What a lot of people don't know is a lot of the claims the gpaa sponsors are "privately"owned claims where the owners allow gpaa members to "play" on there claims.
Over the last few years gpaa has been dropping claims like crazy
If the claim no longer appears on there list they have relinquished sponsorship of the claim making it illegal to return to that claim..

I am in the process of dropping gpaa because they relinquished my claim back to me in August, not allowing me to refile. this is the way they are treating claims,,,,,no claims left in southern AZ

Yeah I'm not going to renew, I noticed a lot of the claims are public land as well or pay to dig. To top it off they keep raising the price. I'm not spending that much money for a few magazines that don't pertain to the organization or what I want to do.

If the private holder failed or opted to not refile and pay the annual fee on a particular claim then it's going to probably get removed because it's either un-claimed at current time (and open to general public) or claimed by a new owner. You could always research the current status of a claim area and, if open, file upon it yourself, or just go hunt on it if public land open to mineral exploration.

The prob is, GPAA relinquished the sponsored claims back to the private owners in such a way, (in August) that by the time the owners realized it, Gpaa says they sent snail mail notices,,,that is not true.
I am one of those claim owners, the relenquished them back with not time to pay your main fees...........persona experience

This is crap. Nevada has 7 claims in the whole State, 1 petrified wood, the rest opals, WTF???

Maybe GPAA is dead and we do not know it.

Jim

It's been that way for a while in Nevada. They use to have a claim in the in the Rye Patch area that turned out to be Tungsten Mine. A few Members tried it out and found nothing. All the claims they are showing are either Pay to dig or public land. None of the claims listed are owned by GPAA. It's getting totally ridiculous.

The mining guide is getting very skinny. No more Nevada claims for gold. They are practically giving away LDMA memberships now so wondering how much longer they'll be in business. Seems the only way to stay on top is to join private clubs. But, a lot of clubs are more for camping out and eating. I would rather dig gold and work for what I get than socialize. Coin hunts are nice for kids.

Great input from everyone on this subject! Yep, the GPAA is dying from my perspective. George Massie would be disappointed in the direction the once great association has taken. Unfortunately they got a lifetime membership from me before claims began rapidly disappearing. I noticed the count dropped again since November 24th 😕. Darn shame to! Some of my favorite places are no longer part of the association and I don’t have the time/$ to research if they are available to claim myself. Luckily I’ve got my own great claims and can recommend a good place to purchase your own if you’re interested. 🤔 I’m now thinking about researching how to sell my lifetime membership.

Brian I would like the place to look for a claim….

they want $ 35.00 for that skinny guide to those that are still members that want a upgraded mining guide. the GPAA is a JOKE.

I didn’t know that Richard and just realized with your post that I haven’t gotten a hard copy (as promised in my lifetime membership) in several years! Damn shame!! I’ll be calling them about that. The association definitely needs more ground, especially places in relative proximity to members. I don’t care for the pay to dig listings.

Hey Jim, our family has enjoyed success by purchasing legitimate/quality claims from Advanced Geologic in Chester, California. Voice: (530) 258-4228, website: advanced geologic.com. Charles Watson is a renowned licensed geologist that has become a friend of the family and has put us on the gold. His list of available claims has dwindled with gold approaching $3000, but there’s still good ground to be had on his website listings. I’ve known Charlie since 2018 and have learned a lot from him. He’s fair minded, knows his stuff, and will quickly file on good ground that is available when people miss their filings…which has obviously upset some people. He went to bat to correct an error on my claim which involved a suit and tie trip he made to the state office…got my beloved claim back. My sister, brother in law, and myself utilize their filing service to ensure our filings are done correctly and on time. Reasonably priced and worth the peace of mind. Check out the great information provided on the website and study the information he provides on the claims and give him a call. He will entertain reasonable offers, however, current gold prices may now affect that.?

If you don’t want to tackle your own claim yet, I recommend the “New 49er’s” group in Happy Camp. They had some great claims up there when we visited GPAA claims that used to be there.

Good luck,

Brian

The GPAA and LDMA got my lifetime membership but lost my confidence when they covered up and helped the Michigan chapter run illegally as a nonprofit. When I blew the whistle they helped the board who was doing this dissolve the chapter and make a new one with loser ties to National. By threat of legal action on my part the chapter did file proper paperwork but I am not allowed at events and national wont respond. If anyone wants to read the emails I'd be happy to provide them.

I just put the new (Aug2024) claim guide next to the old one and there is about 1/4 difference in thickness... no claims in Nevada any longer? WTF. I am beginning to wonder if the GPAA is on life support and needs new management on the claim side? Lets face it, claims are what brings in the members and keeps them.

I am a new Lifetime Member; I have not gotten my guide either. I am getting ready to retire and was hoping that this organization would help me in my hobby. I am hopeful.