February 04, 2023 (Sat) - (NOTICE NEW DATE!!!) ORIENTATION TOUR TO MIDDLE CAMP: 8 AM.  Departing from Jack in the Box parking lot in 29 Palms. Steve Scamman will be the tour guide.  It's a great opportunity to tour the FCM's Middle Camp claims in the remote Eagle Mountain Mining District.  High clearance four-wheel drive vehicles highly recommended.  Be prepared to pay the  park entrance fee if you do not have an annual pass, as we will be driving through the park to access the claim.  Come with lunch, plenty of water and a spare tire!  Please bring radios/walkie talkies on channel 7. (No cell service in area) This is an all-day event.  There will be time to explore and prospect on this day.

February 17 - 19, 2023  (Friday - Monday) PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND CAMPING TRIP TO THE MIDDLE CAMP CLAIMS--  Come for the weekend or come for the day and medal detect or dry wash with other FCM members in the beautiful, remote area of the Eagle Mountain Mining District.  Camp, ATV, explore, and enjoy the night sky, clean air, and the peaceful quiet.  Sit around the campfire at night with other members and tell your tall tales.  High clearance 4X4 vehicle highly recommended.  An AWESOME place to get away from it all. There will be NO Saturday night potluck.  If you have extra room in your vehicle for wood, please bring some for the Saturday night bonfire.  There is no cell phone service  in this area.

Saturday - March 12, 2023  GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:  1 PM. at Jim Wharff's house,  29 Palms.  Directions and map will also be in the newsletter.  An IMPORTANT meeting, as nominations for the new president, treasurer and Sgt-at-Arms will be made.  FCM provides hotdogs and hamburgers.  Remember your chair, drinks, and potluck item.

April 14-16 2023 Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA) will be hosting at their site in Goffs Ca, an Overlanding event. FCM was invited to participate once again this year by setting up a Panning Booth and Tom Koch’s great Mining Museum. We have accepted this invitation, and we will have a Panning Booth set up Saturday April 15^th from 1200 to 5pm. Volunteers are needed to man our site so please let me know if you are available.  Sign up roster will be at our March’s meeting.

 MDHCA is a 501c3 non-profit organization with a 75 acre physical site in Goffs CA where they have a plethora of historic artifacts, a museum, a historic archive and library that houses the most extensive collection of historical research-documents-photos in existence regarding the Mojave Desert, and restored fully functional 1800s mining equipment (Stamp Mills, Gyratory Crushers, etc).  MDHCA mission is conserving and preserving the history of the Mojave Desert Heritage and interpreting backcountry trails.

April 28-30, 2023. (Fri-Sun) CAMP OUT AT THE ORD MOUNTAINS:  The Grizzly 4 claim is here for your mining pleasure.  This is the one FCM campout where you can bring your trailer, motor home, tent or sleep in your vehicle if so desired.  This is remote camping like our other claims so no hookups. Once again, I have invited Valley Prospectors and High Desert Gold Diggers Clubs. Our Grizzly 4 Claim, and HI Desert Gold Digger’s Claims Hot Diggity and Bull Frog will be open to all participants only for this event! Come and join us at the bon fire each night, potluck on Saturday, and the annual FCM Treasure Hunt hosted by Jon & Syndi Carlson.