4/12/2007 2:08:00 PM North American treasure hunter wrestles the West
By Jaclyn Randall
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a modern day treasure hunter, exploring caves, looking for precious gems and rocks or digging and locating artifacts? Well, this is all in a day's work for the Wiita family.
The Wiitas consist of seven children ages 16 down to three, and husband and wife team Craig and Jennifer.
This nine-member team is a typical family during the week. Craig coaches the girl's soccer team at the high school; the children are involved in school academically and they are in various extra-curricular activities.
On the weekend they become a film crew. Jennifer writes, directs and edits "The North American Treasure Hunter" for the Men's Outdoor Recreation Channel; Ryan, 16, helps out with the cinematography and equipment set-up; and Ashley, 15, also lends a hand.
"The older kids help out with the whole production," said Craig. "It gives us time to spend with the kids."
The Wiitas have already begun filming in the valley. The last weekend of March was spent at Opal Hill Mine in Palo Verde looking for and collecting fire agate and fire agate in formations.
The next show will be filmed at the Hauser Geode Beds in southeastern California. This show will showcase the unique geodes with their hollowed insides that are filled with crystals.
The Wiitas have a full 30-show schedule for the Men's Outdoor Recreation Channel.
"We will film six to eight shows in the Blythe area," Craig said.
This summer the family will pack up in June and travel to Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, filming shows having to do with a wide range of minerals and fossils.
Each show will provide guides and tours into smaller communities much like Blythe in population and remoteness.
Also, in each of the towns each show is filmed, the local communities will get a chance to be a part of the show.
" At the end of the show, different banners will drop on the screen advertising local sponsors and motel information," Craig said. "We want to help build up the tourism in the communities where we film. The sponsors become part of the show.
"We will be raffling a piece of treasure from each site. This is in addition to being a part of the show. The viewers will have the opportunity have a piece of the show sent to them.
Besides the tourism, the Wiitas explained that their shows are packed with three to seven day vacation ideas that are fun and inexpensive for the whole family. Even for their family of nine.
Besides the television production, Craig is busy with Witta Mining and Exploration, a mining company based in Blythe that specializes in gold and precious metals, according to their Web site.
They also offer metal detecting tours and dry wash tours for groups of two to 20.
On the tours, a group will have the opportunity to look for gold with equipment provided for prospecting. According to the Wiita Mining and Exploration Web site, "Everyone finds gold."
So next time the family is looking for an enjoyable, learning experience that is affordable, call on The North American Treasure Hunter to get that vacation planned.
For more information on the TV show or to track their progress, log onto www.wiitaminingandexploration.com.
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