As Ernie eagerly prepares for the annual gold panning championships, he reflects on the past 50 years of a life genuinely intertwined between the natural world and a by-gone era, all while offering glimmering nuggets of wisdom in an effort to bridge the gap between a new generation to a dying craft. Will Ernie win the next National Gold Panning Competition or will finding peace in the natural world ultimately outweigh the possession of another trophy? THE PROSPECTOR highlights contemporary themes of sustainability, capitalism, and the preservation of the by-gone era, broadening the horizons of historians, educators, naturalists, and laypersons alike.