How do I join?
You can join GPANM by coming to one of our monthly meetings, which are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month (except December when we do not have a general meeting). If you like what you hear and see the GPANM Membership Chairperson will sign you up. The GPANM Home page has more information on the time and location of our monthly meetings.
After you sign up, you'll be given a package of information that contains information about the GPANM organization, member responsibilities, GPANM By-Laws, prospecting rules, prospecting forms, and you'll be emailed the monthly newsletter, which we call The New Mexico Nugget. You'll be emailed instructions on how to gain access to the Members Only section of the GPANM website, where you'll have access to much more information, like GPANM officer contact information, details on upcoming events, surveys, past newsletters, detailed information and the location of the GPANM claims, and much more.
Important note, as a new member, you will still need to get certified on each of the GPANM claims before you go out and work the claim. See the Member Claim Certification question below.
How do I renew my GPANM membership?
Until further notice, the GPANM Membership Chairperson would like all GPANM member renewals to be done by postal mail. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope so the Membership Chairperson can mail you the new membership card and your receipt. The GPANM postal address is shown at the bottom of every webpage on this website, and at the top of every newsletter.
How much are the dues?
Our membership year begins on June 1. New member dues are $84 for the first year, prorated at $7 per month. (So, for instance, if you join on April 1 your annual due is 2 months x $7/month or $14.) After the first year, renewals are $55 per year. Warning: if you miss a year, you will have to pay $84, as if you started again.
Can I come to a meeting without joining?
Yes, you can! This is a great way to learn more about GPANM. By coming to a meeting you will have an opportunity to meet people who know a lot about gold, and learn about upcoming events and outings. We have a monthly raffle for gold nuggets, and by just showing up, a chance to win a prospecting tool as a door prize. (Don't forget to sign-in for the door prize when you come to the meeting.)
What is Member Claim Certification, and how do I get certified on a claim?
All of the GPANM claims are surrounded by other claims. The main reason to get a new member certified on a claim is to inform and educate the new member of the corners and boundaries of the claim. Some claims have really weird boundaries! The GPANM Member Claim Certifier will personally show each new member the corners and boundaries of the claim. (Any GPANM member, in good standing, can also certify a new member. But, there is paperwork involved, and the GPANM Member Claim Certifier can facilitate the process better. See below.)
Once the GPANM Member Claim Certifier is satisfied you know the claim boundaries they will have you fill out a Membership Badge Form, you both will sign the form, and the Certifier will send it to the Member Claim Coordinator when they get back in town. Before you leave the claim, the GPANM Member Claim Certifier will usually hand you a detailed map of the claim. Then a few days later you will receive in the mail a wallet-size badge that you must carry with you to the claim. It is your proof you belong on the claim! (If people on the claim don't recognize you, they will ask!) Once you have your Membership Badge, the next claim you get certified on is a simple process of having the GPANM Member Claim Certifier initialize your Membership Badge. (The GPANM Member Claim Certifier will still fill out a new Membership Badge Form, sign it, and they will send it to the GPANM Member Claim Coordinator when they get back in town. This information goes into a database that keeps track of who has been certified on a particular claim, and if they are a current dues-paid-up GPANM member.)
Then, every year, when GPANM members renew, each member will be issued a new badge, which is a new color. Don't worry, you don't have to get recertified as the badge can be signed with the claims you are currently certified on. Sounds complicated! It really isn't. It's a process that gives our members important claim knowledge. We do not want a GPANM member to accidentally become a claim jumper!
You can join GPANM by coming to one of our monthly meetings, which are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month (except December when we do not have a general meeting). If you like what you hear and see the GPANM Membership Chairperson will sign you up. The GPANM Home page has more information on the time and location of our monthly meetings.
After you sign up, you'll be given a package of information that contains information about the GPANM organization, member responsibilities, GPANM By-Laws, prospecting rules, prospecting forms, and you'll be emailed the monthly newsletter, which we call The New Mexico Nugget. You'll be emailed instructions on how to gain access to the Members Only section of the GPANM website, where you'll have access to much more information, like GPANM officer contact information, details on upcoming events, surveys, past newsletters, detailed information and the location of the GPANM claims, and much more.
Important note, as a new member, you will still need to get certified on each of the GPANM claims before you go out and work the claim. See the Member Claim Certification question below.
How do I renew my GPANM membership?
Until further notice, the GPANM Membership Chairperson would like all GPANM member renewals to be done by postal mail. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope so the Membership Chairperson can mail you the new membership card and your receipt. The GPANM postal address is shown at the bottom of every webpage on this website, and at the top of every newsletter.
How much are the dues?
Our membership year begins on June 1. New member dues are $84 for the first year, prorated at $7 per month. (So, for instance, if you join on April 1 your annual due is 2 months x $7/month or $14.) After the first year, renewals are $55 per year. Warning: if you miss a year, you will have to pay $84, as if you started again.
Can I come to a meeting without joining?
Yes, you can! This is a great way to learn more about GPANM. By coming to a meeting you will have an opportunity to meet people who know a lot about gold, and learn about upcoming events and outings. We have a monthly raffle for gold nuggets, and by just showing up, a chance to win a prospecting tool as a door prize. (Don't forget to sign-in for the door prize when you come to the meeting.)
What is Member Claim Certification, and how do I get certified on a claim?
All of the GPANM claims are surrounded by other claims. The main reason to get a new member certified on a claim is to inform and educate the new member of the corners and boundaries of the claim. Some claims have really weird boundaries! The GPANM Member Claim Certifier will personally show each new member the corners and boundaries of the claim. (Any GPANM member, in good standing, can also certify a new member. But, there is paperwork involved, and the GPANM Member Claim Certifier can facilitate the process better. See below.)
Once the GPANM Member Claim Certifier is satisfied you know the claim boundaries they will have you fill out a Membership Badge Form, you both will sign the form, and the Certifier will send it to the Member Claim Coordinator when they get back in town. Before you leave the claim, the GPANM Member Claim Certifier will usually hand you a detailed map of the claim. Then a few days later you will receive in the mail a wallet-size badge that you must carry with you to the claim. It is your proof you belong on the claim! (If people on the claim don't recognize you, they will ask!) Once you have your Membership Badge, the next claim you get certified on is a simple process of having the GPANM Member Claim Certifier initialize your Membership Badge. (The GPANM Member Claim Certifier will still fill out a new Membership Badge Form, sign it, and they will send it to the GPANM Member Claim Coordinator when they get back in town. This information goes into a database that keeps track of who has been certified on a particular claim, and if they are a current dues-paid-up GPANM member.)
Then, every year, when GPANM members renew, each member will be issued a new badge, which is a new color. Don't worry, you don't have to get recertified as the badge can be signed with the claims you are currently certified on. Sounds complicated! It really isn't. It's a process that gives our members important claim knowledge. We do not want a GPANM member to accidentally become a claim jumper!
Gold Prospectors Association of New Mexico
Our mailing address:
GPANM
P.O. Box 25472
Albuquerque, NM 87125-0472
GPANM
P.O. Box 25472
Albuquerque, NM 87125-0472
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