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The Association

foto fiumeThe association was formally constituted April 3 rd 1987 to Predosa as “Orba River Goldpanners Historical-Naturalistic Association”, with the purpose ".. to gather people interested on the mineral gold, in order to study and to search, and that intended the pic up as naturalistic hobby, in the full respect of the nature and other people's rights" The constitution happened in the mole-prepared Italian Gold History Museum, managed by the association, near which it immediately began an intense cultural activity. In fact, as from Statute, the association "..promotes the knowledge and protection of the Orba and other gold rivers, with spirit of ecological guardianship of the natural environment and safeguard of the goldpanner secular activity; it performs theoretical and practice spreading of the historical, scientific and practical aspects connected to the presence and the artisan and hobbystic gold digging and panner in Italy; it organizes competitions, exhibitions, lectures and all other initiatives regarding the gold." They were soon organized lectures, excursions, sporting demonstrations and exhibitions in various parts of Italy. Thanks to the activity of the Association the Museum assumed soon importance and notoriety both in national field and international: in fact, it collaborated with some Italian Universities and foreigners (Turin, Genoa, Pisa, Urbino, Geneva), with the Polytechnic in Turin and with that of Madrid, with other public corporations and privacies. In the year 1988 the Association united with other analogous of various parts of Italy, constitute the Goldpanner Italian Federation, whose registered office was established in the same Museum of Predosa. With the Fedepulmanration began the organization of the annual Goldpanner Italian Open Championship and other local and regional appointments: in the year 1997 they also organized together the World Championship to Vigevano. To the beginnings of 1997, owing the restructuring of the Predosa siege, the Museum and the Association were transferred to Silvano D’Orba, in a structure gave from doctor Pipino, founder of the Museum and Scientific Adviser of the Association, and the activity it intensely took back. In the new siege and in the near Piota stream was transferred the classical appointment "Pasquetta with the Goldpanners", that opens the season, and here various demonstrations were organized, among which the Italian Championship Open 1997 with the partecipation of impassioned coming from all Europe and from Australia: all could free visit the museum and were accompanied by members of the Association in excursions to the local gold rivers and to the gold mines. In december 12 th 1999 light changes were bought to the Statute, particularly regarding the activity of management of the Museum, and was accented and underlined the finalities of environmental guardianship, because in the last years initiated an intense industrialization of the low Piota valley, with the consequent problems of pollution. Among the last initiatives of the Association and the Museum, besides the traditional meeting of Pasquetta and the organization of the Piedmontese and the Italian Championships, demonstrations that had great success and prominence, the publication of the G. Pipino volume "Le valli dell’Oro” (Gold Valleys. Miscellany of Geology, Archaeology and History of the Ovada and low Orba valley territories), introduced to Alessandria to care of the Culture Provincial Assessorship within the cultural FORUM, together with a specific exposition in the near Gambarina Folk Museum. During the yar 2001 the Museum was transferred to Lerma, in the building of the ex elementary schools, gave by the Town Administration, and here the Association has begun immediately his activity. He has collaborated besides with the Capanne Marcarolo Natural Park to the publication of the G. Pipino volume "Le miniere d’oro delle valli Gorzente e Piota” (Gorzente and Piota valleys Gold Mines), that introduced the official inauguration of the Museum.