Come and Enjoy our New Meeting Place!

Cathy Hopper Clairmont Friendship Center

Since March, the SPMA has been meeting at the Cathy Hopper Clairemont Friendship Center. The address is 4425 Bannock Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117. The doors open at 6:30 P.M. on the third Tuesday of each month. Click this link to make your own Google Map with directions.

JANUARY ASSAY NEWSLETTER - Now Available On-Line!

Click the link to view and read your latest ASSAY, Assay Newsletter-January 2020 . Previous issues of the Assay can be found at the bottom of the Library page. You'll need Adobe Reader to view the file. If you need it, you can download and install it using this link. Adobe Reader.

January Board Meeting - Resignaitons - Monday, Jan 13th

Two key SPMA volunteers have resigned. Jim Perkey who oversaw the Yuma Group has decided to call it quits after thirty years with the organization. Michele Ashton, who has been serving as Assay Editor for several years, and took on the role of Membership Coordinator this past year, is also resigning all of her positions. Just recently, she was elected as board secretary but will be resigning from that position as well. In the agenda for the upcoming board meeting, and her final Assay, she lists her reasons for leaving. A resignation letter from Jim Perkey is also in the January Assay. Our newly elected Treasure, Mike Gibson, also resigned shortly after the election. If you are concerned about the future of the SPMA, I urge you to attend the upcoming board meeting to be held at the San Diego Gem and Mineral Building in Balboa Park (Spanish Village) 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 13th.

January - Cargo Outing Jan 31st - Feb 1st

We'll meet at the intersection of Ogilby Road and American Girl Mine Road, at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, January 31st, and again at 9:00 a.m. Saturday February 1st. From there you will be guided to the claim.

February - President's Day - Pot Holes Feb14th - 15th

For those who haven't been to the Pot Holes before, we'll meet at the Imperial Date Garden on 1517 York Road at 9:00 a.m. Friday, February 14th. We'll meet at the same time and place on Saturday, February 15th. From there we will tour the five claims. Check the ASSAY for more info.

Metal Detecting at Local Beaches

Frank Trutta's next hunt will be at Ocean Beach on January 26th at 1:00 pm to catch the low tide. The group will meet at 4:00 to compare finds. If you have any questions call Frank at his shop, Columbia Metal Detectors, at 760-743-8516. Happy hunting!

New Email System - Sign up to have The Assay sent to you!

To better communicate with our members, the SPMA has decided to create a comprehensive email list. Our new email management system will allow us to email the monthly Assay at a great cost savings. To sign up, just go to the Contact web page and fill out the 3-line form. This is a good thing so please sign up. If you wish to, you can always discontinue SPMA emails by clicking on the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of each email. The Assay will still be posted on the SPMA web site each month. A few printed copies will be available at the monthly meetings but we will no longer be sending printed Assays out by regular mail. We are on a tight budget.

Legal News from ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal

Keep up with the lastest court cases and regulations on ICMJ's Legislation and Regulation page.

Lastest news from Public Lands for People, the PLP

Another great defender of the miners rights is the PLP. Scroll down their news page to see why you don't need an Adventure Pass at National Parks. Print a copy and bring it with you. PLP News page.

Share Your Photos With Your SPMA Friends

SPMA members are encouraged to add photos to our photo page slide shows. Albums (or folders) have been set up in our Photobucket account for each month of 2018. In many cases the web manager has already created a slide show link to our Photobucket account. For example, you can share the photos you took at the Christmas party by uploading them to the Christmas Party slide show. To learn how please click here: PhotoBucket Instructions. If you have questions please contact Tom Heffernan via email.

General Meetings, 3rd Tuesday of the month

Our next general meeting will be held at 7:00 PM at the Cathy Hopper Clairmont Friendship Center, 4425 Bannock Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117. This will be our first meeting at this new location so come check it out. Click this link to make your own Google Map with directions. Hope to see you there.

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 normally available at all our meetings at very reasonable prices. Profits support the association.