Mining Dredges-Up Community Concerns on the Salmon River
Salm Stroich
Dredges on the River
Residents of the Salmon River witnessed a new type of mining activity this summer. Without much notice, the “New 49ers”, a recreational mining club the club, owned by Dave McCracken, that has been operating on the Klamath and Scott Rivers for many years, bought-up several miles of claims along the main stem of the Salmon River to Forks of Salmon and above. Club members pay a membership fee (rumored to be around $2,500), and then daily use fee to the club so they supposedly can come and use their suction dredges on any of the "New 49er" claims, anytime during the dredging season.
Last year residents felt they had been taken by
surprise; there had been no public input process to evaluate the "New
49er's" impacts on the community or fisheries. River residents were
unable to find the government agency responsible for the operation; the US
Forest Service claims they are not responsible for activities in the
water: this is Fish and Game, US Fish and Wildlife, and North Coast Water
Quality Control Board territory.
Community Meeting Raises Concerns
The Salmon River community met in at the Old School, in Forks of Salmon to discuss the situation, share stories and pictures and relate their experiences with the "new miners". Members of the Karuk tribe were present, and made clear their dissatisfaction with the current situation of the "New 49er’s" operation.
Many residents expressed concerns about the shear
number of "new miners" camping in one small area.
.
photo New 49ers
In one of the clubs
campsites, near the 7 Mile marker, had an estimated two dozen people crowded
into in. People were observed washing their clothes and bathing, using
detergents and soap, directly in the river in the area just up river from
Duncan Creek.
Fourteen (14) dredges witnessed on the river in the short stretch between Butler Creek and Duncan Creek, at one time. Kayakers and rafters travel to the “Cal Salmon” from across the country. These boaters complained this summer when they encountered several dredges operating at the same time and said the roar of dredge motors in the river canyon was deafening.
Impacts of an increase in the amount of traffic on narrow roads, and the large travel trailers that were routinely moving through the area by people ill prepared for Salmon River single lane roads.
Most recreational operations in the Salmon River are required to pay user fees. The Forest Service collected no user fees from the "New 49ers".
Gasoline use kept recurring as major concern of many present at the meeting. Pictures showing gas cans stored next to the water were plentiful. Another story related how a full can of gas was found floating in the eddy below the "New 49er" group camp site. These “normal” gasoline related hazards were were overshadowed by an incident this summer where a dredge “got loose”.” The floating dredge flipped over in the river spilling gas and oil, and then hitting the Karuk Tribe’s screw trap (a monitoring trap for downstream juvenile fish).
One resident claimed the “Plan of Operations” is tiered to a 1997 plan that is outdated, and does not account for the listing of the Coho Salmon as an endangered species.