The importance of planning 3 To be posted elsewhere -- Operation Phoenix

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Subject: The importance of planning 3 To be posted elsewhere

Author:
Allen Currie

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Date Posted: 17:10:39 04/03/13 Wed

Importance of planning 3
As I outlined in my previous articles, I researched every combination of events I could think of, both “natural” (eg weather) and manmade. Once I established what I thought MIGHT happen, I could then prepare a reasonable response. I spent five years in this research.

On the “natural events” side it was pretty clear to me that weather, and other things like solar flares, would be significant in my survival. With that in mind I started studying where in the world weather might be modified to lesser extremes. There were a number of candidates. As I said, I loved the idea of the west coast of North America as a go to ground, but changed my mind. One of the most significant modifiers are largish bodies of water such as the Great Lakes. Not really large enough to CREATE weather, but large enough to modify it. Proximity to the Great Lakes turned out to be key in my final selection. During the dirty, dustbowl 30’s, there was adequate precipitation in some areas, particularly where a currently existing warm weather zone poked its nose up from the US into Canada. The second reason I loved this area was that there existed millions of acres of undeveloped wilderness, satisfying my need for maximum isolation. Unfortunately it was all crown land with no purchases allowed.

Show me a politician who doesn’t have a favorite job creation program, and I will show you a dead politician. All one has to do is show that one is creating or potentially creating jobs, plus follow the inane paperwork and rules attached to the project. Most jurisdictions look to mineral rights, so I will use that example.

In this jurisdiction you buy a prospectors license ($25 and a valid – at the time - address.) plus staking tags (25 cents or $1 each, I forget. Four needed per 400 metre on a side claim. – you can stake up to one square mile of claims in one place.) Get your hands on a map of locations open for staking. (Every Department of Natural Resources – whatever it is called – has one, often on the net,) Cross compare available spaces with a detailed topographical map. If I were doing it, I would look for slightly hilly terrain with swampy areas in the valleys. Say with a beaver dam (which indicates both precipitation and running fresh(ish) water) The area above the dam, now or recently covered with water, will be quite flat, and GOOD soil. Kill off the beavers, or let the wolves do it for you. You now have a ready-made growing area as the beaver pond drains. After picking out two or three potentially good areas on the maps, you have to get to the area to view it personally. Detailed topographical maps usually show trails, fire access roads and things like skidoo trails. With an ATV or 4wheel drive vehicle you can usually drive in. (Remember you are going to have to make some kind of road from where you can drive to, to your camp-site)

Survey out your claim, stake it and register it. (cost about $28 per 400 metre claim.) Now get an occupancy permit. Don’t know at what cost, but not very significant. Here you can “camp” on crown land anywhere without an occupancy permit, but you have to move your camp every 21 days at least 100 metres. The permit removes the obligation to move. Still, here, you may not have a “Permanent” structure. Any structure MUST be mobile, ie hitch up and move it. Break ANY ONE of their rules and they can turf you out.

Now you are in a position to be able to haul in (By dozer, etc) say a 40 foot steel ocean going container as living quarters. (It is very difficult to modify the container way back in the bush with no electricity, etc. so have skids welded to the container and holes for windows cut back in civilization when you buy it. Ask me, I made that mistake.) It is easy to haul in some 2X4’s, some chipboard, painted, for interior walls, some quality insulation (Which is one of the few modern devices I am allowing myself to use on an ongoing basis because it has such a long life.) one or more wood stoves, (I paid $175 for two) a dry composting toilet (Scrounged at the dump) (I have no problem using modern, labor saving devices on a one time basis, but my first goal is to be self sufficient. Eg. I don’t object to using modern equipment to break land, but I want to be able to hand or horse till it. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.)

Now I have a cosy, (I can easily roast myself out on the coldest days.) habitation, which with a few defensive measures, will be a pretty tough nut to crack should a roving group of bandits actually find me. (I do expect to be found about twice a year, Once by bad guys and once by friendlies, which I may be able to add to my community.)

There are a myriad of regulations which can be a pain or a godsend depending on how you use them. Here, to maintain the claim you must do $400 per year of work on each claim. (And make appropriate filings) BUT you can do $800 and bank $400 for next year. The numbers were made up way back when $400 was a months wage. A single grizzled old prospector had to work almost all year to support 10 claims. Today one can claim work at $200 per day, so you can bank a lot. Rather than use man hours to inspect, they require photos and samples of what you found. (Read the regulations carefully.) So two days digging to get rock samples per claim gets you through the year. No taxes or other costs required. Free rent legally, and very few direct costs otherwise.

My novel, “Operation Phoenix” (Available in Download, hard copy, and free sample read at www.AllenCurrie.ca ) takes a different location, but the same economic disaster I envisage and uses the same type of logic to cope with that downfall.

Allen

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