Last Post 26 Jun 2018 08:23 PM by  Joseph Loyd
gpaa / ldma
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Jesse Loucks
Greenhorn
Greenhorn
Posts:10



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24 Sep 2015 08:25 AM

    ok soo I have a gpaa membership and still waiting for book n such in the mail...I see that the ldma has lots of property for them to mine but im not ldma..first question is can I mine any gpaa property in my area without group meetings ?..say 24/7 if I choose to do ?

    second question is..looking under memberships I see ldma has property size like 120 acres n such like one in ga or sc cant remember but tells of gold found like nice nugs or flake gold but the gpaa has no such info under membership info...why is this ?

    im sure there is tons of info in the book im  getting but it would be nice to see whats available before getting membership

    lets say I want to switch memberships from gpaa to ldma ..can I switch n pay the difference ?

    thanks to all who have answers
    Paul Straub
    Basic Member
    Basic Member
    Posts:244



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    24 Sep 2015 10:49 AM
    Hey Jesse I can answer most of your questions,

    1. yes GPAA claims are open 24/7/365, and no you do not have to be a chapter member to utilize the claims. Being a chapter member is your choice, not required, but can be very helpful to a newcomer, as to learning to prospect.

    2 The LDMA has 3 properties here in the SE. The Loud Mine Camp, just outside of Cleveland, GA about 15 miles from Dahlonega, where the gold rush was. The Vein Mtn. Camp in NC, it is 6 miles up the mountain from the Lucky Strike Mine, and Thermal City Mine. These 2 camps are developed camps, they have hook-ups and shower houses and clubhouses and other facilities. Then there is the Oconnee Camp in NW SC, this is a primitive camp, no hook-ups or facilities, there are porta potties I think. The big difference in organizations is the LDMA owns their properties, whereas GPAA sites are claims or leases.

    As far as info about claims, The GPAA counts on members giving claims reports after they visit claims, these can be filed online or by mail with the Mining Location report forms found in the back of the mining guide. The mining guide does list info about what kind of gold can be found, as long as someone has made a report.

    3. yes you can upgrade from the GPAA to the LDMA, that's what I did. If you still have time left on your GPAA membership they will credit it towards the LDMA membership. Then you either pay the whole amount for your membership or you put some down (last I heard they were matching the $125 or so down payment) and pay at least $30 a month for your membership plus a $10 a month maintenance fee.  When I joined they were matching down payments up to $500 (Dec of 2013), you should call the office to see what they are offering now.

    Joining the LDMA also makes you a lifetime GPAA member so you can go to both LDMA and GPAA sites. Another benefit of LDMA membership is you can camp for up to 6 mos at a time at LDMA camps, the GPAA has a 14 day limit on camping. It is only 3.50 per night for a full hook-up at the LDMA camps here in GA and NC. And $1 a night for primitive camping. The $1 is  for having the convenience and helping pay for the upkeep of the shower houses and such. No charge at SC as it has no hookups.

    For me it was an easy decision to upgrade, as there are only 3 GPAA sites here in the SE, and joining the LDMA immediately gave me access to 3 more sites here in the SE. If you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me.

    Paul
    Tim Leibel
    Buzzard
    Buzzard
    Posts:608



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    24 Sep 2015 01:03 PM
    Jesse,

    Paul said it all. He was a big influence in my upgrading to the LDMA last year at an outing. I just spent 4 days at the Loud mine camp as a base and went to the Occonee camp one day and up to Coker Creek GPAA lease one day and both were under 2 hours away. That convince and the good gold at all 3 was well worth membership to me.
    Paul Straub
    Basic Member
    Basic Member
    Posts:244



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    24 Sep 2015 02:11 PM
    Thanks Tim, At least until I can start going out west and using the other properties, it was great to double my available sites and totally worth it.

    Paul
    NANCY TERWILLIGER
    Greenhorn
    Greenhorn
    Posts:



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    24 Sep 2015 02:24 PM
    When you get out west, look us up!  Joining LDMA was one of the best decisions we ever made!  Each time we go to another property, it becomes "our favorite".  I love Italian Bar, Scott River and Burnt River.  I haven't made it (yet) to Duisenberg or Stanton but they are on our list.  Finding the gold is great but finding the LDMA family has truly been a blessing in our life! 
    Tim Leibel
    Buzzard
    Buzzard
    Posts:608



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    24 Sep 2015 06:30 PM
    I am heading west in February so maybe I will run into you on a claim Nancy. I will definitely be visiting Stanton as I want to metal detect Rich Hill.
    Jesse Loucks
    Greenhorn
    Greenhorn
    Posts:10



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    28 Sep 2015 10:41 AM
    great..thanks for the info..i am also heading out west in a year or so..lake Isabella ca..I panned the little pee dee river last weekend and found 3 sand size chunks of gold..haha..I was just sampling the area and the gold was in along the water line..nothing on the bank in tree roots n such like I thought some might b..was only there ten minutes....I think I might upgrade soon..looking into gold mining full time
    Lili Lyman
    Greenhorn
    Greenhorn
    Posts:



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    26 Jun 2018 12:34 PM
    Can you camp on to as ground with a to as membership for free?
    William Hall
    Buzzard
    Buzzard
    Posts:660



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    26 Jun 2018 04:08 PM
    Welcome Lili,

    You do not need to be a member to camp on a claim in the national forests.

    You do need to be a member to camp at LDMA sites ( I believe).
    You do need to be a member to extract minerals from LDMA or GPAA claims.

    Bill
    Joseph Loyd
    Buzzard
    Buzzard
    Posts:553



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    26 Jun 2018 08:23 PM
    you cam camp on any land that belongs to the forest service and blm land some places do have some restrictions on them .You will need to check .that goes for gpaa claims .the only way to stay on ldma claims is to get a one time pass for three days for any camp.all fees will apply as well.
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