For what it's worth, to renew claims on land for which there is little sizable progress being contemplated, some certain level of work must be made, or the equivalent in dollars much be paid to renew the claim(s) annually.  In most such cases collecting chip samples is not expected to generate new exciting information.  This most often applies to holdings already known to require drilling but for which funds don't yet exist.  

Under such conditions, anyone trying to make a Hay Mountain out of chip samples is being egregiously promotional.