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Karuk Tribe member Bob Goodwin shows off the traditional poles that support a dip net used by tribal fishermen to pull salmon from Ishi Pishi Falls on the Klamath River near Somes Bar.
People who want a modern-day piece of the California Gold Rush will have to do their prospecting the old-fashioned way.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Thursday that temporarily bans miners from using gasoline-powered dredges to glean flecks of gold from river bottoms.
The measure allows time for an environmental review to determine how much the popular form of small-scale mining harms salmon.
Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, had opposed the bill, saying it harms businesses in the district: Gold miners spend money on mining equipment, four-wheel drive quads, motorcycles, camping gear and supplies such as food and gasoline.
About 3,500 permits were issued each year for suction dredge mining in California, where people come from around the country to search for raw gold.
The new law is part of a long-standing campaign by the Karuk Tribe, which lives along the Klamath River, and environmental groups to restore salmon runs in Northern California. Salmon lay their eggs in river-bottom gravel, but silt left by dredging operations covers the gravel and smothers fish eggs.
Suction dredging is the fastest and most effective prospecting method. Gold miners will still be able to use techniques such as panning — a slow and back-breaking process.
In July, an Alameda County Superior Court judge slapped a moratorium on the issuing of dredge permits in a case brought by the Karuk tribe.
Earlier this year, the Nevada City-based group Sierra Fund supported the Karuk tribe in urging the state Department of Fish and Game to stop issuing suction dredge permits until scientific studies could show this form of mining was not a threat to fish or humans.
Some have raised concern that the mining stirs up Gold Rush-era sediments that contain mercury — used in processing the gold — could then find its way into the food chain. The science on that questions remains unclear.
The Union staff contributed to this report.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Thursday that temporarily bans miners from using gasoline-powered dredges to glean flecks of gold from river bottoms.
The measure allows time for an environmental review to determine how much the popular form of small-scale mining harms salmon.
Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, had opposed the bill, saying it harms businesses in the district: Gold miners spend money on mining equipment, four-wheel drive quads, motorcycles, camping gear and supplies such as food and gasoline.
About 3,500 permits were issued each year for suction dredge mining in California, where people come from around the country to search for raw gold.
The new law is part of a long-standing campaign by the Karuk Tribe, which lives along the Klamath River, and environmental groups to restore salmon runs in Northern California. Salmon lay their eggs in river-bottom gravel, but silt left by dredging operations covers the gravel and smothers fish eggs.
Suction dredging is the fastest and most effective prospecting method. Gold miners will still be able to use techniques such as panning — a slow and back-breaking process.
In July, an Alameda County Superior Court judge slapped a moratorium on the issuing of dredge permits in a case brought by the Karuk tribe.
Earlier this year, the Nevada City-based group Sierra Fund supported the Karuk tribe in urging the state Department of Fish and Game to stop issuing suction dredge permits until scientific studies could show this form of mining was not a threat to fish or humans.
Some have raised concern that the mining stirs up Gold Rush-era sediments that contain mercury — used in processing the gold — could then find its way into the food chain. The science on that questions remains unclear.
The Union staff contributed to this report.
