There's a new gold rush in California's Sierra Nevada foothills.
Lots of down-on-their-luck folks are heading to gold country with hopes of striking it rich.
Gold is selling for around $1,000 an ounce.
Officials report requests for prospecting permits are way up since the economy headed way down.
The miners say this is the best time of year for prospecting.
The streams are running fast with snow melt, which could uncover more gold in the gravel.
Many prospectors believe only 10 percent of California's gold was discovered during the first gold rush of the 1840's.
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