The Washington Mineral Council is conducting a field trip to Slide Mountain, east of Deming, for plant fossils. The trip will be on April 20, 2024 Saturday. The instructions from Ed Lehman of the Mineral Council are the same as his previous instructions that we posted on our page about the Racehorse Fossils Site 2. See that page for maps and photos. Note that any reference to the IGA store at Nugent Corner should be replaced by Nugent Corner Market. There is a coffee shop across the street from the market.
Presentation on fossils available
The slide presentation given at the February, 2024, meeting is available at the Field Trips page. The presentation titled “Fossil Trail of Washington and Oregon” describes sites where you can view or collect fossils. The PDF version provides one slide per page along with any speaker notes for the page.
Beach Field Trips
Beach Field trip and Picnic.
We will have a canopy set up on site with charts showing beach rocks that can be found on the beaches of the Georgian Straight. We will help identify what you find when you go to our local beaches. Bring your family and beach going chairs, blankets, buckets and lunches and share a fun time of rock hounding.
Two dates; Two locations
Saturday June 17 10-2 at Semiahmoo Park, Blaine, WA
Sunday. July 1 10-2 at Cherry Point Beach
Put the dates in your calendar
New Page About Volunteering at the Show
I have added a new page that describes the volunteer activities at our annual Rock and Gem Show. There are some photos to help you see what’s involved. Please take a look and sign up to help with the show next March. The page is in the menu “About The Club” and linked to from the page about the show.
New Page for the Retail Store
I have added a page that describes the club’s retail store at the Bellis Fair Mall along with the hours of operation. There is a top-level item for this page in the menu bar.
Steamboat Rock presentation available as a PDF
I uploaded a PDF version of my recent presentation on the geology of Steamboat Rock State Park to the website. You can find it on the Links and Resources page as the first item under the heading for Education/Suppliers. The PDF has one slide per page with speaker’s notes underneath.
Auction at October meeting
The October General Meeting is the annual auction and fundraiser for the club. Bring cash or check! There is no show and tell this month.
Location is at the Pioneer Pavilion Community Center, 2007 Cherry St, Ferndale.
Please bring donations of rocks and rock-hobby related items the night of the auction. Bring cash or check for your winning bids!
You do not need to be a member to bid or donate. Guests are welcome.
The money from the auction goes toward the WWU scholarship fund and club activities.
Lapidary Estate Sale
August 27-28, 9-5 pm, 225 Crown Lane, Bellingham, 50-75% off price of slabs and rough. 140 kinds: Amethyst to Zebra Stone.
Minutes of the July meeting
The meeting was called to order by Candi Gerard, 7 pm, at Pioneer Pavilion Community Center, 2007 Cherry St, Ferndale. Candi welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Secretary’s Report: The June 20, 2022, minutes were approved. There are flyers at the front table about upcoming shows and events.
Treasurer’s Report: Deb gave a report of the bills.
Membership: There are 4 new members.
Federation: The Federation show is September 30-October 2, in Hillsboro OR.
Washington State Mineral Council (WSMC): Field trip July 23-24, Sweetwater for Travertine.
The WSMC has field trips for club members to attend. Please check the WSMC website for the schedule and information about the field trips, where/when to meet.
https://mineralcouncil.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/fieldtrips_2022.pdf
Lapidary Report:
• Open lapidary night is on Thursdays, 6-9 pm for members. Cost is $10. You must sign up one week in advance and prepay at the club’s retail store.
• For members to attend open lapidary night, you need to take an Intro class. There is also an upcoming class on beading a cabochon. For more information on classes, sign up, and pre-payment, please go to the club’s retail store in Bellis Fair Mall.
Wagonmaster: Vacant. Need volunteer.
Show 2023: The show is March 25-26, 2023, the last full weekend in March.
New Business:
• We are changing the Rockhound Rendezvous from June to the fall. Attendance may be better in the fall.
• There are papers at the front table for members to sign to show their interest so we know what direction the club should focus on.
• Next month a work party will be scheduled to help go through the rocks for Club Sales.
• For the September 19th meeting, Todd F. will give a presentation on Geology of Steamboat Rock State Park.
• There will be a club picnic/potluck this year on August 28, at Candi and Gordy Gerard’s, 1371 Paradise Rd, Ferndale. The picnic/potluck starts at 5 pm and we will eat at 6 pm. Please bring potluck dish and your own eating utensils (plate, fork, spoon, knife). You will also need to bring your own chairs and drinks.
Break. Happy Birthday 75th to Wes G.. Cake and coffee were served.
Show and Tell for July: Members showed some wonderful specimens of “red rocks.”
The next meeting is on August 15. Show and tell: Fossils
Meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm
Respectfully submitted by Linda M., Secretary
DIY Field Trips
There is now a page under the Field Trips menu for Do It Yourself field trips. These are easily accessible sites that don’t require specialized knowledge. Some sites, like beachcombing, feature collecting. Others are “look-and-learn” sites.
The first two trips are for viewing crinoid fossils. I expect to add some beachcombing info next. You can provide info to me about candidate DIY trips via the club’s email or at a meeting.