The Economic Benefits of Public Mining Sites
Publicly accessible mining sites can bring many economic benefits to the areas in which they are established. The people who frequent these locations are not miners in the normal sense because they do not need to make a profit to justify their activities. In fact, the vast majority spend far more than they ever make from their efforts. But they reap the rewards of a challenging and exciting outdoor activity.
These persons travel far and wide in search of gold. In recent years an opportunity was made for people to fly to Ganes Creek, Alaska to search for gold nuggets on a patented mining property. These people not only pay $3000 each for their one week stay at Ganes Creek, but considerable extra monies along the way. About 85 people visited Ganes Creek in 2011, and so this one small operation will grossed over $250,000.00 this year from visiting prospectors. The accessory benefits to the local economy acts as a multiplier as these people must fly from all over the country to visit Alaska and spend money while they are there. Often the benefits are felt most directly in small communities that most need the extra boost in visitor dollars.