New Idria Mine California

[travellak1]

I am trying to get some ideas and support concerning a historic mining site in central california. The New Idria Mine was in operation for 114 years and has been closed since 1972. The property is a rich cultural, natural and historic resource that it in danger of being lost for ever. Some of you may be familiar with the Clear Creek OHV area near by and may have passed through this site to get there in the past.
Anyway, there was some new information coming down the pipeline that
concerns the site. It is currently owned by a non-profit that used the
site for drug rehab. There are about $60,000 worth of back taxes due
and the county is considering selling the property (800+) acres at
auction to cover the taxes due. Ray is going to potentially need to
raise some money to buy the property. He knows that there is a
motorcylce club who is prepared to pay $100,000 dollars for the
property so that they can run motorcycles all over it. This is a
historic site with remnants of a mine operation and homesteads and log
mills that date as far back as the 1880's. It is the intention of Ray
at Three Rocks Research to aquire the property and make it into a
historic park.

I guess this is sort of a commercial, of course money is needed, but
publicity is more important right now. Does anyone have any experience
with this sort of thing?

I am going to be supporting the project this weekend by volunteering at a site survey project. We will be recording building and site locations. There are more fund raising and recording projects throughout the year.

If you care to volunteer for any of the site record projects or have
any suggestions please contact:

Ray Iddings
Three Rocks Research
142 Iowa Drive
Santa Cruz, Calif., 95060
Ph. (831) 427-0918
Fx. (831) 427-0928


New Idria Website: http://new-idria.org/

Linus

[scoutabout]

Contact these guys:

http://www.goldrushexpeditions.com/

They are working on the same types of problems here in Utah, and they may have some advice.

[rockmup]

That "club" would be the Salinas Valley Ramblers, who have done alot for that area. They bring lots of money in every year with the races they put on.

Thanks to your attitude, I hope you fail

[scoutabout]

Originally Posted by rockmup

That "club" would be the Salinas Valley Ramblers, who have done alot for that area. They bring lots of money in every year with the races they put on.

Thanks to your attitude, I hope you fail

Just because he doesn't want a historical site turned into an open riding area? You'd rather have it closed? Nice "my way or no way attitude." What am I missing?

[rockmup]

Originally Posted by scoutabout

Just because he doesn't want a historical site turned into an open riding area? You'd rather have it closed? Nice "my way or no way attitude." What am I missing?

Yes, your missing alot. It is not open to anything at the moment. It is private property.
It is also listed as a "Haz-mat" site with the Feds and the State. It used to be a Asbestos (sp) mining area.
The building's are not Historic. Most of them were built from 1960-the mid 70's.

"He knows that there is a
motorcylce club who is prepared to pay $100,000 dollars for the
property so that they can run motorcycles all over it."

Thats an inclusive sounding statement don't you think ?

[scoutabout]

Originally Posted by rockmup

Yes, your missing alot. It is not open to anything at the moment. It is private property.
It is also listed as a "Haz-mat" site with the Feds and the State. It used to be a Asbestos (sp) mining area.

All the more reason that it shouldn't be an open riding area. Kicking up asbestos particles etc.

Originally Posted by rockmup

"He knows that there is a
motorcylce club who is prepared to pay $100,000 dollars for the
property so that they can run motorcycles all over it."

Thats an inclusive sounding statement don't you think ?

It just sounds like he doesn't want it to become an open riding area. I didn't read it as a knock against motorcycle users.

[kf6zpl]

It is important to know the history, flora, fauna, geology and geoagraphy of the areas you enjoy for recreation.

The area in question is within the BLM Clear Creek Management Area and closed during the summer to reduce exposure to asbestos from the NATUALLY occuring serpentine rock formations in the area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentine)

Serpentine is the "state rock" of California and exists in a large band through most of the central valley area north through Sacramento. There are other areas with higher natural concentrations where houses and schools have been built.

[rockmup]

Originally Posted by kf6zpl

It is important to know the history, flora, fauna, geology and geoagraphy of the areas you enjoy for recreation.

The area in question is within the BLM Clear Creek Management Area and closed during the summer to reduce exposure to asbestos from the NATUALLY occuring serpentine rock formations in the area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentine)

Serpentine is the "state rock" of California and exists in a large band through most of the central valley area north through Sacramento. There are other areas with higher natural concentrations where houses and schools have been built.

I spent the first 20 yrs of my life there working cattle. I think I have some understanding of the area as well as the history. It was also a Mercury.

As to it being closed durring the summer, not true in this case, as its private property. Most of the Panoche Valley is private.

[TrailLegacy]

Originally Posted by kf6zpl

It is important to know...The area in question is within the BLM Clear Creek Management Area and closed during the summer..."

Originally Posted by rockmup

I spent the first 20 yrs of my life there working cattle. I think I have some understanding of the area as well as the history....
As to it being closed durring the summer, not true in this case, as its private property. Most of the Panoche Valley is private.

There is just so much about this obviously great riding area that intrigues me.

The BLM managers can't get it funded by the OHV commission with green sticker money and finally are forced to very simply pry the money out of us directly with a pay-to-play system this fall...not to mention they've been dealing with several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked single track criss-crossing this area for decades without any kind of simple 'pay ahead' process in place or one most likely never offerred by anybody on our side of the fence in a leadership position.

Can anybody explain the long-standing definition of "Tread Lightly" for me once again(?)....or does this trail edict only apply to the red-headed-stepchild 4-wheeled crowd and not several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked 'paradise' described by a BRC editorial author here:
(Google: "riding clear creek josh golden" and tell me why these BLM managers are being forced to to demand the same pay-to-play programs our present leaders have resisted since that first motorcycle hit the trail and continued to go wherever he damn well pleased the with both the blessings of our OHV leaders and an accusatory finger pointed back at the land-raping 4-wheeled crowd).

[YellowSub1962]

Originally Posted by TrailLegacy

Can anybody explain the long-standing definition of "Tread Lightly" for me once again(?)....or does this trail edict only apply to the red-headed-stepchild 4-wheeled crowd and not several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked 'paradise' described by a BRC editorial author here:
(Google: "riding clear creek josh golden" and tell me why these BLM managers are being forced to to demand the same pay-to-play programs our present leaders have resisted since that first motorcycle hit the trail and continued to go wherever he damn well pleased the with both the blessings of our OHV leaders and an accusatory finger pointed back at the land-raping 4-wheeled crowd).

yet another post trying to slam the Pro OHV groups and leadership. Seriously, you need a dictionary ( www.dictioany.com ). Look up "Private Property". The parcel(s) in question are within a BLM management area, but are privately owned. People can do whatever they wish on their own land, and if they don't want to tread lightly they don't have to. Yes they should, but thats up to them not us.

Your quoting articles that have nothing to do with the heading, just like you were upset with people doing in the other thread. You are again trying to (poorly) to undermine support for the current OHV groups and push a "pay to play" system like the allegedly corrupt and broken one you have problems with in Michigan.

Get over yourself and offer input on the topic at hand. Fix the problems with your own state and stop trying to push your "preffered ideals" on the rest of the country. We are working to fix the system that is currently in place for the benefit of everyone. I suggest you do the same, starting with your own backyard.


PS - thanks for learnig to use the quote button, your posts will be easier to read now (for those who actually read them).

PSD

[rockmup]

YellowSub1962 coverd Private Property so lets talk about "Pay to play"

California has it. Its called the Registration program for OHV's. Oh wait, the State got sued a few years ago for "Stealing " the funds and spending them on other things. We won. They lost.
So now all those fee's are to be spent on the things "We" paid for. Imagine that, a "Pay to Play" system already in place.

As for trails in the CCMA that are not mapped out, that is the BLM's issue. They have had the info for a long time, years in fact. People and clubs spent thousands of hr collecting that info for them. In typical fashion they have chosen to do nothing.

[scoutabout]

Trail Legacy isn't interested in discussion or facts. He's just here to bomb throw and claim that he's the only one who knows how to solve the woes of the OHV community.

Back on topic. Is the current property owner interested in selling for the proposed $100,000 price? What happens when the motorcycle club owns it? Will they allow it to be open to other motorized users, or single-track only?

[TrailLegacy]

[quote=YellowSub1962;6698447][color=yellow]"...yet another post trying to slam the Pro OHV groups and leadership...."

Love pro OHV groups..yet have never actually witnessed an OHV 'leader' at the level of say an Ehnes or Mumm grace us with an appearance here at the largest forum out there...so how could one really 'slam' them..if they never grace us with their appearance?

"... Seriously, you need a dictionary ( www.dictioany.com ). Look up "Private Property". The parcel(s) in question are within a BLM management area, but are privately owned. People can do whatever they wish on their own land, and if they don't want to tread lightly they don't have to."

John's quote:
"...The area in question is within the BLM Clear Creek Management Area and closed during the summer..."

There must either be something in the dictionary you reference about private propery owners being required to close down their own land...or possibly that you have a little trouble following along and maybe need more than a dictionary.
John made a statement...a guy who was born/raised/worked in the same area for 20 years challenged him on it...I simply posted a

"...Your quoting articles that have nothing to do with the heading..."

The New Idria mine was well represented in the editorial....can you guys running cover for OHV leadership come up with anything better than the above...or are you just supposed to be nasty with anybody who comes along questioning even if the land is private or not?

"...You are again trying to (poorly) to undermine support for the current OHV groups and push a "pay to play" system like the allegedly corrupt and broken one you have problems with in Michigan...."

I love supoorting orv groups and have probably joined as many or more than yourself during my relatively short attempt to get involved in these issues. Orv groups have never been the problem; it has always been the leadership's unwillingness to UNITE all those groups in order to protect said leader's autonomous non-profit paycheck...that has indeed been the problem.

As for Michigan's secretive back-door way of operating..I don't see that issue or any other as being any different than what I just described above at the national level...with some of those same players involved on those same executive boards.

Aand as for "pay-to-play"...gosh Sub; the outright hatred of that word is ingrained even deeper in this orv community than one could ever imagine! (and that just plain sickens me if not anyone else).

"...Get over yourself and offer input on the topic at hand. Fix the problems with your own state and stop trying to push your "preffered ideals" on the rest of the country..."

Oh, but Mr. Yellow Sub...the national people you send money into HAVE not only have told us that there is nothing wrong here in Michigan...
and even put these people on their elitist boards as heros (albeit 'anonymous' in respect to their representative councils) of the orv community!

We'd be happy to fix the problems over here, yellow sub...it's just that the national group leaders you send money into keep slapping these guys on the back while putting a drink in their hand at these orv conventions.

[scoutabout]

Is there an ignore feature on this forum?

TL, you aren't posting anything constructive. We've all heard your pay-to-play demands, and your hatred for the mysterious 'national orv leadership.' We ask you to get specific, name names, etc, but all you want to do is complain. You never even responded to my comments in your other thread on this topic.

We have pay-to-play in the west. It's called joining OHV defense groups, doing service projects, and peer enforcement.

Stop inserting your bullshit into every thread here.

Let's continue with the actual discussion at hand: New Idria Mine.

[SanDiegoCJ]

Originally Posted by scoutabout

Is there an ignore feature on this forum?

Yes, there is an "ignore feature" on this forum.

Go to one of TL's posts, click on his name, then click on "View Public Profile"
Once you're to his profile you'll see "Add TrailLegacy to Your Ignore List"
Click it and you can add him to your ignore list.

[scoutabout]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoCJ

Yes, there is an "ignore feature" on this forum.

Thanks!

[travellak1]

The new idria preservation project is not attempting to gain control of this property to limit access to ANY GROUP whatsoever. Our sole purpose is to preserve structures. Our fear is that other potential owners will not have this as their primary focus when buying the property. We dont want to prevent motorcylce riders from accessing this property (I am a rider too).

Yes, many of the structures are newer, but some are much older and there are also many sites that used to contain structures. There is also an amazing cultural history in the area that we hope to preserve. The buildings are all protected as California State Historical landmarks and cannot legally be torn down by any owner of the property. The furnace building was constructed in 1917 and is probably the most noteworthy structure.

The project director has contact with the salinas valley ramblers and does not belive that they are attempting to aquire this property. The money that they raise is spent on preserving the cleer creek OHV area not the new idria mining site as far as I know.

Yes, it is a retired mercury mine. Contamination in the water running out of the mountain is lower than human breast milk. The holding pond on the site contains 400ng/l of mercury. Human blood contains 830 ng/l and a can of shelf bought tuna contains 280,000 ng/l

The highest levels of mercury contamination in the new idria area are 12000 ng/l measured near the whimsey mining company property down stream.

Here is a quote from the website:
The New Idria Mercury Mine became listed in the EPA's Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) database on April 16, 1996 (CA0001900463). However, the EPA determined that the property does not qualify for inclusion in the National Priorities List (NPL, i.e. "superfund"). The EPA listing in the CERCLIS database is because this was the location of the world's fourth largest quicksilver mine. The EPA listing in the CERCLIS database is often interpreted as meaning "superfund list." Certainly, it easy to understand this misinterpretation, especially when it concerns distressed property. However, Joan Simmons, CERCLIS/SUPERFUND FOIA Coordinator assured us that New Idria "is not a superfund site; Only sites on the National Priorities (NPL) list are designated as such." This opinion was also recently reinforced by Carolyn J. Douglas, a scientist with the U.S. EPA Region 9 in San Francisco.

Im sorry if anyone is offended by our goal. Again, we do not want to prevent access to this site for anyone. We want it to be cared for and open to people who have interest.

[travellak1]

The property owner is The Futures Foundation. It is a defunct non-profit. They are trying to sell the property for 7 million. The issue is that the county wants to put the property up for tax lien auction. If this happens we want to buy it.

Right now, we are hoping that a potential buyer will be discouraged due to the cost of clean up on the site and because they cannot tear down any of the buildings. If an investor wanted to aquire the land to build, all historic structures would need to be left as they are. It is also a possibilty that they would end up being stuck paying for the clean up of the site which could cost millions of dollars.

We do not know the intentions of the motorcylce group.

[kf6zpl]

FYI, there is some research through UC Santa Barbara and BLM using microbes to remove some of the residual mercury contanination in several of the streams in the area.

You might put a call into Jim Wiegant of the State BLM Office to ask about that research if the mercury issue comes up.

[TrailLegacy]

Originally Posted by travellak1

"...We dont want to prevent motorcylce riders from accessing this property...
We do not know the intentions of the motorcylce group.."

So since the BRC has backed these motorcyclists and are "shared trails" kind of guys....and you fellows don't want to bar access to "anyone"...are we to assume that this motorcycle group desires control of this area to open it up to "everyone" also in the true soirit of multi-use cooperation?

With the second question being, if the above is so...why aren't not only the two of you working together on this...but a "united" national orv group under one roof with more power than any one of you ever had to save the buildings and preach about the glories present in true multi-use access for all?

hey, just askin'.....

[TrailLegacy]

By the way....why was it so hard for anybody to come up with an alternate explanation of "Tread Lightly" for me earlier....with good 'ol Josh from the BRC bragging about several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked motorcycle trails criss-crossing this area so bad that they finally had to do what they did there concerning trail restrictions?

[TrailLegacy]

By the way....why was it so hard for anybody to come up with an alternate explanation of "Tread Lightly" for me earlier....with good 'ol Josh earlier bragging about several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked motorcycle trails criss-crossing this area so bad...;that they finally had to do what they did there concerning trail restrictions and (shamefully) no money allocated?

[TrailLegacy]

(double post)

[travellak1]

Unfortunatley, we dont know who they are or how to contact them. This is something that we are considering, the more people involved, the easier to attain our goal. We hope that members of this club would share our interest to some degree, or at least put up with us!

A joint venture is not at all out of the question.

[cruzila]

Originally Posted by TrailLegacy

By the way....why was it so hard for anybody to come up with an alternate explanation of "Tread Lightly" for me earlier....with good 'ol Josh earlier bragging about several hundred miles of unmapped and unmarked motorcycle trails criss-crossing this area so bad...;that they finally had to do what they did there concerning trail restrictions and (shamefully) no money even allocated?

LOL You suck at the internet.