Thanks for submitting your information and opinions! Here are the final results:
There were 204 responses within the 96-hour time limit.
Portion of the "Fill-in-the-blank" questions:
Question: How did you become interested in gold prosepcting?
tv shows
I was always curious. I saw a Gpaa Gold Show and joined. Moved on to partner in own claim.
From my Dad, at a very early age.
As a young man, I chose prospecting for the outdoor challenge.
Always have been -- just that
My dad took me when I was little and I've been doing it off and on all my life
started at age 8, found yellow rocks grampa took and hid.
I've always been a rockhound. Gold prospecting is one of the things that complements my hobby.
Affiliation with a professor of mine engineering
I have been prospecting for 40 years, I love it !!!! Started when I was ten, I liked ROCKS
In the 70's after reading an article in Southern Living Magazineby former Maryland Mine Superintendent, (Ingalls) from Great Falls, Md. Later, went to his house and saw for the first time gold nuggets, wire gold, etc. I was hooked.
a news story about a gold find in Ohio
George Massie's TV show
CJ Stevens gave me a copy of his first book "the next bend in the river"
alway thought it wouldbe fun prospecting and it is
met an old prospector
was always interested but didn't know how to effectively find gold until th Gold Fever show.
I am an outdoor enthusiast, and it came about as a way to continue spending time with family and friends.
Have wanted to try my hand at it since I was a kid.
A friend moved to Alaska and in 1979 I also moved there to look for gold
Started with rocks, progressed to arrowheads, now gold, thrill of finding it.
Gold Fever Show
My friends girlfriend wanted to try prospecting, so we went, she did not like it, but my friend and I are still going almost 8 years later
By mistake. Always was a rockhound and wound up settling in a gold bearing area.
Watching the TV shows on the outdoor channel
My son and I were looking for something new to try close to home, we were already rockhounds
From a Old friend in california when stationed out there
From friends allready into it
Been interested for years finally making time to prospect
just wanted to try it
Question: If the gold price continues to climb, what will you do with the gold you have recovered?
I am saving it all
Keep it
keep it all for a rainy day
Sell some!
Continue to save most of it, but cash in some of it, too.
Keep it for my later years. It will be worth more then.
nothing cause I dont have that much to matter
keep it
keep it all in my bank safe
I keep whatever I find. It's hard to sell something, you have worked so hard to get.
Hold it
Keep it in the family.
When it hits 1800.00 Think about selling , some ,not all
I have not met anyone that sells any large nuggets from Virginia
keep it
save it
still keep it
sell it ALL
I sell every bit I get, it's worth too much to sit around and collect dust!
sell it
sell the fines keep the nuggets
sell some but not all.
sell some and keep some...same as always
Continue to collect it.
Sell It
Sell it.
Regardless of price, every year during the holidays, I sell a little gold to help with gifts.
keep it, i have several 1/4 ounce nuggets i found in Virginia and i will not part with them
Nothing different, I sell mine anyway.
Sell it. I sell a lot of what I find now though. In panning concentrates and alone.
I plan to keep what I find. It is like collecting souvenirs from the different placees we go. What we find could be sold but to me it is worth more then the cash value.
I will still save the vast majority of it
smelt it sell it
Question: In your opinion, what is the #1 threat to the gold prospecting hobby?
government
Over restrictive, noncostructive regulations.Regulatory agencies over stepping their boundries. Removal of mineral entry areas.
The Federal and State Government Agencies.
Government, They keep trying to stop prospecting on public lands.
The price of gold --- if it gets to hi it will bring out the worst in a few that will spiol it for the rest
Ignorant / uninformed people
environmentalists
The prospectors themselves. If everyone follows rules and guidlelines for their areas, there is little reason to have this fine pastime threatened.
the environmental movement
Local, State and Federal misunderstanding recreational prospecting.
environmental laws made by the uninformed government that we have ! If you don't grow it, you have to mine it !!!! Enviormentelests don't walk ,they ride just like everybody else !!!!
Prospectors that do not obey laws and not respecting private or leased property.
misinformed environmantal efforts attempting legislation against all mining activities
Bogus Indian litigation
lack of places to go
Uneducated people supporting and pushing legislation that makes no sense, just to make themselves feel like they are doing something "for the environment", when in reality, small scale mining doesn't hurt the environment if done responsibly
closed land
not having a place to go.
too many people
Liberals who don't understand how much we help and actually WORK to conserve our environment and try to shut down the small miner
government beaurocracy and the uninformed people who make/enforce regulations.
Irresponsible greedy people.
Government Regulations
Environmental issues, misunderstanding of procedures and their effects.
Environment protectionists, whose knowledge is based on emotions and personal agendas
This new trend of neo-environmentalists, people that know absolutely nothing about the environment other than what they saw on a TV show, or read on some website, telling me how I am destroying the environment while prospecting, when so many actual scientific studies say just the opposite, that my activities are actually help the environment.
IMHO, legislation is less of a threat than individual prospectors not giving a damn. Too many twist laws or disrgard them ouytright, then after regulations are tightened bitch because they lost something that wasn't necessarily rightfully theirs to begin with.
over reactive nature freaks. We all enjoy being out, we clean lead and mercury out, and they find some mi-nute snail or some reason to try getting us banned from dredging.
I see the #1 threat to be environmentalist that dont understand that we are actually cleaning up streams and creeks as we prospect.. I always leave a place cleaner then it was when I got there, and we remove lead and other harmful thing from the creeks and streams.
Misinformation by far is the biggest threat the Gree movement has it in thier minds that we are nothing but strip miners but it just isn't the truth
Liberal greenies ..
Ignorance by the public and politicians who will "Protect" each area one by one from the prospectors. Thus concentrating the prospectors on the remaining area creating an appearance of huge environmental impact
goverment regulators
Question
Graphic Results
Why are you prospecting for gold?
What is your age group?
Has the price of gold changed your attitude about your gold prospecting hobby?
What is your impression of other prospectors you have met?
