How to Keep Open Access to Rockhounding Sites
Last Updated: 3rd Nov 2014By James Urbaniak
By Jim Urbaniak
October 27, 2014
(Previously printed in The Umpqua Gem Newsletter, published by the Umpqua Gem & Mineral Club of Roseburg, Oregon, USA)
As you may be aware, every year in the United States we lose free access to rockhounding dig sites on public land. I’d like to share my thoughts about what we can do to stop this trend and maybe even reverse it.
To regain lost dig sites and keep future sites from becoming inaccessible, a regional task force should be formed among the several rockhounding groups to aggressively partner and collaborate with the Bureau of Land Management, Forestry Service, Fish & Wildlife, and various universities to keep open lines of friendly dialog.
Volunteers need to be wrangled to educate the public on what constitutes being good stewards of the land concerning mining and rockhounding. Many rockhounding organizations make earth science education their first mission after all. Isn't it time to go out and spread the word?
Dig sites must be better monitored via word of mouth, social media, law enforcement input, physical presence, etc.
We must track down and ostracize blatant and intentional abusers of the lands we dig on. I don’t mean a little slap on the wrist for these abusers. We need to call them out and publicly humiliate them. They despoil sites out of a lack of respect for others and ugly greed. There is no place in this hobby for that behavior. They not only destroy sites, they ruin the reputation of those of us who are conscientious and respectful of the land. If we put the screws to these people, then there are real repercussions for their actions and the potential actions of others who might follow in their footsteps. If those individuals are members of one or more rockhounding organizations, their memberships should be terminated, and these abusers should be reported to all of the various clubs. Through blogs I have researched for potential dig sites, I have read some of the commentary of these trolls, who have attached themselves to organized rock groups to learn of hot dig sites, only to destroy and exploit them for financial gain at the expense of everyone else and the land. I do not wish to confuse the ill-gotten gains of these rogue individuals with commercial mining ventures. Commercial mining is just that - Commercial. Commercial mining is done through proper channels via licensing, public announcements of claims that have been leased and through forthright ventures. The people I am referring to are on the fringe. They do not have loyalties towards any organized community and they do not have respect for the laws or the land.
The rockhounding community needs to become more savvy about social media. It’s the 21st Century, and I am constantly amazed by the huge number of our brethren who don’t even have e-mail or know how to navigate the Internet. As big a pain as these technologies can be, these tools are our greatest weapons in fighting those who are negatively affecting our dig sites. They allow us to monitor official land use actions, identify abusers, and carry on a public relations campaign to establish better goodwill between the rockhounding community and government agencies and private corporations.
Finally, we must cultivate leaders like Lenora Smith of the Oregon Council and Shirley Leeson of the American Lands Access Association, who are forces to be reckoned with. Whom among our youngest members can we cultivate for this type of effort? I single out our young people in particular because they have the greatest energy and enthusiasm and tend to be idealistic. They also have an intuitive knowledge of social media and know how to get their message out and find the proverbial needle in the social media haystack, which is useful for tracking down dig site abusers. And in the end, young people will inherit the land as the next generation. Shouldn’t they be given a fighting chance to regain what we have lost?
If my tone on this matter sounds harsh, so be it. We can pussyfoot around what needs to be done or we can just do what needs to be done. The latter will get results and the former will keep us jawboning the matter until we are no longer welcome to dig on any public lands.
I realize my comments may come across a little strong. I am usually full of vim and vinegar, but I have a good heart and care a great deal about our hobby and the good people who support it.
—Jim Urbaniak, President of the Oregon Agate and Mineral Society
October 27, 2014
(Previously printed in The Umpqua Gem Newsletter, published by the Umpqua Gem & Mineral Club of Roseburg, Oregon, USA)
As you may be aware, every year in the United States we lose free access to rockhounding dig sites on public land. I’d like to share my thoughts about what we can do to stop this trend and maybe even reverse it.
To regain lost dig sites and keep future sites from becoming inaccessible, a regional task force should be formed among the several rockhounding groups to aggressively partner and collaborate with the Bureau of Land Management, Forestry Service, Fish & Wildlife, and various universities to keep open lines of friendly dialog.
Volunteers need to be wrangled to educate the public on what constitutes being good stewards of the land concerning mining and rockhounding. Many rockhounding organizations make earth science education their first mission after all. Isn't it time to go out and spread the word?
Dig sites must be better monitored via word of mouth, social media, law enforcement input, physical presence, etc.
We must track down and ostracize blatant and intentional abusers of the lands we dig on. I don’t mean a little slap on the wrist for these abusers. We need to call them out and publicly humiliate them. They despoil sites out of a lack of respect for others and ugly greed. There is no place in this hobby for that behavior. They not only destroy sites, they ruin the reputation of those of us who are conscientious and respectful of the land. If we put the screws to these people, then there are real repercussions for their actions and the potential actions of others who might follow in their footsteps. If those individuals are members of one or more rockhounding organizations, their memberships should be terminated, and these abusers should be reported to all of the various clubs. Through blogs I have researched for potential dig sites, I have read some of the commentary of these trolls, who have attached themselves to organized rock groups to learn of hot dig sites, only to destroy and exploit them for financial gain at the expense of everyone else and the land. I do not wish to confuse the ill-gotten gains of these rogue individuals with commercial mining ventures. Commercial mining is just that - Commercial. Commercial mining is done through proper channels via licensing, public announcements of claims that have been leased and through forthright ventures. The people I am referring to are on the fringe. They do not have loyalties towards any organized community and they do not have respect for the laws or the land.
The rockhounding community needs to become more savvy about social media. It’s the 21st Century, and I am constantly amazed by the huge number of our brethren who don’t even have e-mail or know how to navigate the Internet. As big a pain as these technologies can be, these tools are our greatest weapons in fighting those who are negatively affecting our dig sites. They allow us to monitor official land use actions, identify abusers, and carry on a public relations campaign to establish better goodwill between the rockhounding community and government agencies and private corporations.
Finally, we must cultivate leaders like Lenora Smith of the Oregon Council and Shirley Leeson of the American Lands Access Association, who are forces to be reckoned with. Whom among our youngest members can we cultivate for this type of effort? I single out our young people in particular because they have the greatest energy and enthusiasm and tend to be idealistic. They also have an intuitive knowledge of social media and know how to get their message out and find the proverbial needle in the social media haystack, which is useful for tracking down dig site abusers. And in the end, young people will inherit the land as the next generation. Shouldn’t they be given a fighting chance to regain what we have lost?
If my tone on this matter sounds harsh, so be it. We can pussyfoot around what needs to be done or we can just do what needs to be done. The latter will get results and the former will keep us jawboning the matter until we are no longer welcome to dig on any public lands.
I realize my comments may come across a little strong. I am usually full of vim and vinegar, but I have a good heart and care a great deal about our hobby and the good people who support it.
—Jim Urbaniak, President of the Oregon Agate and Mineral Society
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