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WHERE DO I GO FOR MORE General Guidelines for Prospecting, Rockhounding, and Mining on INFORMATION? Rockhounding Lands of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests * on the You can contact one of the Idaho Panhandle If your operation: You will need: National Forests (IPNF) Minerals Contacts listed below for more information. Idaho Panhandle No permit – although some Will cause little or no surface disturbance (e.g., gold National Forests restrictions may apply panning and rockhounding) depending on area. IPNF MINERALS CONTACTS: The 2.5 million acres of the Idaho Panhandle A Free Personal Use National Forests are a great place to Will involve collecting up to 1 ton of flagstone, Mineral Material Permit. experience a wide range of recreational rubble, sand, gravel, or similar material by hand for Available at Ranger opportunities including rock-hounding, gold personal use (non-commercial) Districts IPNF Minerals and Geology Program Leader prospecting, and garnet digging. Kevin Knesek, Email: [email protected] Uses a small sluice or rocker box Submit a Notice of Intent 3815 Schreiber Way Submit a Notice of Intent Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 (208) 765-7442 AND provide a current Uses a suction dredge with up to a 5 inch intake copy of approved IDWR nozzle and/or with an engine rating up to 15 IPNF Geologist Recreational Dredging horsepower Josh Sadler, Email: [email protected] Permit and approved 3815 Schreiber Way NPDES permit from EPA Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 Uses a suction dredge with greater than a 5 inch (208) 765-7206 intake nozzle and/or with an engine rating above 15 Submit a Plan of Operation IPNF Geologist horsepower Courtney Priddy, Email: [email protected] Uses motorized equipment and/or will cause 3815 Schreiber Way Submit a Plan of Operation significant surface disturbance Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 (208) 765-7207
*Depending on location and scope of your operations, USFS environmental analysis may be required and/or additional agencies may be involved and require additional permits.
IDEQ: Idaho Department of Environmental Quality – Cd’A Office (208-769-1422) WHAT IS PROSPECTING AND IDWR: Idaho Department of Water Resources - Cd’A Office (208-769-1450) IDL: Idaho Department of Lands - Cd’A Office (208 -769-1525) ROCKHOUNDING? BLM: U.S. Bureau of Land Management - Cd’A Office (208-769-5000) EPA: Environmental Protection Agency (800-424-4372) Rockhounding involves the discovery and collection of small quantities of rocks, gems, or other geologic materials for personal use.
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111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Prospecting is searching for valuable • Use power equipment for excavation • Administrative sites WHERE CAN I GO TO PROSPECT minerals. This can include collecting hand • Drive vehicles off open roads or trails • Environmentally sensitive areas & ROCKHOUND ON THE IPNF? samples of mineralized rock, gold panning, • Clear or remove vegetation • Areas "withdrawn" from mineral use using metal detectors, and operating small • Store petroleum products or hazardous sluices or dredges. or flammable material on site It is always a good idea to check with the • Camp in one place more than 14 days local Ranger District to identify closed areas Forest Service mining regulations listed in the before you start. In addition, you may not Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 228 See this website for further Plan and NOI work on someone else's mining claim without govern rockhounding and prospecting information: http://www.fs.fed.us/geology their permission. Mining claimants have (Polished Star Garnet) activities. A good CFR website is: /mgm_locatable.html. Also see the General exclusive rights to all minerals on those sites. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html. Guidelines table in this brochure. Mining claim location information can be Many possibilities exist! The IPNF Emerald found through your local BLM office or at: Creek garnet dig is very unique and a popular Forest users should be sensitive to how their www.blm.gov/lr2000. recreational site. More information on the dig activities impact the environment. is available at our St. Maries office (208) 245- Be advised that it is illegal to collect historic Rockhounds and prospectors need to 2531 or at: http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec cultural artifacts, such as arrowheads, old refill and revegetate any excavation, no ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL /activities/garnets/index.html. bottles, etc. on state and federal lands. matter how small. Consideration should also be given to possible cumulative damage RESTRICTIONS THAT APPLY TO Additional prospecting and rockhounding when you do the same thing year after year in SUCTION DREDGING? information can be found through local gem the same place. and mineral clubs as well as rock shops. YES. The IPNF recognizes the Idaho Water quality and fish habitat are critical Department of Water Resources (IDWR) Fossils are not abundant on IPNF because concerns on national forests, so activities in Recreational Dredge Permit and the EPA most of the rocks exposed at the surface are or near streams must be conducted with care. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination too old to have abundant life forms.
System (NPDES) general Permit for Suction Any sale or commercial use of mineral Dredging. These permits allow for use of materials collected on National Forest ABANDONED MINES suction dredges with up to a 5 inch intake System Lands requires a permit. nozzle and/or with an engine rating up to 15 Over 1000 abandoned mines exist on the horsepower in designated areas at IPNF. These mine sites and workings are DO I NEED A PERMIT? designated times throughout the State of IS ALL NATIONAL FOREST LAND extremely hazardous and underground entry Idaho. If submitting an NOI for suction is prohibited unless authorized by permit. Prospecting and rockhounding usually do not AVAILABLE FOR PROSPECTING? dredging activities, the NOI must be require a permit when there is little or no accompanied by a current copy of your disturbance to the environment. However, a NO. Some areas may be excluded, even approved IDWR Recreational Dredging Notice of Intent (NOI) must be submitted to from non-commercial activities. Examples Permit (Form 3804-A) and the approved EPA the District Ranger if there will be obvious include: NPDES Permit. disturbance to the environment. Based on the information provided in the NOI, a Plan of • Wild and Scenic River corridors Stay Out & Stay Alive!!! Operation (Plan) may be needed. Some • Historical or archeological sites examples of when a Plan is required include: • Campgrounds • Wilderness Areas • Use explosives 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111