The net effect, environmentalists charge, could be to put public land anywhere in the nation up for sale.

fourcornersfreepress.com...

There is obviously a lot of emotion behind anti-government sentiment, and it would be easy to envision a David vs. Goliath situation with small family miners up against the Big Bad BLM.

IF these small family miners were legally using the land, following current laws to protect the environment for all of Oregon (rivers impact large amounts of land and other waterways/water supply), and have proper permits in order that are being followed on OUR public land, which they do not own, but may own mineral rights to... AND... BLM is overstepping its legal boundaries (not just by being a government agency alone, but by taking illegal action) then the protest and militia support are within reasonable bounds.

IF, however, the miners are acting illegally on OUR public lands, extracting minerals without legal permits, ignoring environmental impact laws regardless of owning mineral rights, and the "cease and desist order" is grounded in firm legal ground, then the militia response and protest are not founded on reasonable grounds, and these good men who support the constitution are in fact supporting criminal activity by mistake.

Some of the mining impacts on rivers are: acid mine runoff, toxic minerals entering the waters including mercury and other heavy metals. Downstream, it could not only affect wildlife, but people who fish and use the waterways. Acid runoff and heavy metal poisoning are serious hazards to life.

Emotions can run so hot in these situations, I hope and pray that level heads on both sides are handling the protest and BLM enforcement activities.

For reference, here is what the BLM are working to protect. This is OUR land, yours and mine if you are American, it certainly belongs to all who live in Oregon.

Oregon/Washington Abandoned Mine Land Program
The Abandoned Mine Lands program supports the Department of the Interior's Healthy Landscapes and Community Growth initiatives by remediating health, safety, and environmental hazards at abandoned mine sites on BLM lands. The AML program contributes to this effort to enhance water quality, visitor safety, recreation, and wildlife habitat by conducting studies and implementing remedial actions where necessary. Sites that have been remediated are monitored and maintained to ensure BLM actions were effective in protecting humans, wildlife, and the environment.

The main historical mining areas in Oregon are located in the southwest part of the state around Medford, Grants Pass, and Roseburg; and in the northeast part of the state around Baker City. In the State of Washington, the main areas of historical mining activity are located in the northern and northeastern parts of the state. The commodities mined were primarily gold, silver, mercury, copper, zinc, and uranium.

BLM in Oregon and Washington currently has an inventory of over 500 known abandoned hardrock mines on public lands. Several district inventories are underway, however more work needs to be done to determine the actual number of sites and extent of physical and environmental issues on BLM managed land. Over 200 listed in the inventories have been identified as possibly having physical safety hazards. We estimate there may be over 1000 AML sites on BLM land on OR/WA that have not been properly evaluated for physical and environmental hazards. A more complete inventory will allow prioritization of sites for physical and environmental remediation.

Resolution of water quality impacts are a high priority at several AML sites including: Formosa Mine, an NPL site which emits acid mine drainage into Middle Fork Creek; Almeda mine, with acid mine drainage into the Rouge River; Poorman Mine, with concentrated metals and acidic runoff into Balm and Slide Creeks; Bretz Mine, with mercury tailings eroding into Little Cottonwood Creek, and Josephine Mine with concentrated metals in tailings eroding into a major waterway.

originally posted by: Char-Lee
a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

Finding information from the other side of the coin on why these events are happening have not been that forth-coming.

One thought, the mining laws are very old. The law allowed the miners along the river to basically live in a nice home on public land for generation after generation as long as they mined a certain amount of time per year. We felt a little jealous of the Family we was aware of ,as you could not approach that area of the river in a wilderness and scenic area because their children and Family played and lived and worked there free.
I am not sure how to feel about the old laws.

1872 Mining Law Is Obsolete and in Need of Reform

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Regardless of how you or I may feel about it, the legal miners have a constitutional right to (legally) mine an area. They have to pay taxes to the County (as a mineral lease is described as 'real property'), they also have to pay for annual Permits through the Dept of the Interior (BLM). After the Minerals have been mined, they have to reclaim the area and bring it back to as good (if not better) state than it was before it was mined. They remove harmful metals so swimmers wont cut themselves on rusted metal, fishing lures, old automotives. They remove shotgun shot, lead sinkers and mercury.

Miners today are environmentalist minded and want to see these lands restored back to their original beauty. The modern day miner is much more savy and wants to be able to bring their own family back to an area that was mined and not be able to see any signs that it was mined.

Although these guys (below) do it on a much larger scale, the same holds true for the smaller miner...

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: LewsTherinThelamon

If you think roads are the only thing I* use that is payed for or payed in part by the taxes that you don't pay, you are sadly mistaken.

I fixed your statement, thanks for the awesome free stuff.

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

They have to pay taxes to the County (as a mineral lease is described as 'real property'),

I guess if it were not federal land. Anyway this is an interesting article.

mininginsworegon.blogspot.com...

Nor does the mining of hardrock mineral contribute to the property tax base of Josephine and Curries counties. Mining rights advocates, claim extensive property rights in mining claims on federal lands, but its important to note that federal mining claims in the state of Oregon are not taxable property:
307.080 Mining claims. Except for the improvements, machinery and buildings thereon, mining claims are exempt from taxation prior to obtaining a patent therefor from the United States.

mining claims on federal lands are not taxable property, if the mining industry does contribute to the tax base, it can only be for sand and gravel type minerals on private land. Its a similar story with regard the contribution to the economy of Josephine and Curry County and the State of Oregon. See the 2006 USGS

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Unemployed protesters are a burden on the system....completely different.

Hmmmmm...

What leads you to believe thses people have jobs? I have a hard time imagining employers giving PTO for militia gatherings for days or weeks?

I have to ask...What are the odds that a healthy percentage of these folks are collecting federal assistance whether it be unemployment benefits or food stamps etc. Ya know...things that afford them to not have to worry about a job while protecting the world from the same Federal Government?

originally posted by: JohnnyAnonymous


Regardless of how you or I may feel about it, the legal miners have a constitutional right to (legally) mine an area. They have to pay taxes to the County (as a mineral lease is described as 'real property'), they also have to pay for annual Permits through the Dept of the Interior (BLM). After the Minerals have been mined, they have to reclaim the area and bring it back to as good (if not better) state than it was before it was mined.

Not sure if you are actually following this issue? They are tax exempt as another poster clarified? The very issue at hand is the claim by the local miners that 1876 law does not require them to obtain permits from BLM nor post "Bonds" for remediation. "Reclamation".

As a matter of fact the Mining representative that has the FB page that started all this? Who has failed to share the letter from BLM? The only thing he has mentioned is an rule having to do with posting bond when applying for a Miners Rights for the purpose of restoring the land when the mining is over...and that seems to be the central issue?

You cited Alaskan Gold Rush? As I explained on the last page they follow the rules and regulations for reclamation, something these miners are claiming they do not need to do under 1876 law..

But state regulators say the series has so far failed to explain that producers applied for permits and consulted them before tromping into the wild. Sometimes, a state employee was keeping watch, just a few steps off camera. For the most part, the miners went by the book.

"There are just too many rules," said Jackie Timothy, a regional habitat supervisor for Alaska's Department of Fish and Game. "You can't just come up here and tear through rivers, shoot bears and dig trenches."

The miner's one clear violation -- diverting water from that stream and failing to screen it to keep small fish out -- was quickly resolved when a state habitat biologist assigned to monitoring the mining camp showed them how to tap groundwater instead.
Timothy said the producers were hoping the biologist would slap them with a citation.

"They were asking him to," Timothy said. "They were a little unhappy that it couldn't be made into some big thing."

www.oregonlive.com...< br />

originally posted by: Indigo5

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Unemployed protesters are a burden on the system....completely different.

Hmmmmm...

What leads you to believe thses people have jobs? I have a hard time imagining employers giving PTO for militia gatherings for days or weeks?

I have to ask...What are the odds that a healthy percentage of these folks are collecting federal assistance whether it be unemployment benefits or food stamps etc. Ya know...things that afford them to not have to worry about a job while protecting the world from the same Federal Government?

What leads you to believe they dont? I am in business development and make no salary, only commission. As such, PTO has no bearing on me. I regularly work from remote locations via phone and email. I take vacations when I want. I make what I choose to make...and when I want to.

As a side note, why would you assume they would have to get PTO? My company allows time off with no pay as long as the job gets done.

originally posted by: JohnnyAnonymous


Miners today are environmentalist minded and want to see these lands restored back to their original beauty.

EXCEPT THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT THEY ARE FIGHTING AGAINST???

BLM recently (3/18/15) issued two Stop Orders on a mine, citing authority under their 3809 regulations

agenda21radio.com...

BLM 3809

3809.1: What are the purposes of this subpart?

The purposes of this subpart are to:

(a) Prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of public lands by operations authorized by the mining laws. Anyone intending to develop mineral resources on the public lands must prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of the land and reclaim disturbed areas.

www.blm.gov...

So the miners, rather than flip the bill to repair the damage or abide by regulations are claiming they are not subject to the BLM.

Shocking how easily people can be manipulated.

originally posted by: Char-Lee
a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

They have to pay taxes to the County (as a mineral lease is described as 'real property'),

I guess if it were not federal land. Anyway this is an interesting article.

I'm sorry but that website leads one to believe only what they want you to believe as it is an 'anti-mining' website. So of course they are going to post only the negative side (as they seem properly suited to their agenda).

I prefer to use Government backed resources for the States stance for example; State of Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

And regardless of what that website (the one you posted) may claim, County Taxes and State permits are having to be paid for. If they are not, then the miners are in violation of State and Federal laws (as I understand the law to be currently).

The bottom line is that if one doesn't like the law, they can always put forth a bill to try and get it changed, and I encourage everyone to do so as that is our American right. One does have to wonder if the Law from back as far as 1872 is so wrong, then why has it remained unchanged for all these years? That's one of the problems the EPA is faced with as they can't get pass a congressed-blessed act (the mining laws). They can say whatever pleases them, but that doesn't make it "LAW".

Again I say... There is something that stinks here lately with the BLM and the EPA, so I am watching this very closely.

originally posted by: [post=19237040]JohnnyAnonymous

One does have to wonder if the Law from back as far as 1872 is so wrong, then why has it remained unchanged for all these years?

That law affords the miners the right to mine on Federal Land. Why should it be changed?

What it doesn't address is the rules and regulations surrounding how to treat that land and environmental impact...and those laws have been passed.

What these miners are doing is selecting the 1876 law as lawful, while ignoring the laws surrounding environmental impact with mining that have been passed in the past 140 years or the BLMs authority to enforce those laws.

Specifically the regulation I cited above...which the Miners themselves cited as the issue...

It is all there with links to both the BLM and the Miners supporting what I am saying.

originally posted by: Indigo5

originally posted by: JohnnyAnonymous

Miners today are environmentalist minded and want to see these lands restored back to their original beauty.

EXCEPT THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT THEY ARE FIGHTING AGAINST???

Shocking how easily people can be manipulated.

I want to address this, but there are still to many variables that need to come to fruition, otherwise this will just become a "he said she said".

I suggest we wait and see what happens as this is still very early in this (game?) event.I still stand by the train of thought that there is something going on (tested) here by the EPA and the BLM. I can't put my finger on it, so it would be silly for my making a whole lot of conjecture. I can say that there have been a number of incidences here in California involving the Forestry Dept and the BLM unlawfully treating not just Miners, but Hikers and Birdwatchers too on public lands. Again as I've said repeatedly... Something stinks and there is something in the air and being engaged.

Patience is a virtue.... Lets see how this unfolds and then proceed...