CLICK HERE for photos of Emlly Camp gold.
This page last updated
April 10, 2011
visits ...Thanks for all the inquiries!
In the
KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS, OREGON lies one and only private parcel.
To chat about the history and failed efforts to purchase the property>>CLICK HERE
The last effort to purchase the property was a meeting held in Jan. 2011 at the invitation of Trust for Public Lands. Geoff Roach of Portland's Trust for Public Land approached us in March, 2010 but was not able to garner enough sincere interest to move forward with the US Forest Service support. Being they are a conservation organization and not extreme environmentalists, they were professional, courteous and respectful.
The last correspondence with the Forest Service <<Click here
If purchased, proceeds would support: Goodwill Industries International Medical Teams International Special Olympics Oregon Smile Train Muscular Dystrophy Association Habitat for Humanity International Disabled American Veterans The Humane Society of the United States Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Alzheimer's Association Ashland Community Hospital Hospice Chetco Senior Center Boys & Girls Club of Grants Pass Women's Crisis Support Team Make-a-Wish Foundation of Oregon Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation Found & Friends (formerly Meals on Wheels) Mercy Flights, Inc.
PURCHASE HISTORY
Private in-holding (USFS Wilderness Map)
This site is a recap of the historical efforts by the United States Forest Service, conservation groups, and others to revert the land back to the 'Wilderness' through acquisition of Emlly Camp, soon to be renamed and with new exposure.
After years of work, Carl Alleman finally received the patent (title) in 1988 to 60 acres deep in the heart of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness solely because of its proven quantity and value of its gold reserves. The process to patent was conducted by the USFS using its own strict guidelines and procedures.
Into the 1990's much press time was then devoted to extinguishing the last mining claims in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and at this time Darryl Brown's 110 +/- acre mineral patent in-holding was purchased for $3.2M+/- to conserve and protect the land from mining its gold. Soon after, the USFS was also negotiating with Carl Alleman to buy back his patented in-holding, named later as Emlly Camp. In or about 2001, Carl was 'offered' by the USFS $600,000, however the offer was not signed by the USFS, but Carl signed the offer.
The land was then appraised, but not for its known gold resources using the successful methodology as Brown's purchase. An alternative approach was taken by valuing its land and timber, all despite this was the same kind of mining property. Was this an attempt to purchase below the fair market value? At the time gold was valued at about $375/oz. and the Patent estimated the volume of pay gravels were substantial. Instead of then pressing forward with its purchase with rising gold prices, it is reported that the USFS then 'sat' on the offer without signing (bureaucracy run-a-muck here) for many months and could have consummated the purchase. Knowing the seller was elderly, they stalled with indecision. From 1988 to this time frame, the USFS was also spending considerable resources defending lawsuits, processing permits, answering FOIA requests, etc.
1988-2006 total # of FOIA requests Dozens Total costs for FOIA $$Tens of thousands$$ Total costs (lawsuits, other) $hundreds of thousands$
Then later in July 2002, the Biscuit Fire burnt the timber (not destroyed the lumber value but killed the trees) and it is evident from the newly conducted evaluations that the USFS took advantage of the circumstances to drastically reduce the purchase price claiming it would take 3-5 years to grant their own road use permits to remove the timber before it rotted and became worthless. Why was this permit not a factor before the fire?? The USFS then offered $160,000 still without reconsideration of the untouched gold reserves proven by the USFS themselves, thereby insulting Carl here. The last offer was based on vacant land values and a token for its 'recreational' value. At the time of the original appraisal, if a simple napkin calculation was done with the same methodology as Brown's purchase, the value would have exceeded $600,000, likely around $775,000 without adding timber or land values. As a result Carl rightfully declined, keeping the property out of the USFS hands and up for sale to us. The USFS lost more than an opportunity with Carl to purchase the last remaining in-holding. Despite all the fuss and gambit maneuvers, the USFS could have simply conducted a similar mineral appraisal as Brown's and it been completed, thereby not loosing time, resources, and money due to costs. It is said they also got a fair amount of criticism from environmentalists.
For the next 5 years, Carl aged and the price of gold nearly doubled. The USFS lost contact with Carl and did little to re-ignite the broken relationship. The proven gold values continued to rise steadily to over $700/oz. In 2007 the raw property was sold without the USFS knowing and for nearly three times their last offer. Its uniqueness, recreational, adventure value...... and most importantly its very shallow and proven gold reserves were being sought!!
After our purchase in 2007, we developed helicopter access and did the most thorough mineral development work to date including excavating many holes to conduct depth, volume and value measurement of the gravel reserves. Today the in-holding is used for multiple purposes and we have been asked many times if we would now sell the property. The answer has been consistently, yes, but not simply as burnt timber land. The idea was then created to sell small fractional interests (same as undivided interests) and an llc partnership so others may enjoy it. Even the USFS (Joel King and Nancy Schweiger) casually asked if we would sell the property but for some reason they didn't follow through again. We have also been asked by several conservation groups like the Wilderness Land Trust, KS Wild, Nature Conservancy and others but none had or was willing to spend money or they were apparently seeking a donation of the property so they could resell it to the USFS for a profit.
As strange as stories go, an individual wilderness advocate living in an apartment also asked to sell, but after requesting he put forth a contract with a financial guaranty, he said he was "confident" he could raise the money. Rather he decided filing fictitious complaints to the government and our charities would likely get him further to convince us to sell to him. Never did he put forth an offer. Later he was also photographed while trespassing. He furthermore impressed his lack of honesty and sincerity by eventually refusing to sign his own frivolous complaints under oath, ultimately dismissing them on those grounds alone. Even more absurd, this was all about the same time he also admitted having a difficult time financially when interviewed on video tape. Interesting approach to buy a property you want for merely a "hikers camp". When all was said and done as we suspected, he was full of air and wasn't the slightest serious nor capable about having funds, raising them, nor having the relationships he said he had to get the job done he wanted.
In all cases, it did not proceed into negotiations, despite an appraisal could meet the federal standards. These inquiries didn't continue to follow up during this time gold continued to rise above $1000/oz.
In March, 2010, the Oregonian Sunday (the expanded distribution edition) newspaper ran a front page article titled "Developer Lays Claim to More Than Gold In Oregon Wilderness" (see it CLICK HERE) that attracted the attention of a prominent and credible national conservation group (disclosure here prohibited), one much more than the apartment dwelling, broke environmentalist. With ability and sincerity this time to make a deal successful, the group reached out to us on the 2nd day after the story ran and over time negotiated a verbal but complex agreement to pay for an appraisal based on the patented mineral values once the USFS approved a scoping for the work. With gold now hovering at $1300/oz., the appraisal could once again pass cross examination for its mineral value and easily meet the asking price, thus proceeding towards a sale. Both parties approved the process and being the only way the sellers would agree to sell. The USFS then confirmed this appraisal approach could be based in a similar manner as Brown's parcel. The group then requested the USFS meet and develop a team to prepare an appraisal scoping for the group to order and pay for, but leadership or foresight so far has failed at the USFS.
At a sale price not to exceed an appraisal value (and again a method previously used by the USFS for purchasing like properties), the agreement included a provision that would be held in trust for 501 c(3) charities, which by the way is not what the environmentalist want. (Note: Environmentalists don't like 'profit' even if its for the benefit of charities CLICK HERE FOR OUR LIST,,... except when its of course theirs.) This sale was also negotiated with specific terms to include nearly 1000+/- acres of unpatented mining claims on the lower Chetco River currently in several permitting processes with the USFS for mining operations. These permitting processes are anticipated to cost $300,000-$500,000 for each one of the claims and $400,000 for a patented mineral right Plan of Operation. There are 3 claims in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and 6 outside.
We designated 50% of the profits to be held in the Trust at First Independent Bank's Trust Department or the conservation group's own Trust department, their choice. 50% of all profits were to benefit these charities CLICK HERE FOR OUR LIST, and it was possible the remaining 50% of profits could have been designated for Oregon US Forest Service conservation projects. This was proposed with the help of the congressional charter creating the National Forest Foundation. The group that would have put this together could have instead elected to be a partial beneficiary or selected one of 20 other charities, for example our preferred choices of:
-
The Smile Train
, a charity that surgically corrects cleft lip and palates for children in 78 countries all over the world.
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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
-
Doernbecher's Children's Hospital
-
March-of-Dimes
-
Make-a-Wish Foundation
or another as beneficiary. The option was also theirs to keep the funds in Oregon for future USFS conservation projects, be theirs, or other social benefits.
Despite the win-win potential, the environmentalists wouldn't support this idea for these other causes.
.
They wouldn't support any win-win such as this for charity because someone besides themselves will profit...regardless that their environmental cause to revert the in-holding to Wilderness would succeed. In our case, our charitable Trust would benefit and the charities, so again, because they hate profit with as much or more passion as their environmental cause, its doesn't work. Think Socialist here and you will get the picture. (keep in mind that profit in the case of mining properties is simply the devaluation of the American dollar and increase in gold demand that drives gold prices and not really an increase in value of the real property).
Our experience with the conservation group was great. They were honest and goal oriented, yet the group lacked support from the USFS to scope an appraisal, perhaps due to no staff champion to work through the bureaucracy, funding, vision or maybe something else.
During this activity we didn't have direct talks with the USFS ourselves nor did we care to because of the known history in dealing with Carl and other in-holding owners in the same district. However, the group did consult with multiple USFS approved and experienced appraisers and it is evident that acquisition could have very likely proceeded without them needing to deviate from any USFS appraisal standards and with using existing mineral study data saving the USFS years of work and between $50K-$100K in additional acquisition costs. The acquisition could proceed when or if the USFS decides to simply reprioritize the project, however reversing the ownerships will be more difficult in time.
Maybe the USFS staff is philosophically resistant to recognize the gold prices have nearly quad-tripled since the 2002 offer resulting in a significant increase in the mineral market value. Maybe this would be embarrassing of their initial offer they didn't execute.
To date, the USFS has not been willing to answer the conservation group's request to resolve the perceived road blocks.
No matter, the property is enjoyed for the purposes for which it was purchased by all of its owners, and those personally invited. Go HERE to see what the property is used for.
2007-present FOIA requests by environmentalists tens of dozens$$ Total costs for FOIA by environmentalists tens of thousands$$ Total costs for claim administration TBD Potential other USFS costs hundreds of thousands$$
Our 2007 objective: to diversify, with design for longevity, the ownership for sustained mining and other outdoor enjoyments through encouraging ownership pride and protection of its rare assets.
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