Thank You For Serving!

2018 Board of Directors

Your 2018 SPMA Board of Directors: Past President Ed Farley, Senior Director Joe Johanek, Junior Director Joan Rufner, President John Schotsch, Treasurer Brian Winter, and Vice President John Troseth. Thank you for dedicating your time to our association.

ASSAY NEWSLETTER - Now Available On-Line!

Click the link to view and read your latest ASSAY, with full color pictures.
Assay Newsletter-December 2018. Adobe Reader is required to view the file. If you don't have Adobe Reader you can download and install it using this link. Adobe Reader

Thanksgiving At the Potholes Claim

The Annual Thanksgiving Outing to the Pot Holes Claims was a great success. If you were there and took photos, please share them in our photo page slideshow. You'll find and insturction sheet on the page. Please upload your photos to the 2018-November album (folder). Thanks.

Christmas Party December 18th at the VFW Hall

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for our annual Christmas Dinner. In addition to great food there will be an awards ceremony and raffle after the dinner. Please bring a dish to share. See the Assay for more details. I hope to see you there.

Share Your Photos With Your SPMA Friends

SPMA members are encouraged to add photos to our photo page. Albums (or folders) have been set up in our Photobucket account for each month of 2018. When photos are uploaded the webmaster will create a slideshow link. For example, the slideshow for the summer picnic needs pictures. The two scenic photos that are there now are merely place holders. Check out all the pictures our President John Schotsh posted for this year's Del Mar Fair. You can add more if you have some. To learn how please click here: PhotoBucket Instructions. If you have questions please contact Tom Heffernan via email.

Board Elections Are Coming Up - We Need You!

Any SPMA member in good standing can run for a seat on the board. Just tell ANY Board Member you would like to run and what position(s). Your name will be put into the October Assay . Any member can place is name up for vote UNTIL voting at the November Meeting begins. Please see any board member at the next meeting or make use of the phone numbers and emails in the ASSAY.

Metal Detecting at Local Beaches

Our next hunt will be at Pacific Beach November 25th in the afternoon, to catch a nice low tide, at 2:00 in the afternoon and meet at 5:00 to show our finds. Should you have any questions, Please call Frank Trutta at Columbia Metal Detectors 760 743- 8516 or on his cell phone 760 291-7900. There's a nice write up in the Assay about the last hunt.

General Meetings, 3rd Tuesday of the month

Our next general meeting will be held at 6:30 PM at the VFW Post Hall in Lemon Grove.

Imperial Valley Meetings

The Imperial Valley Chapter meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM, at the Potholes Claim, except during the summer. For more info please contact Jim Perkey via email.

SPMA Board Meetings, 2nd Monday of each month

Our monthly SPMA Board of Directors meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Gem & Mineral Building, Spanish Village, Balboa Park. All members are welcome to attend.

Our NEW Email Claim Use Form is now available

We now have two types of claim forms, a Mail-in Claim Form. and an Email Claim Form. Just click the links for each to check them out. We hope that by making the forms quick and easy to use, more people will send them in. Collecting these Claim Use Forms is important because it shows the BLM that we are actually using our claims. It also shows that we are being responsible stewards of the land. Hauling away old trash and filling in dangerous holes also shows that we're pretty good people to have around. When we apply for new claims, the BLM takes all of this into account.

Gold fever still alive with local prospecting groups

Check out this recent Union-Tribune article by Gary Warth. He tagged along with trip leader Lee Darling on an SPMA outing to our Potholes claim in early April. Just click the links and enjoy!  Article and photos.  If the link should break, here's a PDF copy.

PEW Environment Group

It's time you knew what the PEW Environment Group is up to and how they are lobbying to change the laws that regulate prospecting and mining. Download their 38-page booklet and read their own literature. PEW Environment Booklet.

Dinner is Served!

If you're attending your first SPMA meeting you should know that pizza, snacks, and beverages are available at all our meetings at very reasonable prices. Profits support the association.