In Oregon, dredging is not allowed in Essential Salmon Habitat (ESH). Those waters can be found on the Oregon DEQ website on their interactive map. Dredging is still allowed in non-ESH waters, and the seasons for that can be found for the in-water work periods on the Division of State Lands site. Varies with the waterway.

Panning (no permit required) and sluicing allowed in both ESH and non-ESH waters all year. Dredge permits (700PM) are required by DEQ, and prepare for sticker shock-$500 total for the first year... for sluicing, DEQ also says you need to fill out the 700PM application and keep with you, but don't have to submit or pay a fee. I have yet to be checked.

The Quartzville Group is open to dredging from June 1st to mid Oct, and the two claims out fo Cottage Grove (Golden Cat and Paradise) are open from May to mid Nov. EDIT....Cat is closed to dredge as of Jan 1, 2021.

Don't disturb vegetation above high water mark and you should be OK most anywhere.

Edit: If you want to do any beach prospecting, no motorized anywhere on Oregon beaches, not even battery/electric, even in a recirculating system.

Running a hi-banker is a little complicated right now, supposed to have the 600 permit, that they aren't issuing right now, have grandfathered existing permits that are out, and the distance from waters has changed somewhat in the last year or so with SB3 passage. Have to have some kind of settling pond or other way to not allow sedimented water back into stream. Don't hi-bank so not up on all the stuff involved with it.

Hope this helps and points you in the right direction. If you ever get down to the Quartzville Group, and need someone to show you around, holler at me, I am part owner in two of those claims and our Chapter has adopted all three of them.

Jaron,
Art covered beyond all of the fundamentals in detail. Stick to that and all will be well. We have updated the Regs for each state on the Online Mining Guide with the exacting letter of the Regs, As usual and with great appreciation to Art he has broken it down out of Gov speak! Arthur thanks again for jumping in. Jaron, get out and go prospecting!

Regards,
Kevin

Hi Arthur,
I was thinking of going down to quartzville in the next couple days. I was wondering if you can make it to the Claim right now and if you have any other info I should know?

Thanks
Jaron

Hi Jaron-

Just got back from a w/e in WA. All the claims are good to go in Quartzville, water level is good still, and cold. All the snow is gone. As you go up you will pass Miner's Meadow group site just above Yellowbottom Recreation area (about the 24 1/2 milepost). Just after that the road splits into three....stay to the right, and it will go to one lane with pullouts. Couple of spots with "bump" painted on the pavement...BELIEVE it. About a 1/2 mile above the split a gravel road will take off to the right and cross a bridge. (USFS805). This will take you to Riverside. Claim is marked with signs about 10 feet off ground.

If you stay on the paved road about a third of a mile paast where 805 takes off you will see a campsite just off the road on the right that has a metal fire ring. That is the bottom end of Halleujh. When you get to the bridge that is the upper end as well as the bottom of Angie M. Angie goes upriver past the big rock alongside the road on the left after the bridge. You will find a claim sign about road level for the upper end and a couple of trees later you can see a white plywood sign about 15 feet off the ground that says Cedar Bend with an arrow pointing upriver. That is the upper end of Angie.

Feel free to stop off at my work and say HI on the way up. White's Collision, just past Bark Place, about 3 miles east of Wally World in Lebanon. Couple of red buildings with white trim on left toward the end of the long straightaway. Look for a camo Cherokee.

Arthur do you know if the feeder creeks have a different in stream work time up at quartzville
Thanks Jason

Arthur do you know if the feeder creeks have a different in stream work time up at quartzville
Thanks Jason

As far as dredge, no, they do not. Everything above The upper slack water on green peter lake is the same for all types of mining/prospecting.