Recreational Dredging in the West, pros and cons?

[bobabode]

Here's a subject that I have not seen here on this forum. What I call recreational dredging is first the size of the uptake nozzle, max size is 4". Here in California the hobby has a moratorium on all dredging that was extended by the Governor recently for another five years. I've always been an advocate of moderation in everything, be it politics, debate, regulatory practices and so on.
I have a problem with extremism whether your favorite color happens to be blue or red or any colors in the rainbow.

Let's try to keep it on track and on the subject. I'm not fond of the radical right and I despise the radical left. The reason I despise the radical left is from a sense of betrayal of my ideals that they tend to. I expect the radical right to advocate strip mining because of their benefactors proclivity towards profit to the exclusion of any other consideration in their endeavors.

So, shouldn't I be able to use my little dredge say in the San Gabriel watershed or anywhere in the vast public lands out here in the west.

[CarlV]

Interesting, had to look up what it is.
http://www.goldgold.com/gold-prospec...-dredging.html

It doesn't look casual recreation like fishing or panning for gold but it does look like real work.

You say another 5 years so that means that Arnold was for it too.


Carl

[finnbow]

I would have to imagine that if bunches of people went out to the hills packing 4" dredges, they could do some pretty serious erosion damage (unless I misunderstand the process).

[bobabode]

Hi Finn, You might be thinking of hydraulic mining http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_miningBad stuff and justifably outlawed many moons ago.
What I'm refering to is instream suction dredging, small scale. CarlV provided a link.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by bobabode

Hi Finn, You might be thinking of hydraulic mining http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_miningBad stuff and justifably outlawed many moons ago.
What I'm refering to is instream suction dredging, small scale. CarlV provided a link.

I saw the link. Looks interesting. It seems to me you'd have to do this at a time of year when the fish aren't spawning. That thing could suck up and mangle a lot of eggs.

[bobabode]

Yep, It's regulated by Fish & Game in California to avoid this.

[merrylander]

It must stir up a lot of debris and muck up the stream for a period of time.

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by merrylander

It must stir up a lot of debris and muck up the stream for a period of time.

That's what I was thinking.