Thanks Shawn...but telling me only once would have been fine.....smile

I have another few months to bone up before the weather turns.

Where is Athens and is their a number I can call?

Where is Athens and is their a number I can call?

Toby, Athens is roughly 18 miles south of Battle Creek on M-66. It is a LDMA property so there may be a fee to access it. Unless it's changed, the number to reach the camp is 269 729 4446. The gold there runs kinda small, but some nicer pieces have been recovered.

LDMA Athens is notfor use by GPAA members except if they get a 3 day pass from Anne at the Ho e office or during a National Outing. LDMA camps are open to LDMA members only otherwise. That is sort of why we paid $5000 to have that exclusive access.

Hiya Tim! Up until the end of the 2017 season, GPAA members were able to access Athens Camp with a per day use fee, apprx $25/day. I had understood that this was policy for all the camps. Since this may have changed, Toby ya definitely need to call Jerry at Athens to clarify that.

I guess I won't be going there then I'm a college student at the time won't have 5000 to get a membership for now.

Shawn, at some point last year there was talk of the $25 a day use fee for a limited number of days Lifetime. I know I sound like an asshole, but the caretakers can’t change the LDMA policy and again some of us paid $5000 for exclusive rights. I would check with Dominic Ricci on what they settled as the police about the fee to play policy for the GPAA membership. It was meant to be very limited to encourage you all to join the LDMA.

As for other places to pan, I recommend ya start with the 1982 Quaternary Map. It shows the surface geology of MI. The purples are the locations for a better shot at finding the shiny. At michgpaa.com, I've got links for the rules DNR has for prospecting in Mi along with those areas that we should not be prospecting. Pretty much it says if its a trout/salmon stream, scenic area/river, or has clams, it's off limits to prospecting. Sounds like a lot until ya get out there sniffing around. Then you'll see theres plenty of spots to get a pan wet.

Toby and any other GPAA MEMBERS, you can get a 3 day pass, there is a $25 a day policy, just not sure if it is unlimited visits or a set number and at any outing you are welcome. I am sure the new caretakers will have a few camp outingsthis year. Hopefully they will do a National Outing soon. And you can join the LDMA for as little as $40 a month.

I rally appreciate all the info. I would love to check it out soon.

All good Toby, as I understand it, there are a couple chapters that are planning to have outings at Athens, once they get their schedules ironed out, I can link them to our website. I know Dom asked for a per prospector fee for the chapter outing, it was not that expensive. As the wind currently blows for the MI chapter, we're not going to be having an outing there for 2018. That may change after our officer's meeting later this month.

@Tim, I feel ya on the exclusive access. That was the way it used to be. Kinda changed after the great recession hit. I've nearly got my LDMA membership paid off. but mine was 3250 at the Dayton Gold Show many years ago.

 

Ken you can go to this web site detector prospector.com then go down to where to go and click on it and then scroll down to public mining sites and click on it and it will list every state that prospecting can be done.