I did a little sluiceing in Cajon Creek today, 09-21-08. I only processed about 10 or 12 shovel fulls of material. And I got a nice showing of gold.

Kirk, another gold prospector I meet last Sunday on the creek was there, along with another gold prospector, Robert.

Another gold prospector, I didn't get his name, was there also and I shoed him the la trap sluice. And he was impressed with it.

Kirk and Robert were using there new dredge, set up in the high banker configuration. They said no ranger had come by. Awhile ago a ranger had come by and told another gold prosepctor that he could not dredge in Cajon Creek. But according to the Ca. Dept. of Fish and Game you can, and they are the ones who regulate suction dredging.

If it comes up and a ranger says you have to have a letter of intent, here is what the law says: (and this is taken from the Federal Register, when the Final Rule was posted. The part I am refering to is in red)

"’s prior‘‘operations which might’’ This means that the trigger’s reasonable

Therefore, section 228.4(a) of the final

rule will require the operator

submission of a notice of intent to

operate for

cause significant disturbance of surface

resources.

for the submission of a notice of intent

to operate is the operator

uncertainty as to the significance of the

disturbance which the proposed

operations will cause on NFS resources.

If the operator reasonably concludes

that the proposed operations will not

cause significant disturbance of NFS

resources, the operator is not required to

submit a notice of intent to operate (or

a proposed plan of operations). If the

operator reasonably concludes that the

proposed operations more probably than

not will cause a significant disturbance

of NFS resources, the operator should

submit a proposed plan of operations to

the District Ranger. However, if the

operator reasonably concludes that the

proposed operations might, but

probably will not, cause significant

disturbance of NFS resources, the

operator should submit a notice of

intent to operate to the District Ranger."

Here is the Federal Register Volume: