OREGON
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) – 700-PM Water Quality General Permit
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) – Geological Maps, Publications, Reports
Oregon Historical Mining Information – Large Scale Mine Maps, Publications, Reports, Historical Commodities Records
WASHINGTON
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) – Gold and Fish: Rules for Mineral Prospecting and Placer Mining
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) – Individual Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) Application
Washington State Department of Ecology – Mineral Prospecting and Placer Mining
Washington State Department of Natural Resources – Publications, Maps, and Data
THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM)
BLM Land Status & Cadastral Survey Records – Oregon and Washington States lookup & download land surveys.
BLM Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) Replacement for the old LR2000 mine claim lookup system listed below. The new MLRS is similar to the old BLM GeoCommunicator and uses a map to help locate your area of interest (AOI).
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – Legacy Rehost 2000 (LR2000) is being phased out and replaced by the new (MLRS) system listed above.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation website – Land Patents & Surveys
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (U.S.G.S.)
U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data & Interactive maps and downloadable data for regional and global analysis.
U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) – The Publication Warehouse provides access to over 160,000 publications written by USGS scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau.
SOFTWARE
QGIS A Free and Open Source Geographic Information System for viewing Free GIS data from the BLM, U.S.F.S. & U.S.G.S. websites to make your own maps. Available on PC, Mac, or Linux.
Google Earth Pro on the desktop is free for users with advanced feature needs. Import and export GIS data, and go back in time with historical imagery. Available on PC, Mac, or Linux.
MINING & MINERAL RELATED LINKS
Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon is home to over 20,000 rock and mineral specimens. Each year the NorthWest Mineral Prospectors Club has a panning booth at the Summer Fest to teach kids of all ages how to pan for gold.
Oregon Agate & Mineral Society (OAMS) Oregon Agate & Mineral Society (OAMS) was formed in 1933 with twelve rock hobbyists in the laboratory of one of its founders. The club’s charter was to promote the rock hobby and educate those interested in learning about the lapidary arts, collecting, and in just enjoying Earth’s many natural geological treasures.
Willamette Valley Miners gold mining club in Salem, Oregon.
Southwest Washington Gold Prospectors Vancouver, Washington chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA). Each year the NorthWest Mineral Prospectors Club has a panning booth at the GPAA Gold & Treasure Show in Portland, Oregon to teach kids of all ages how to pan for gold.
Gator Girl Rocks is America’s best rock-hounding resource. Welcome. I’m Zoe Tolbert, the chief adventurologist and founder of Gator Girl Rocks. This website provides thousands of rockhounding resources for rock, mineral, gemstone, and fossil collectors and includes rockhounding information for every state in America.
Online Database of Luminescent minerals more than 1000 pictures and 400 spectra of luminescent minerals.
The Tualatin Valley Gem Club is a nonprofit organization, created for sharing educational information with a focus on the natural earth sciences, lapidary, and jewelry making skills. We offer educational resources, field trips, meeting programs, and newsletters that provide the opportunity to grow your knowledge in this area. Not only are we rockhounds, but we are lapidaries, wire wrappers, faceters, silversmiths, artists, fossil hunters, and many other things.
AFFILIATED LINKS
Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland, Oregon at the Portland Expo Center is where the largest hunting and fishing show in the Pacific Northwest is each year and is presented by O’Loughlin Trade Shows. The NorthWest Mineral Prospector’s Club has had an educational Gold Panning booth at this show for over 20 years.
Oregon Ag Fest in Salem, Oregon is a place where families can touch, taste, and experience the incredible world of Oregon agriculture, in a fun-filled, festive environment. Our two-day event, aimed to help families better understand where their food, fiber, and flora come from, is a unique learning experience, where hands-on exhibits make learning about Oregon’s vast agricultural industry educational and entertaining. The NorthWest Mineral Prospector’s Club has had an educational Gold Panning booth at this show for over many years.
Clackamas County Fair in Canby, Oregon is where the NorthWest Mineral Prospector’s Club has had an educational Gold Panning booth in the Pioneer Village for many years.
Revised 03-19-2022