04-28-2025: ALL YPA MEMBERS; PLEASE LOG IN TO THE MEMBERS ONLY PAGE AND READ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DENNIS PETERSON!

05-06-2025: Guest Speakers for our June 5th meeting will be the Quilts of Valor! Plan on attending!

05-06-2025: Thank you to all that were present for Andy’s presentation. It was excellent!!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: As approved at the March YPA meeting we will NO longer utilize the Selah Civic Center for meetings. We will continue to hold meetings at the Golden Villa Club house. Address is 18 W Washington Ave, Yakima, WA

04-29-2025: GUEST SPEAKER at this Thursday May 1st club meeting. Andy Herndon from the Potato Patch will be speaking. Plan on attending, it will be a good one. He loves to talk!

01-22-2025: We will have a guest speaker from Safe-mentoring of Yakima at our February 6th meeting. Hope you can attend! GREAT PRESENTATION BY HAILEY!!!

THIS IS NOW OUR PERMANENT LOCATION! 18 W Washington Ave, Yakima

CLAIMS FOR SALE!!! See our for sale/wanted section. SOLD TO CLUB MEMBER AT THE MARCH MEETING, approved by club vote. More details to follow, WE can still use the claims as members!!

New YPA Club hats soon to be FOR SALE! See Equipment for Sale Page! NOW FOR SALE! $15.00

Club dues for 2025 are now due!

Elections for YPA Club officers took place on 1-02-2025: Here are the results; Del Enders, PRES, Chuck Cady, VICE PRES, Kathy Griffin, TREAS, Chris Foster, SEC, with Shawn Brown as CO-SEC.

Please Note: Central Washington Sportsmen Show has been cancelled for 2025.

Welcome to the Yakima Prospectors Association Website

Our club was originally formed in the early 1980’s as a chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA) and chartered by George (Buzzard) Massie, president and founder of the GPAA. The YPA club is focused on sharing the prospecting history and knowledge on the local area. We are active in promoting prospecting with local events, putting on panning demonstrations and educating the public and youth with our prospecting hobby.

Our club is a member of the Resources Coalition (RC) which is made up of Washington State prospecting clubs and individuals. The primary mission of the RC is to keep an eye on the State and National governments with regulations that limit our congressional rights as prospectors under the mining laws of 1866 and 1872. These rights are given to individuals who are known as “Small Scale Prospectors and miners,” not “recreational miners” who have no rights. There are a lot of groups and organizations that would like to eliminate our activities and close our access to public lands.

We hold monthly meetings and have outings mostly in the fall, spring, and summer months when weather is comfortable to be in the outdoors. Some of our outings involve mine tours, metal detecting, and prospecting on our claims. Our outings usually involve potlucks and families are welcome. We have a Christmas party in December with a potluck at our regular meeting. Outings are a great way to get hands on experience for new prospectors from experienced members.

Our club is an associate member of the Yakima Rock and Mineral Club, allowing their members and ours to attend each club’s meetings and outings. We share each other’s newsletters and meeting minutes to keep everyone’s activities known.

Thank You for your interest and may the bottom of your pan turn yellow!

Kathy Griffin, Treasurer
Yakima Prospectors Association

Meetings

• Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and meetings start at 7:00 p.m.
• We meet at the Golden Villa 55+ community club house, 18 W Washington Ave, Yakima, WA  
• There is a raffle and prizes at each meeting.

Membership

• $25 per year.  Includes access to field trips and claims.
• As a member of the Yakima Prospectors Association, you will have full access to all club claims.
• Click here for membership application.

Outings

• Several outings are planned throughout the year: Metal Detecting Outing in May.  Nile Valley Days in July. Claim Gold Prospecting in August.
• Members can also enjoy metal detecting and rock hounding activities, as well as prospecting.
• Demonstrations include panning and sluicing at local community events.
• And always, all gold you find as a member on club claims, you keep!

7-24-2024:  ATTENTION ALL CLUB MEMBERS!  You can now access the GOLD AND FISH pamphlet in the members only page.