The following is my letter I sent to Senator Ron Wyden.  I also sent the same letter to Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressman Peter DeFazio.  Please feel free to use any information from my letter in your letters.  Please do not copy my letter and send it as yours.  Below are the addresses for Senators Wyden and Merkley and Congressman DeFazio.

Senator Ron Wyden

221 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510-3703

Senator Jeff Merkley                          

313 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Congressman Peter DeFazio

2134 Rayburn Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

December 8, 2011

Dear Senator Wyden,

I am the President of the North West Mineral Prospector’s Club, Inc., a non-profit organization, of currently 531 active members, that is dedicated to the education of our members and the general public in the safe and environmentally friendly practices of small scale mining.  Our organization has several valid Federal Mining claims in both Washington and Oregon.  Two of those claims are on the Chetco River in Curry County, Oregon.   You have introduced legislation to close the Chetco River to all mining.

Closing the Chetco River to small scale mining will have a further detrimental effect on an already economically depressed area of the State of Oregon.   Many businesses and rural communities depend on the small scale miners that have claims on the Chetco River, for revenue from the purchase of fuel, groceries, lodging and equipment.

Use the State of California as an example.  California imposed a 5 year ban on suction dredging and with that ban California has lost $16 million in taxable revenue annually.  That does not include the detrimental economic impact on the small businesses, be it gas stations, hotels/motels, restaurants and grocery stores, etc.,  that have relied on the small scale miners on a yearly basis, who have had to cut employment or close down their businesses altogether due to the decline of customers.  Closing the Chetco River or any other rivers on Public Lands, in Oregon will have the same effect in Oregon as it has had in California!

Small Scale mining, in Oregon, is currently extremely regulated by several State and Federal Government Agencies:  Bureau of Land Management, National Forest Service, Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of State Lands.   Small Scale miners must follow the in-water work times for the rivers on which their claims are located.  Small Scale miners cannot work in the waters when Salmon and Steelhead are spawning or when redds are present in the rivers.  Small scale miners actually ARE environmentalists.  We have to clean up our claims of all the trash and garbage that is left by the other users of the rivers and streams, be it fishermen, rafters, hikers or campers.

With regards to Suction Dredge gold mining, suction dredging does not kill fish.  I have been dredging for several years and I have NEVER been able to suck a fish up my dredge nozzle!  Suction dredging is actually beneficial to the streams and to the fish because it creates cool pools for the fish to rest in during their spawning runs.  Suction dredging fluffs up and aerates the compacted river gravels making it easier for the fish to make their nests and lay their eggs.  Suction dredging unlocks food and nutrients from the compacted gravels for the fish to feed on.  Most rivers and streams in the State of Oregon only allow 4” or smaller suction nozzles and no larger than 16hp engines.  Contrary to what the many Environmentalist Organizations say, Hydraulic mining on Oregon Rivers has been illegal since the late 1800’s and dredging is not hydraulic mining.  The US Army Corps of Engineers has declared that suction dredging has no substantial effect on rivers and streams.  Suction dredging is the only feasible way to remove toxic heavy metals, i.e., Mercury and Lead from rivers and streams.  As an example, two of our members removed 65 pounds of fishing lead from the East Fork of the Lewis River in the State of Washington.  These toxic metals are disposed of according to rules and regulations issued by the State and Federal Governments.

I would strongly recommend that you take a look at the presentations on turbidity and suction gold dredging that were presented by Joseph C. Greene, Retired EPA Research Biologist and Claudia J. Wise, Retired Physical Scientist for some real science regarding suction gold dredging and turbidity.  You may contact Joseph at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In this time of high unemployment and lower wages, this is NOT the time to be closing Public Lands from small scale mining.  Small scale miners sell their gold to refiners.  Refiners then sell the gold to the government to mint coins or to industries for the manufacture of electronics, medical equipment and other items that are used in our daily lives.  Without mining either on a small scale or big commercial mining the USA will have to rely on additional imports from foreign countries for our metal and mineral needs.  This further reliance on foreign countries will increase costs in both raw materials and finished goods.  Additional reliance on foreign countries is NOT a good thing for America.  Your introduction of legislation to close the Chetco River to mining is not only bad for the people of the state of Oregon, but it is bad for America also!  I strongly urge you to reconsider you proposed legislation and withdraw it!

I request that this letter be entered into the official records in opposition to your proposed legislation to close the Chetco River to mining.

Sincerely,

Jon A. Becker

President,

North West Mineral Prospector’s Club, Inc.