Can I stake a mining claim in Indian Creek?

This

https://medium.com/westwise/president-trump-opens-2-million-acres-inside-national-monuments-to-mining-771917557aa4

lead me to this

https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/locatable-minerals/mining-claims/staking-a-claim

Can I just go tomorrow and put up stakes around cliffs?  This would be to mine for uranium.  JK, to preserve climbing access.

Very interesting thought. I have no doubt that staking a mining climb is quite expensive. 

In spite of widespread opposition, the Trump administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to move forward with allowing stakeholders to claim plots of land on Friday, and has determined the process will be governed by the General Mining Law of 1872, which covers mining for metals such as copper, gold, silver and uranium (but not coal and petroleum).

"The process for staking a claim remains much as it did during the Gold Rush," Reuters reported:

A prospector hammers four poles into the ground corresponding to the four points of a parcel that can be as big as 20 acres, and attaches a written description of the claim onto one of them. A prospector then has 30 days to record the claim at the local BLM office ...

The costs of claiming are low: a $212 filing fee, and an annual maintenance fee of $150. Unlike laws governing petroleum extraction, there are no environmental guidelines specific to hard rock mining, and no requirement to pay a royalty. The claims provide prospectors mineral rights but not ownership of the land.

Lauren Pagel, the policy director of the nonprofit Earthworks, criticized the law as outdated, telling Reuters, "It's really the last law still on the books from that Manifest Destiny era encouraging a resources free-for-all."

There are some clauses about having "intention" to mine the lease. I know of one author /environmental activist that is buying up leases in southern Utah, but she has to put on a show about "intending to use them within 99 years" (or something like that) in order to make it legal.

Jun Kim wrote:

In spite of widespread opposition, the Trump administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to move forward with allowing stakeholders to claim plots of land on Friday, and has determined the process will be governed by the General Mining Law of 1872, which covers mining for metals such as copper, gold, silver and uranium (but not coal and petroleum).

"The process for staking a claim remains much as it did during the Gold Rush," Reuters reported:

A prospector hammers four poles into the ground corresponding to the four points of a parcel that can be as big as 20 acres, and attaches a written description of the claim onto one of them. A prospector then has 30 days to record the claim at the local BLM office ...

The costs of claiming are low: a $212 filing fee, and an annual maintenance fee of $150. Unlike laws governing petroleum extraction, there are no environmental guidelines specific to hard rock mining, and no requirement to pay a royalty. The claims provide prospectors mineral rights but not ownership of the land.

Lauren Pagel, the policy director of the nonprofit Earthworks, criticized the law as outdated, telling Reuters, "It's really the last law still on the books from that Manifest Destiny era encouraging a resources free-for-all."

Are they encouraging dirt bag uranium mining? Uranium mining there wouldn't be cost effective.

Time for climbers to start claiming climbing areas.

So if we expand the mine shaft at Suburbia and start AirBnBing it while also expanding and mining we're good to go!

I'm a geologist, stake your claim and I'll come do some preliminary work on the claims to keep it active and legit.  From what I recall, you only have to do a certain amount of work to the property to keep the claims in good standing.   Nothing more than mapping and report writing.  We can talk rates.  

SmithVentures wrote:

I'm a geologist, stake your claim and I'll come do some preliminary work on the claims to keep it active and legit.  From what I recall, you only have to do a certain amount of work to the property to keep the claims in good standing.   Nothing more than mapping and report writing.  We can talk rates.  

Can someone from Access Fund get ahold of this fellow for reimbursement?

I think there are already some old claims staked out there (?).  Every once in a while I run into the survey stakes and sometimes a little glass jar with paper in it.  Not sure if those old claims are still valid or not.  Interesting question though!

BLM Mining Claims

The above link explains it all, the concept of Mining Claims actually goes back to Anglo Saxon Times.  Owning a claim does not give you property rights, it simply gives you the exclusive right to the minerals within the claim.  Extracting the minerals is a whole ‘nother can of worms and is expensive.  I permit mines for the feds......

If this is actually possible and anyone's interested I would gladly put up the cash for a bunch of claims

Hmm.  Could be a good rebuttal to tRumps reversal of protection.  AccessFund or AAC buys all mining rights, and blocks real mining companies.  

Yes, you would have to maintain roads/paths and access to your claim, thus showing your intent. Every year you go and check your little claim canister. I know hunters who get together to do this to have little plots of land that they can legally keep "managed" for access. That actually seems pretty similar to what you're suggesting ha! 

Ancent wrote:

Yes, you would have to maintain roads/paths and access to your claim, thus showing your intent. Every year you go and check your little claim canister. I know hunters who get together to do this to have little plots of land that they can legally keep "managed" for access. That actually seems pretty similar to what you're suggesting ha! 

Having a claim does not give you any exclusive right to access.  If the above quote is correct, you would also be maintaining access for everyone.  The claim does not give you any exclusive acces rights on public land. Any maintenance done on BLM land would require permitting and likely bonding for reclamation.  

oldfattradguuy kk wrote:

Having a claim does not give you any exclusive right to access.  If the above quote is correct, you would also be maintaining access for everyone.  The claim does not give you any exclusive acces rights on public land. Any maintenance done on BLM land would require permitting and likely bonding for reclamation.  

You're absolutely right. But it''s an easy way to justify felling trees for access.

Do it. 

Don’t use pipe to mark the corners because critters fall in and can’t get out. 

I am willing invest, providing your initial prospects look good  

Didn't Access Fund just raise like $150,000 for an info center? Maybe they could put a bit of that toward some claims

The access fund should take the money they were going to use to sue the government (waste of time and money), and go buy mining claims. 

grog m aka Greg McKee wrote:

The access fund should take the money they were going to use to sue the government (waste of time and money), and go buy mining claims. 

They would have more money if you did the W2 challenge on the tax bill thread.

Some really awesome people and interesting perspectives here.  I wish I had done this research sooner.  Unfortunately I had to come to work today, so my plan is foiled.  I like the airbnb mine shaft idea.