I want to thank everyone for your patience in this process. I know it has been a long and frustrating journey. We have had a few times when our perceived progress was not accurate, and more immediate hope was expressed than should have been. I apologize for that. However hope is still there. There have been a few new developments this fall that have expanded our possibilities.
I want to thank the volunteers who brought some of these opportunities to the table. Many of them would never have become a discussion without their efforts.
Latest developments:
1) The search area is expanding beyond Coker Creek. This means that land we find outside of Coker Creek would be open to only class 1 (non-mechanized) prospecting, initially at least.
2) The poll for minimum "Decent Gold" will help determine what our testing requirements are, so please go to that survey and add your answer if you have not done so yet.
3) The property may be day use only (no camping onsite), and may be difficult to access though that is Not the goal.
4) Coker Creek village has loosened they prohibition with us slightly, allowing "pay-to-play" panning on meeting days ($15/person), within designated locations on the Creek. This might not seem good but until about a year ago there was NO prospecting on the property at all.
5) We are continuing to develop relationships within the lcoal community, from local land owners, to NGO's, to government, to open a new location in Coker Creek. This continues to be a slow process due to the amount of distrust many have for prospectors in general.
6) We are pursuing new avenues to open public land (not strictly national forest) to our activity, both in and Out of Coker Creek. This is perhaps the most interesting avenue as it may open more area to us than initially anticipated.
Moving forward
Our members are our best resource. You guys are the ones who actually can make or break our efforts here. You can have a direct impact on our land search in the following ways.
1) Volunteering is Important. The more active volunteers we have the more we can do in the community. This helps build trust with the Community and speeds up our efforts tremendously. There is also a Direct impact to those who volunteer as they meet local land owners and are invited to test their creeks once a relationship is built.
2) Be on the look out for new opportunities for the chapter. As recently as last month, a member found an opportunity to begin a relationship that could influence where we are allowed to prospect. If you are uncomfortable with initiating this type of relationship share it with the Chapter. This can include new land being opened, to educational partnerships, to government meetings, to business partnerships.
3) Continue to follow the rules. It would be unfortunate for us to go through the effort of rebuilding the trust we have in the community and finding new land, only to lose it due to a member failing to follow the rules by trespassing or not staying withing the limits of our permit.
4) Participate in fund raising efforts. This is both at the Chapter and Community level. The chapter may lease it's own land if that can be found. To do this moneys must be available, so chapter fund raising is important. We are also involved in fundraising within the community. This is specific to the local elementary school. We need members participation in these efforts to help build that bridge into the community and support the community where we prospect.
