Come and Enjoy our New Meeting Place!

Cathy Hopper Clairmont Friendship Center

We hold our meetings at the North Clairemont Community Center, Building #2, Meeting Room #2. It is just behind the Cathy Hopper Clairemont Friendship Center. The address is 4421 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.

APRIL'S ASSAY NEWSLETTER - Now Available On-Line!

Click the link to the right to view and read your latest ASSAY, Assay Newsletter-April 2025. Previous issues of the Assay can be found at the bottom of the Library page. You'll need Adobe Reader to view the files. If you need it, you can download and install it using this link. Adobe Reader.

Email Change: Assays will only be emailed to paid members

The SPMA Board of Directors has decided to discontinue the open email list policy. As a non-profit organization, we enjoy the use of a free mass mailing service from MailChimp, provided that our list remains relatively small. Well, our mailing list grew and we must reduce the number of people on it. Non-members will still be able to read the Assay by clicking the link above, it just won't arrive in your mailbox each month. If you would like to continue receiving the Assay via email, just become a member.

Please Remember to send in your Claim Visit Form

After you visit an SPMA claim, please take a few minutes fill out one of our Claim Use Forms. We collect them at our meeting (or by mail) and present them to the BLM at claim renewal time. Documenting our claim use shows the BLM that we are being responsible stewards of the land and that we're good to have around. When we apply for new claims, they take our written record into consideration. We have two versions: a Print & Mail Claim Use Form and an Email Claim Use Form. A copy of the printable version is included in this month's Assay Newsletter. Thank you.

Assay Submission Deadline - Last day of each month

If you wish to submit an article, photo, for sale item, or any other announcement, please do so by the last day of the current month for the next month's issue. Please email your submissions to the Assay Editor. Photos can be sent from your cell phone to my cell phone as a text message attachment. Instructions for this are in the Assay. Send pictures of your prospecting adventures, metal detecting finds, and your gold pans sparkling with gold. All submissions are subject to approval by the editor and the board. Thank you for contributing to the Assay and the SPMA experience.

Legal News from ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal

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

Latest 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.

General Meetings, 3rd Tuesday of the month

Our general meeting are held at 7:00 p.m. at North Clairemont Community Center, Building #2, Meeting Room #2. It is just behind the Cathy Hopper Clairemont Friendship Center. The address is 4421 Bannock Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117. Click this link to make your own Google Map with directions. Hope to see you there.

SPMA Board Meetings, 1st Monday of each month

Our monthly SPMA Board of Directors meetings are held on the first 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.