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The Rockhound Rumblings news bulletin is published monthly for members of the Willamette Agate and Mineral Society, Inc. (WAMS). Kristi Edwards, is the Newsletter Editor. Be sure to send articles and information to her for publication.

To submit information to appear in Rockhound Rumblings email to Kristi, phone, or send by USPS. Please submit information by the 20th of each month to appear in the following bulletin. All submissions are appreciated.

Copies of the WAMS newsletter, Rockhound Rumblings are available for download here. You must have Acrobat Reader to view. You can download Acrobat Reader by selecting the link below.

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February 2005

Ethics - submitted by Joe Van Cura

Ethic: noun; 1. the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. 2. a set of moral principles or values.

Most of us have at one time or another seen the Rockhounds’ Code of Ethics. With the start of a new year and a new collecting season, I believe we should revisit this topic.

First, I would like to relate an incident from last summer. I was attending a rock show and wearing my WAMS t-shirt as usual when one of the dealers, upon seeing my shirt, made a derogatory remark about our club. I asked him why he felt that way. He proceeded to tell me about an encounter with one of our club members that left a sour taste in his mouth. I will not go into all the details or mention any names, but someone from our club took advantage of his generosity and collected an unreasonable amount (more than personal use) of material from his claim. He came very close to closing his claim to the public, not just our club. Fortunately, for the time being, he is willing to continue to permit collecting for personal use.

After this incident, I started thinking about all of the areas that are closed now because of past abuses, either directly or indirectly. Many of these areas, such as Holley Blue and Rogers Mountain, were closed before I became a rockhound. I will probably never have the chance to collect there. If we want to keep current collecting sites open, we must observe the Code of Ethics. Many of the sites we go to on field trips could be closed down if abused. This is especially true about some of the private claims we have been to such as Rocky Butte picture jasper, McDermitt thundereggs, Graveyard Point, and Ochoco Tube Agate. We want these people to continue to trust that we will not take advantage of them.

If you haven’t seen the Code of Ethics, it is frequently published in the Northwest Federation Newsletter. Or visit our web site and follow the links. Our club has adopted the AFMS Code of Ethics. So remember for the future of our hobby please be ethical, and “rockhound responsibly”. (Code of Ethics, adopted by the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, printed on Page 4)

February Program - Rock Tumbling

The February program will be about rock tumbling. We have a lot of new members and we thought that it would be great to show everyone what rock tumbling is all about. We will demonstrate different types tumblers, both tumbling and polishing, and show what you need to start tumbling and polishing rocks and agates. Hope to get some more people interested. Don't forget, the club has rock tumblers and rock polishers for loan.

Editor’s Message
Hello Rockhounds,

Happy February to all of you! Spring is right around the corner, you know? Hopefully, one of our members will step up to volunteer for the Field Trip Chairperson position, and help organize some group collecting opportunities for our club. As Kit reminded everyone at the January meeting, you don’t have to lead all of the trips in order to be the Field Trip Chairperson; just organize them. We have many members who certainly would make themselves available to lead one or two of the trips to various sites.

I hope many of you can join us in Newport this upcoming weekend (more information on the field trip on Page 6). This is a very family-friendly field trip, for those of you with children. Zachary will be in attendance; he is a survivor of the year we had 70+ mph gusts of wind on the beach that literally shredded our Disneyland rain ponchos! We also had a fantastic lightning and thunder show over the Pacific when we returned to our ocean-view rooms at the Waves Motel. February weather – you never know what to expect J

I’m communicating a new deadline for submissions to each issue of the newsletter. I need to receive ads, articles, and Committee updates by the 24th of each month. Feel free to contact me by phone or email if you need to submit information after the monthly deadline; I can perhaps adjust the layout to include your submission. Thanks for your help!

Submit your articles and photographs electronically to me or contact me at the meetings (or by phone at 503.881.4373) to make arrangements to have photos scanned and articles processed.

See you at the meeting,

Janine Owens, WAMS Bulletin Editor

President’s Message
Dear Rockhound Members,

Well, I survived my first meeting of the year. I had fun and I was glad to see all of you there. The February meeting will be great and I hope we have just as good or even a better turn out.

I still need two committee positions filled – the Field Trip position and the Programs position. If you are interested, please let me know.

I am disappointed that we did not make our 100% membership dues payment by December 31. I'm even more disappointed that it is already February and we still have about 30 families (50 members) that have not yet paid their dues. Please let me or one of the Members at Large know why you let your WAMS membership lapse. We don't want to lose you so please get your dues in.

Our first field trip of 2005 is this weekend. We will be searching for beach agates near Newport. It's a fun time for all. Come for the day on Saturday or spend the night in Newport and have another day at the beach on Sunday.

See you Thursday at the meeting and again Saturday at the beach.

Kit Leshk, President

Volunteer Needed for WAMS Show School Program - submitted by Kit Leshk

I am asking for a volunteer to take over the show school program beginning next year. I've done it for several years now and it's time for someone to take it over. This position includes updating the yearly school letter, contacting the Salem-Keizer School District and the Willamette Education Services District, updating the school mailing list, preparing, printing, folding, stuffing envelopes and distributing the school letters. It also includes greeting and talking to the school children as they get off the busses and getting all the children into the Fluorescent show. I am prepared to have someone shadow me at the show this year to learn what I do. If you are interested, please contact me.

AFMS News - Can be viewed at www.amfed.org

A large measure of the enjoyment of our hobby consists of collecting in the field. For that reason, the members are proud to endorse the following:

"Code of Ethics"
    • I will respect both private and public property and will do no collecting on privately owned land without permission from the owner.
    • I will keep informed on all laws, regulations or rules governing collecting on public lands and will observe them.
    • I will, to the best of my ability, ascertain the boundary lines of property on which I plan to collect.
    • I will use no firearms or blasting material in collecting areas.
    • I will cause no willful damage to property of any kind such as fences, signs, buildings, etc.
    • I will leave all gates as found.
    • I will build fires only in designated or safe places and will be certain they are completely extinguished before leaving the area.
    • I will discard no burning material - matches, cigarettes, etc.
    • I will fill all excavation holes which may be dangerous to livestock.
    • I will not contaminate wells, creeks, or other water supplies.
    • I will cause no willful damage to collecting material and will take home only what I can reasonably use.
    • I will practice conservation and undertake to utilize fully and well the materials I have collected and will recycle my surplus for the pleasure and benefit of others.
    • I will support the rockhound project H.E.L.P. (Help Eliminate Litter Please) and will leave all collecting areas devoid of litter, regardless of how found.
    • I will cooperate with field-trip leaders and those in designated authority in all collecting areas.
    • I will report to my club or federation officers, Bureau of Land Management or other authorities, any deposit of petrified wood or other materials on public lands which should be protected for the enjoyment of future generations for public educational and scientific purposes
    • I will appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources.
    • I will observe the “Golden Rule”, will use Good Outdoor Manners and will at all times conduct myself in a manner which will add to the stature and Public Image of Rockhounds everywhere.

Revised July 7, 1999 at the AFMS Annual Meeting

NFMS News
Can be viewed at www.amfed.org/nfms/

AFMS 50th Anniversary NFMS Cabs
I have possession of twenty-one cabochons that were contributed by NFMS members to the AFMS 50th Anniversary celebration held in 1997, at Jackson Mississippi. Past President Bill Luke, has been storing them, has now turned them over to me. They were last displayed at our Federation Show in Port Townsend, WA, although they have been displayed at various club shows by Bill.

I am suggesting that the collection be the corner stone for a larger NFMS Collection. The expanded collection would be of outstanding examples of all lapidary work being done within our Federation. The collection would include not only cabs, but carvings, spheres, intarsia, faceting, jewelry and any of the other lapidary areas.

To insure that the collection is available for both the membership and general public viewing year around it is hoped that a museum such as the Rice Museum would house and display the collection under the name of the NFMS. In addition it would be understood that portions of the collection would be made available for use by our Federation at our Annual Shows.

I would appreciate any comments or other ideas on this subject.

Jack Edwards, NFMS President

Cool Websites - by Janine Owens

The Mineral Information Institute - A great site with information about the use of minerals in our every-day world (great for kids, too): www.mii.org

Link to tide tables at the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport: http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/weather/tides/tides.html

Adjudication in April - submitted by Ted Silver

Everyone is encouraged to bring lapidary items to the April meeting for adjudication. It's not a big deal. No careers are going to be destroyed or enhanced either way. It's just a friendly tool for us to gauge how well and how far our lapidary skills have advanced. You don't have to be an old-timer or an expert. All skill levels are welcome and encouraged to participate. It's how we help each other develop better habits and workmanship.

Items will be scored as follows:

Workmanship = 70
Quality of material = 20
Labeling and identification = 10

Workmanship (lapidary treatment) refers to shaping, surface finishing (degree of polish, absence or presence of scratches).

Quality of Material refers to color, color pattern, freedom from flaws, and freedom from undesirable inclusions.

Labels should be neat, typed or printed, must show name of material and locality of origin. Indicate at least the state, if U.S., county if Oregon, country if foreign. Labels will be judged on correct spelling, accuracy of origin and overall neatness.

This adjudication method and standards should not be confused with judging standards for competition cases at shows. That is a completely different matrix and is based on an entire case, not individual pieces. That information is available from the NFMS or you are welcome to look at mine. As of this writing I am awaiting what I hope is the final piece of information (Approved List of Lapidary Names) for judging cases.

Northwest Federation Show Report - submitted by Janice Van Cura

Plans for the Federation Show are moving ahead. The registration form and display case applications will be printed in the March NFMS newsletter. After that, we hope that we have lots of people signing up to come and display at the show. Ray Plummer has agreed to assist Chris Wissinger in coordinating the displays. There will be information at the February meeting to sign up for part of the Treasure Trail or a competitive or non-competitive display. If you want to try a display first before the Federation Show, I suggest that you sign up to do a display at the April WAMS show. Displaying is a fun way to show off your favorite rocks. What rockhound doesn't like to brag about their latest find or lapidary work? There is still a lot to be done, but more on that after our club show.

Newspaper Recycling Benefits Senior Center - submitted by Ted Silver

Newspapers! Please bring your newspapers to the Salem Senior Center for recycling. You can deposit them in the big blue bin in the parking lot or in one of the gray receptacles by the front and back doors. 100% of money collected is used by Friends of The Salem Senior Center to support the many programs offered at the Center. Thanks!

Minutes from January 6 General Meeting - submitted by Chuck Hunt

The meeting was opened by President Kit Leshk at 6:33 p.m. There was an introduction of new officers and guests. There were a total of 80 members and guests. Kit advised that we need to fill some positions such as Field Trip Chairperson, Junior Chairperson, and Program Chairperson.

Show and Tell was the letter “T” and there were many of them including a lot of (fossilized) teeth!

Program: The program was by Aaron Currier with a talk about a trip to the coast in February for our annual field trip to find agates. He covered many of the areas that we will be looking for the sometimes elusive agates, including Beverly Beach, Ona Beach, Lincoln Beach, Lost Creek, etc. and concentrating on the mid-Oregon Coast. He brought lots of material gathered in the past to give those who have not had the opportunity to go a look at what we will be searching for. Areas covered were agates, fossils, petrified wood, and safety regarding logs and sneaker waves. He also demonstrated some equipment you might need for a successful trip. The field trip is scheduled for February 5 - 6 to Newport.

Break.

There was a short executive board meeting to approve new member applications to be presented to the membership. The next Executive Board meeting will be Monday, January 24th at the Salem Senior Center.

General Meeting Resumed. The meeting was called to order by President Kit Leshk.

Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as printed. Membership voted and approved.

Treasurer's Report: Treasurer Theresa Byrne read the Treasurer’s report. A motion was made and seconded to approve the report. Membership voted and approved. A motion was made and seconded to pay the bills, as read by the Treasurer. Membership voted and approved.

WAMS Show Report: Chairperson Bob Harrison was absent.

Federation Show Report: Janice Van Cura advised the need for more participation from WAMS members for the Oregon “Treasure Trails” show cases. If you don’t have enough to fill a case you can be paired with another person to make a complete case. The Federation Committee needs to know next month (February). Contact Chris Wissinger or Janice Van Cura. The next Federation Show Committee meeting is January 13th at 7 p.m. The question came up as to who do we order a Federation Rule Book from?

Field Trip: Next one is February 5th – 6th to the Oregon coast for agate and fossil collecting at Newport.

Federation Report: Susan Robertson advised there was nothing to report.

Oregon Council Report: Dan Groah absent.

Newsletter Report: Janine Owens advised she still needs articles or pictures for the Rockhound Rumblings and some original articles. You can win an award for some articles.

Adjudication Report: Ted Silver advised that the next adjudication will be at the April meeting. In the next newsletter, Ted will have a format for critiquing the specimens turned in.

Library Report: Chris Wissinger absent.

Stamps: Peg Townsend says keep in bringing in those stamps so she can turn them into the Federation.

Sunshine Report: It was reported that Rob Leedy and Janet Lundeen were not well.

Senior Center Classes: Lapidary, silversmithing and jewelry making are still in full swing. For lapidary, check with Ted Silver or Gene Gangle. For jewelry making or silversmithing, contact Jodee Leshk or Charmaine Mortimore.

Christmas Dinner: The dinner was a great success and 80 people were in attendance. Everyone received a gift to take home (some more than one!)

Dues are due by the February meeting or you will be dropped from the active membership list!

New Business
We still need three more chairpersons to fill vacancies: Programs, Juniors, and Field Trips. Archie Jahnke volunteered to work with the youth in the club as the junior director.

Installation of new members: Members moved and seconded a motion to approve the list of new members. Membership voted and approved the new members. They are Mark Heath, Joel Hurtado, Larry Blumenstein, Jolynn Espinosa, Archie, Jenna and Shara Jahnke and Harold Moors. WAMS now has a membership of 232!

Additional Treasurer Report: A motion was made and seconded to pay additional bills presented by the Treasurer. Membership voted and approved.

Refreshments for the February meeting: Archie Jahnke, Jolynn Espinosa, Joann Kobel and Susan Robertson volunteered to bring refreshments.

Show and Tell for February will be the letter “U”.

Meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m.

February Field Trip Information
- submitted by Janine Owens

The annual field trip to Newport on the Oregon coast to collect agates and fossils will be the weekend of February 5-6. An announcement will be made at the February meeting for a timeframe to meet on the beach (usually at the Lost Creek State Park beach area) on Saturday. Members will have a dinner at the Sizzler in Newport Saturday evening (time will be announced at the February meeting).

The tides for that weekend are as follows:

Saturday – High 8:05 a.m., Low 3:40 p.m.
Sunday – High 9:09 a.m., Low 4:32 p.m.

Harry and Joan at the Waves Motel have typically provided club members with a discounted rate for nice, ocean-view rooms. Identify yourself as being with WAMS for the annual field trip when you contact them. The phone number is 800.252.6993, and their website is www.wavesofnewport.com.

Hope to see you there!

The Willamette Agate and Mineral Society would like to invite everyone to the 2005 Northwest Federation Show.

DATE: August 5 - 7, 2005

LOCATION: Albany, Oregon (20 miles south of Salem)
Linn County Fair and Expo Center - Right off I-5
Free parking at the Fairgrounds

Competitive and Non-Competitive Display Cases
Silent Auction
Demonstrators, plus much more

Lectures by:
Rudy Tscherniak, Rice Museum – Zeolites
Janice & Joe Van Cura, WAMS – Thundereggs
Jeff Murray – Missoula Floods and How they Impacted the Face of Oregon
Walter Wright – Introduction to Petrified Wood Identification

Fossil Lectures by:
Dr. William Orr, University of Oregon – The Mineralogy of Fossils
Dr. Jeffery Myers, Western Oregon University – Paleoclimatology of Oregon as determined by studies in Paleobotony
Andrew Bland, NARG – Fossil Collection, Preparation and Preservation
Dr. Dave Taylor – Jurassic Ammonites of Oregon
Guy DiTorrice, Educator – Fossil Collecting on the Oregon Coast, and Metasequoia - Proposal for Oregon's Official State Fossil

Seminars:
After the Show on Monday and Tuesday, Walt Wright will be presenting a seminar on Petrified Wood Identification at the Holiday Inn Express. Limited space available so sign-up early. Cost is $40. For more information contact Dan Groah at 503-873-6930 or email dang@ncn.com.

For more information, email info@wamsi.org, or visit http://wamsi.org/pages/wr_nwfs.html
JANUARY 2005

WAMS Ends 2004 with a Party - submitted by Janine Owens

WAMS members closed out 2004 with the annual Holiday Social, which was again held at Lum Yuen’s Restaurant in Salem. Our social director, Sandy Wissinger, arranged a fantastic Chinese feast for us, buffet style.

The 2005 elected officials were introduced, and George Goetzelman performed the traditional swearing in of officers. Your 2005 elected officers are:

President: Kit Leshk
Vice President: Ray Plummer
Secretary: Chuck Hunt
Treasurer: Theresa Byrne
Federation Director: Dexter Leonard
Members at Large:
Don Miller
Dan Groah
Tom Beaty
Chris Wissinger

In addition to the great company, and great food, members enjoyed an extended game of Rocky Bingo, a wrapped gift exchange, and no one went home empty-handed, as each member and guest received a minimum of one grab-bag gift (some lucky devils scored two!).

Editor’s Message
Hello Rockhounds,
Happy, happy New Year to you and your families! Zachary and I wish peace, prosperity, and good health to all of you. Our organization begins 2005 with many new officers and committee chairs who have stepped up to volunteer their time and energy to making WAMS the best it can be. Thank you for being involved! We look forward to an energizing year of positive changes for our group. The new Membership Directory is available in printed form, as well as an electronic version in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. Let me know if you would like an electronic copy emailed to you.

Also, remember that the newsletter is available online at www.wamsi.org. Susan Appleby, our web guru, does an excellent job to upload the current issue in a very timely manner. And, while you’re at the website, check for new photos in the Photo Gallery, as well as up-to-date information about upcoming events. Our website is an excellent resource for members, and prospective members, too.

Rockhound Rumblings needs your articles, photos, and field trip reports. Feel free to email them to me or give them to me at the meetings, or call me at (503) 881-4373. You can also submit articles via the website at www.wamsi.org (click on the “Rockhound Rumblings” link on the left side to find an email link that will be forwarded automatically to my personal email address).
Janine Owens, WAMS Bulletin Editor

President’s Message
Hello Fellow Members,
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. Well, it’s a new year and it’s time to think about your 2005 rockhound adventures. What will they be? Dusting off some of that equipment and starting a new project? Maybe getting that piece of equipment that you have been thinking about for so long? Going on some rock hunting trips? Perhaps it’s volunteering for a committee position or to help out in some other way. Whatever it may be, I’m sure it will be fun.

Speaking of volunteering, we have three committee positions that need to be filled. They are the Field Trip position, the Programs position, and the Education/Juniors position. I’m sure with all our club members out there, these positions can easily be filled. Well, we did not make our 100% membership dues payment by December 31. Thank you to those that have already paid their 2005 dues. Remember dues are due by the first meeting in January so to those that have not yet paid, please do so as soon as possible.

We’ll be starting the new year with almost all new officers, so say hi to them and welcome them at the next meeting. New January, 2005 Telephone Directories and new WAMS Bylaws will be available at the January meeting. Be sure to pick up a copy of each. Don’t forget, we’re still following the alphabet for “Show and Tell”. January’s letter is “T”.

See you all at the January meeting,
Kit Leshk, President

Cool Websites - by Janine Owens

Combine two hobbies! Check out this link at Bob’s Rock Shop to stamps issued related to rocks/gems/minerals: http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/stamps/united_states/united_states_toc.html

Visit GeologyLink for in-depth articles, lecture notes, virtual fieldtrips and more relating to Earth and its Geology: www.geologylink.com

Visit http://www.uvminerals.org/ for an abundance of information on fluorescent minerals

Anything and everything for the rockhound including free gem & mineral electronic greeting cards at http://www.worldofrockhounds.com/index.html

Our club website can be accessed at www.wamsi.org.
Here you’ll find the latest information on meeting information and field trips. The newsletter, Rockhound Rumblings, is available for download and also available to read online.

WAMS 2004 Member Awards - submitted by Aaron Currier

Lifetime Achievement Award: In recognition of more than twenty years of continued dedication to the support and promotion of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society.
Evelyn Hamby

Horizon Award: In recognition of the Junior Member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society for support of the club and who most shows promise to be a lifelong rockhound.
Elsa McKinney

New Member of the Year Award: In recognition of the new member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who has most shown enthusiasm and dedication toward supporting the club and promoting the hobby of rockhounding.
Wayne Chesley

Field Trip Achievement Award: In recognition of the Member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who has gone above and beyond normal activity to collect a rock, gem, or mineral during a sanctioned field trip.
Barry Ward (for building an outhouse at Paulina for field trip comfort)

Program of the Year Award: In appreciation of the member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who provided the most entertaining program at a general meeting.
Ray & Nancy Plummer

Multifarious Award: In recognition of the member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who was most resourceful, creative, and multifarious with the use of “letters of the alphabet - colors” for show and tell.
Susan Appleby

Community Awareness Award: In appreciation of the member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who most provided information to membership regarding important issues affecting the hobby of rockhounding.
Janine Owens

Excellence in Education Award: In appreciation of the member of WAMS who has most supported the education of children toward the sciences and hobby of rockhounding.
Debbie Eisenhut (for her amazing work with the kids during the fluorescent show)

Inspirational Rockhound of the Year Award: In recognition of the member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who most promoted the hobby of rockhounding.
Chris Wissinger

WAMS Member of the Year: In recognition of the member of the Willamette Agate & Mineral Society who most promoted the club.
(Past Winners)
1993: George Goetzelman
1994: not awarded
1995: John & Lucille Sams
1996: Lloyd Hamby
1997: Phil Oakley
1998: not awarded
1999: Rob Leedy
2000: Susan Appleby
2001: Don Esch
2002: Kit Leshk
2003: Ted Silver

Qualifications: Everyone who is a standing member of WAMS Nominees (chosen by the membership): Tom Robertson, Ted Silver, Bob Harrison, Janine Owens, Aaron Currier, Kit Leshk, and couples Kit and Jodee Leshk, Ray and Nancy Plummer, Joe and Janice VanCura, and Rudy and Susan Appleby. The votes were cast and the winner was chosen by a landslide.

This person has been a member of WAMS since 1997 and has participated in field trips, volunteered at the show, and taken on the responsibilities of executive positions over the years. The other person who goes with the first person mentioned joined a couple of years later and most recently has been very involved in both our show and in teaching our members. What have they done this year? More of the same! At the show, one of you organized the school kids (again), helped set up, helped take down, and was the last to leave (with Bob and I) each night after the show closed.

The other organized the silent auction, and brought homemade donuts and desserts. One of you took on an officer position on the board and helped to organize the new member packets like never before; meanwhile, the other taught jewelry-making to our members. Both of you worked above and beyond expectations to organize our donation rock pile for use in auctions and sales. Thanks for the coffee and snacks, and in some cases dinner. Thanks for working so hard on club projects, and most importantly, thanks for your dedication to our club.
Kit and Jodee Leshk

Display Cases for 2005 Federation Show - submitted by Chris Wissinger
There will be approximately 200 displays at the Federation show next year, and of the 200 displays, 25 to 35 will focus on specific locations in Oregon. The committee is asking our members to sign up for their favorite location, and this is your opportunity to show off your prized rocks from your favorite spot in Oregon.

If you have a good sample from a location but not enough material to fill an entire case, please let us know as your rock may work well in another case. If possible, we would like to include pictures of your field trips inside the case; that will show off the location where the material was collected. If you would like to sign up for a case please contact Chris Wissinger at 503-304-9400. Other clubs will be attending our show from various states in the northwest, and possibly further, so let’s show them what rock hounding in Oregon is all about (or what rock hounding as a WAMS member is all about). Thank you Chris Wissinger 503-304-9400

WAMS 4-H Project - submitted by Ted Silver
The 4-H project is moving forward thanks to the generosity of WAMS members. For those who don’t know, the equipment that was auctioned at the November meeting was donated by the 4-H Center Manager. In return, I offered to have club members cut and polish slabs to be imbedded in the Chapel Garden wall they had planned. The wall is done and waiting for our slabs.

On December 18, Gerry Lundeen, George Ostertag and myself went to the center and sorted through the pile of rocks and selected those that we felt would work for the project. Aaron Currier and Jim Bennett have volunteered to help cut them and Don Esch will help with the polishing. There are plenty of rocks to go around so if you have some time and would like to participate in this project please give me a call. Thanks! Ted Silver, 503-585-2559.

Got Fossils? - submitted by Bill Sullivan, Tualatin Valley Gem & Mineral Club
We are encouraging the growth of a new group of northwest fossil enthusiasts to explore, collect, record and prepare Northwest fossils. We are organizing as a Non-Profit 501(c) organization. We offer field trips to continue research, preparation labs to develop preservation techniques and to expose the natural beauty of our fossil resource treasures. We strive to document our findings for scientific and public benefit. We welcome your interest and participation. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at: Rice NW Museum of Rocks & Minerals 26385 NW Groveland Drive Hillsboro, OR 503-647-2418

Please review our website at: www.narg-online.com
Contacts: Andrew Bland Phone: (360) 907-3362 Email: abland@narg-online.com
Contact: Bill Sullivan (TVGC) Phone: (503) 429 – 6707 E-mail: wood4sail@netzero.com

We will have Fossil preparation demonstration areas at:
Northwest Fossil Fest – Oregon Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, Feb 12, 2005
NFMS Show – Oregon Treasure Trails, Albany, OR, August 5, 6 & 7th, 2005
Camp Hancock – Hosted by NFMS, 4-day Fossil Prep Labs, Fossil, OR, September 5-11, 2005

Newspaper Recycling Benefits Senior Center - submitted by Ted Silver
Newspapers! Please bring your newspapers to the Salem Senior Center for recycling. You can deposit them in the big blue bin in the parking lot or in one of the gray receptacles by the front and back doors. 100% of money collected is used by Friends of The Salem Senior Center to support the many programs offered at the Center. Thanks!

Minutes from November 4 General Meeting - submitted by Chuck Hunt
The meeting was opened with announcements and the introduction of guests. There were 76 members and guests. Since this was the first time we have had a silent auction of equipment and rocks an explanation was provided.

Show and Tell: This month it was the letter “S” and there were quite a few good examples of ‘sssss’ rocks. December there will be no Show and Tell since we will be having our Christmas Party, but it will be back in January! It will be the letter “T”.

Executive Emergency Board Meeting: There was an emergency meeting of the Executive Board to vote on funding the Christmas Party. Members moved and seconded to fund the party the same as for 2003. Approved.

Membership Applications: Members moved and seconded to approve five new applications. Approved. New members are: Nancy and Jay Nunley, David Clark, Michael Jones, and Arlo Erickson. Next Executive Board Meeting will be November 15, 2004 General Meeting Resumed. At 8:05 p.m. the meeting was called to order by President Aaron Currier.

Secretary minutes: Members moved and seconded to approve the minutes for the October General Meeting and Executive Board. Approved.

Treasurer’s Report: Members moved and seconded to approve as presented. Approved. Members moved and seconded to pay bills. Approved.

WAMS Show Report: Bob Harrison absent.

Federation Report: Susan Robertson absent.

Federation Show Report: Update by Janice VanCura. Next Federation Show meeting will be November 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Center. They will be planning to have about 25-30 competitive cases as well as many non-competitive cases. There will be space for about 200 cases.

Oregon Council Report: Dan Groah advises that he needs some good Oregon material for the case at the Capitol. Please label the material as to type and the Oregon county it was found in. If necessary bring your material to the Christmas Party or deliver to Dan sooner as the final labels will be made so that there is consistency in labeling.

Field Trip Report: Nothing upcoming at the moment.

Publicity Report: Susan Appleby absent, but it was reported that there is a lot of good stuff on our web site www.wamsi.org. Most of the forms on the web site can be printed including WAMS show flyers, Federation show flyers, and the Walt Wright petrified wood identification workshop on Monday and Tuesday following the Federation Show August 8 & 9.

Newsletter Report: Janine Owens has graciously accepted the position for another year starting in January, 2005. A “BIG” thanks to Janine and all the work that she does getting the newsletter out including waiting for the secretary to get the minutes to her!!

Awards and Adjudication: Ted Silver absent. Next adjudication will be in April, 2005.

Senior Center: Charmaine Mortimore advised that they have some new people signed up for the jewelry classes and that she will make a suggestion to the Executive Board about putting together a starter kit for the jewelry classes.

Library Report: The library cart is still in the repair shop. Chris Wissinger absent.

Stamps: Peg Townsend will accept all the canceled stamps you can bring her, so she can send them on the Federation. Sunshine Report: Jennifer Ferrell absent.

Note: At the Christmas Party, Art Winter will be accepting any supplies to help fill boxes or donations for the Oregon National Guard Troops serving in Iraq. Many of these items (pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc.) are passed on by our troops to the Iraqi children for school.

New Business: Installation of the new members. Members moved and seconded to approve the new members. Approved. They are Nancy and Jay Nunley, David Clark, Michael Jones, Carmella Cole and Arlo Erickson. Ray Plummer of the nominating committee read and explained the ballot. Members moved and seconded to approve the ballot as printed. Nominees are: President: Kit Leshk Vice President: Ray Plummer Secretary: Chuck Hunt Treasurer: Theresa Byrne Federation Director: Dexter Leonard and Chris Wissinger Members at Large: (4) Dan Groah, Don Miller, Chris Wissinger, Tom Beaty. The floor is opened for additional nominations. Rob Leedy nominated for member at Large. Nominations:Closed
Additionally there will be a vote on amending the By- Laws and nominating special awards for people who have done the most for WAMS the past year.

Break for the Vote: The results are: President: Kit Leshk Vice President: Ray Plummer Secretary: Chuck Hunt Treasurer: Theresa Byrne Federation Director: Dexter Leonard Members at Large: Dan Groah, Don Miller, Chris Wissinger, Tom Beaty. The amendment to the By-Laws passed 48-1. We have 196 voting members and received the required 25% vote for a quorum (49). Meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

NOVEMBER 2004

Holiday Social for Members - submitted by Sandy Wissinger

Date: Saturday, December 11th
Time: Open at 5:30, dinner around 6:00-6:30 pm
Cost: $10.00 for members, and $15.00 for non-member guests (this mirrors last year's)

Place: Lum Yuen Restaurant
3190 Portland Rd.
Salem, OR 97303
503-581-2912

Tentative menu will be as follows:
Fried Won Ton & BBQ Pork
Fried Shrimp
Pork Chow Mein Cantonese Style
Cashew Nut Chicken
Sweet & Sour Pork
Special Fried Rice

A sign up sheet will be at the November meeting. I will need a head count so that I know a rough estimate of how many grab bags I will need. I will keep track of who has signed up and who has paid, and if they miss the meeting I will collect the money at the door.


Thanks a bunch, and let me know if you need more information.

Sandy Wissinger
503-588-5858

A gift exchange will be held this year. Please bring a wrapped gift of approximate $5.00 value to the social, and be sure to mark your gift as ‘his’, ‘hers’, or ‘either’.

WAMS on Display at the Capitol - submitted by Dan Groah

On Thursday, December 16, at 3:00 p.m., WAMS will put in the next display in the Oregon State Capitol display case. Dan Groah, WAMS Oregon Council representative, will be at the Capitol building to help WAMS members put their Oregon materials in the Capitol case. Any worked rocks or minerals from Oregon are acceptable, such as polished specimens or slabs, jewelry with Oregon material, or tumbled rock. All displayed pieces are locked in the glass case and only the Oregon State Police can open it. We need to put our items in on a weekday during business hours, because that's when the Capitol building is open. If you wish to put in items, but cannot be there at that time, you can bring them to Dan Groah beforehand.

Dan needs to know what your display entry is by December 1st so we can make signage (courtesy of Aaron Currier). Please tell Dan what your rock or mineral is and in what Oregon county it was collected. Contact Dan at 503-873-6930.

Visit WAMS on the web: www.wamsi.org

Editor’s Message

Hello Rockhounds,

Wow! It’s November already! By the time you receive this, the kids will all be on their post-Halloween sugar high, we will have turned the clocks back, and the elections will be over. Thanksgiving is near, and Santa isn’t far behind.

It also means that we’re nearing the end of 2004, and heading into a year that will be a busy one for our group, with the undertaking of *two* shows this year. With all of the planning that has already taken place, I think our Show Chairpersons, Bob Harrison and Janice Van Cura, are going to make these two of the finest shows in the Northwest this year. There are many areas to participate and volunteer your time, skills, and knowledge for both of these shows. Get involved, and join the fun!

And, remember that your articles and submissions are welcome and appreciated for the newsletter. You can mail submissions to me (my mailing address is on the back page of the newsletter), or email them. You can also submit articles via the website at www.wamsi.org (click on the “Rockhound Rumblings” link on the left side to find an email link that will be forwarded automatically to my personal email address).

Janine Owens, WAMS Bulletin Editor

Upcoming NW Shows
 November 2004
5-7 Springfield Thunderegg
Rock Club
Eugene, OR
November 2004
12-14 Gem Faire
Eugene, OR
November 2004
13-14 Skagit Rock & Gem Club
Sedro-Woolley, WA
November 2004
13-14 Maplewood Rock & Gem Club
Edmonds, WA
November 2004
19-21 Gem Faire
Portland, OR

“S” Rocks for Show & Tell

Sapphire – Selenite – Silver – Smithsonite – Smoky Quartz – Sodalite – Spessartine – Sugilite – Sphere – Sagenite – Serpentine – Soapstone – Specularite – Sunstones - Stilbite


President’s Message
Greetings Fellow Rockhounds,

This is it... good or bad, it's my last president's message (again). One more general membership meeting and my official duties as your president are done. (I'm planning to relax at the Christmas party.) I guess this is a good opportunity to reflect on all the club's successes of the past year... from our best rock show in years, to the acceptance as host of the NFMS regional show next August, to the acquisition of numerous rock material and equipment donations for our club's use, to the growing junior education efforts, to a year of excellent programs including speakers from the community, to some exciting and lucrative field trips, to the development of a very useful and attractive website, to reaching the heights of one of the largest and fastest growing rock clubs in the country (we officially have over 200 members), we are traveling together in a very productive, educational, and fun journey.
With the enthusiasm toward our club from so many members, I have all the confidence that WAMS success will continue under new leadership. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you to all who have supported me, and more importantly thank you to all who have supported our club and this amazing hobby we call rockhounding.
Best regards,
Aaron Currier, President

Membership Dues are Due - submitted by Linda Groah

Membership dues for 2005 will be collected at the November meeting, and the Christmas dinner. You can also send your check to the mailing address: WAMS, PO Box 13041, Salem, OR, 97309-1041. We need to send in our final list before the end of December to the Federation for everyone to get their newspaper on time, so please get your dues in to us. Thank you.

Membership Dues:

Individual: $12.00
Couple: $18.00
Juniors: $ 2.50

AFMS News
Can be viewed at www.amfed.org

NFMS News
Can be viewed at www.amfed.org/nfms/

Cool Websites
 - by Janine Owens

Check out this website for some good links on rockhounding at: http://www.rmfms.org/cool_places.htm

Need information on minerals? This site has it by name, class and groupings at: http://www.galleries.com/minerals/by_name.htm

The Mineralogical Society of America offers links and mineralogy for kids at: http://www.minsocam.org/

Museum of Paleontology UC, Berkeley has a very informative site at: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

Our club website can be accessed at www.wamsi.org. Here you’ll find the latest information on meeting information and field trips. The newsletter, Rockhound Rumblings, is available for download and also available to read online.

Letter to the Editor - submitted by Art Winters

Supporting our Local National Guard

Our board members support the effort for care packages. In view of preventing political backlash, the consensus is to donate individually money, school supplies, instant drink mix, and beef jerky. Here is an opportunity to volunteer for helping put together care packages and mailing. Donations will be accepted at the November meeting.

(Editor’s note: For more information on how you can support this effort, please contact Art Winters at the November meeting, or call him at 503-364-5233)

Minutes from October 7 General Meeting - submitted by Chuck Hunt

6:35 p.m. Welcome guests, announcements and listing of coming show dates.

Announcements:

Dan Groah advised that Walt Wright would be presenting a class on petrified wood identification. It will be open to the first 60 people that sign up. This is open to all of the members of the Pacific NW groups, so it is on a first come, first gets a seat! It will be on the Mon. and Tues. following the Federation Show. Participants will need a 10-power loupe; other materials will be available. You may contact Dan Groah to sign up or more information.

Show and Tell “R”: Lots of rose, red, rocks, etc.

Program: A very interesting program on zeolites, presented by Rudy Tscherniak of the Rice Museum. Rudy advised that he will return at a later date with an additional program. Thanks, Rudy.

Break

8:05 p.m. Meeting called to order by President. Aaron Currier.

Secretary Reports (July and September.): Members moved and motioned to accept the minutes of July and September and the July Board meeting. Approved as printed.

Treasurer’s Report: Members moved and motioned to accept the minutes as read by Linda Groah. Approved. Members moved and motioned to pay the bills as read by Linda. Approved.

WAMS Show Report: Bob Harrison advised that there is a need of fabric for grab bags for the show.

Federation Report: Susan Robertson advised nothing to report at this time.

Federation Show Report: Janice Van Cura was absent. Chris Wissinger advised that for the Federation Show next August, we will need a lot of Oregon material, especially since there are other states involved in the NW Federation and it would be great to show off all the material we have right here in Oregon.

Oregon Council Report: Dan Groah advised that the Clackamette Gem and Mineral club has a case in the Capitol at this time.

Field Trip Report: Joe Van Cura was absent. Rob Leedy had nothing to report at this time. We still need a volunteer to take over for Joe and Rob.

Publicity Report: Susan Appleby advised no new information.

Website Report: Susan Appleby reports that the website is ongoing. There is information about the Walt Wright wood identification classes next summer, as well as show fliers.

Newsletter Report: Janine Owens received a National Award from the AFMS for one of the ten most outstanding newsletters in the country! The award was presented by Aaron Currier and Kit Leshk with much applause!

Rules and Awards: Adjudication by Ted Silver. Nancy Plummer, and Rudy and Susan Appleby entered finished lapidary projects for evaluation by the team of Ted Silver, Gene Gangle, and Ray Plummer. Next adjudication will be April.

Senior Center Classes: Lapidary, silversmithing and jewelry. There is presently space in the Tuesday evening lapidary class for students. The lapidary room is open on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings (call Ted Silver for more info). Jewelry and silversmithing classes are on Monday evenings. For the month of October in jewelry the classes are chain making, and classes for November will be wire wrapping. For information call Jodee Leshk.

Library: Chris Wissinger advised that the library cart still in need of a wheel repair.

Stamps: Peg Townsend absent.

Sunshine: Jennifer Ferrell absent.

OLD BUSINESS:
The vote to change a section of the bylaws will be at the November meeting, as well as the election of officers for 2005.

NEW BUSINESS:

New Members: Steve Lawrence and Earle Hurner were installed.

Thank you to Lucille Sams for the donation of books and magazines to the club’s library.

Art Winters spoke about the possibility of WAMS supporting the Oregon National Guard by sending boxes and parcels. The discussion will be carried over to the Board meeting of Monday, October 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Center. The meeting is open to all members of WAMS. Those who would like to get a head start may contact Art Winters.

Refreshments: Thanks to all those members that brought refreshments for the October meeting. For the November meeting the refreshments will be provided by Joyce Winters, Theresa Byrnes, and Linda Groah.

Program Report for November:
1. We shall try something “new”. There will be an auction of club material. This will be a silent auction, with an explanation of the type of material.
2. We shall also have elections of officers for 2005.
3. Additionally, we will vote on a change to the bylaws regarding the rules and award committee. So be there for all the fun and excitement!

Show and Tell for November. Rocks, gems, minerals, and fossils beginning with the letter “S”.

Minutes from the October 18 Executive Board Meeting - submitted by Chuck Hunt

The meeting was called to order by President Jim Bennett at 6:28 p.m. Board members in attendance were Jim Bennett, Aaron Currier, Ray Plummer, Kit Leshk, Susan Robertson, Don Miller, Linda Groah, and Chuck Hunt. Absent members were Chris Wissinger, Bob Harrison, Janine Owens and Tom Robertson. Guests Dan Groah and Art Winters.

Old Business: Ongoing show business. Linda Groah advised that all dealers, except one, have paid their fees for the 2005 show. She also advised that 30 members have paid their dues for 2005.

Don Miller advised that the 40 new cases are almost complete for the 2005 show. Temporarily, the new cases will be stored at Mary and Ray Haslebacher’s and Jim and Kathy Bennett’s.
Don advised that the case lighting will be standard 150 watts (two 75 watt bulbs, soft and cool lights).

The nominated officers for WAMS 2005:

President: Kit Leshk
Vice President: Ray Plummer
Treasurer: Theresa Byrne
Secretary: Chuck Hunt

Members at Large: Don Miller
Chris Wissinger
Dan Groah
Tom Beaty
Rob Leedy

Federation Director: Dexter Leonard
Chris Wissinger

Donated Equipment:
There are photos of the equipment donated by the 4H center on the club site www.wamsi.org as well as on www.akirale.com/rockequip/. The equipment will have a suggested price or value as appraised. Tom Robertson donated some motors for some of the pieces of equipment. The equipment is being stored at Ray Plummer’s. The crew that went out and picked up the equipment and cleaned it up deserves a hearty well done. They are Bob Harrison, Ted Silver, Don Miller, Ray Plummer and Wayne Chesley.

Members motioned and seconded that the equipment donated by the 4H Center be listed at 75% of its value for the silent auction at the November meeting. Approved.

Christmas Party: At Lum Yuen’s.

At the moment it has been suggested that individuals support Art Winter’s project of sending material to the Oregon National Guard fighting in Iraq so they may distribute them to the children of Iraq. Items needed are pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc.

Oregon Council:

Dan Groah advised that WAMS will putting in a case at the Capitol on December 16th at 3:00 p.m. Need any good worked Oregon material.

Adjudication:

It has been mentioned that we need:

1. Guidelines printed as to the parameters or requirements for those wishing to participate.
2. Need labels.
3. Need to write up requirements by Federation standards.

Meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

News from the Crater Rock Museum - submitted by Dexter Leonard via Doug Foster

The Crater Rock Museum, located in Central Point, Oregon, has recently launched a program to acquire a more complete collection of petrified wood from the Rogue Valley - both for educational purposes and for potential public display at the museum. As most Oregon rockhounds know, the Crater Rock Museum is a non-profit, educational institution run by volunteers from the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society – the group known to most as the “Medford Rock Club.” Club members are being asked to look over their petrified wood collections to locate unusual specimens from the Valley, and similar requests are going out to private landowners in the Rogue Valley. Of special interest are specimens that had their woody tissue replaced by silica in enough detail so that a paleo-botonist may be able to identify the original plant species. A more complete collection of Rogue Valley petrified wood will show what the forests of the Valley looked like millions of years ago.

Petrified wood specimens from Jackson County now on display at the museum include: willow, sycamore, acacia, tan oak, laurel, liquid amber, juniper, Pterocarya (a variety of hickory), Palmoxylon (a now extinct palm species) and Trochodendron (an early angiosperm). Almost all of the petrified wood specimens now on display were found east of Medford in the Roxy Ann Formation and so date to the Oligocene (25-35 million years ago). Frank Callahan, President of the Medford Rock Club and a professional botanist, said that the Palmoxylon found in Jackson County is like the Sable Palmetto that grows in Florida today; and that the climate in southern Oregon during the Oligocene Epoch was much like Florida today. Unlike Florida, though, southern Oregon 30 million years ago had volcanoes so that temperate climate trees could grow in the mountains at the same time that palms grew in the lowlands.

Recently, a benefactor bequeathed to the museum a unique and valuable mineral collection gathered from all parts of the world, in addition to funds to expand the museum to house this collection. Historically, the museum has emphasized not only minerals and fossils (including petrified wood), but also thundereggs, agates, Indian artifacts and lapidary arts.

The current petrified wood project will strengthen the museum’s position as the preeminent petrified wood museum in the Northwest.

The Crater Rock Museum is located at 2002 Scenic Avenue in Central Point, and is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on those days, may be contacted by dialing (541) 664-5148. The museum website can be viewed at http://www.craterrock.com.

Elections for 2005 WAMS Officers will be held at the General Meeting on Thursday, November 4. The membership will also be voting on changes to the by-laws.

WAMS in Pictures



More McDermitt treasures



Tom R. digging at McDermitt
r


Don Miller hard at work – Photo by Ray Plummer

Kit Leshk at the cab machine – Photo by Ray Plummer



Susan and Rudy Appleby join the fun – Photo by Ray Plummer



Ted Silver instructs Nancy Plummer in the lapidary room – Photo by Ray Plummer

What’s Rocking?

WAMS General Meeting
Thursday
November 4 – 6:30 p.m.
Salem Senior Center
1055 Erixon St. N.E., Salem
Guests Welcome!

November Program
Silent Auction of Club Material

October Show and Tell
Bring rocks/minerals/gems beginning with the letter ‘S’ for Show & Tell
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004

Was McDermitt Fun, Or What?
- by Theresa Byrne

I'd never been on the McDermitt trip before, so was anxious to go. I've always heard it has some of the best petrified wood in the state. Eight other members went on the McDermitt trip: Art and Joyce Winters, Joe and Janice VanCura, Don Esch, Mick Edwards, Tom Robertson, and Kit Leshk.


Mick and Don


Tom, Joe and Don
Photos by T. Byrne

We spent most of Saturday at a petrified wood site. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the 90's. While the majority dug for rock, a couple of us opted to surface collect instead. Even that produced good results. I found a large piece of wood right in the middle of the road, and a nice looking curved limb about 11 inches long. I think everyone was happy with their finds at that location. Our next stop was Gary Green, which has jasper in various shades of green and blue, and is often banded. The jasper is very prevalent there, and we all found enough in a short period of time. The last stop of the day was Disaster Peak, a picture jasper site.

We went to five thunderegg locations on Sunday. The roads into that area are pretty rough - definitely not for passenger cars. Most of the sites were fairly prolific, and we all came away with plenty of eggs. Don also came across one of the area rattlesnakes - its rattle could even be heard by club members farther up the hill. Sunday's weather was much cooler, with clouds most of the day. When it started to sprinkle around 3PM, we decided not to risk getting stuck and headed back to town. Although we all go on these trips for the rocks, you can't describe this trip without also commenting on the scenery. It's spectacular. There's something about being in the middle of nowhere and being able to see for miles, with nothing but rolling hills and mountains in the distance.

Suggestions for people taking this trip in the future: bring a camera, stop to admire the beautiful horses on the Indian reservation outside McDermitt, have plenty of coffee for the Burns-McDermitt drive (or plan on slapping yourself silly trying to stay awake), and stop at the Brothers rest stop on the way back - its heated! That sure felt good on the way home.


Editor’s Message

Hello Rockhounds,

First of all, my sincere apologies for being unable to produce a newsletter prior to the September meeting. Life has been challenging for Zachary and I lately, including a household move, one or two dead computers, and problems with my internet service provider at the new place. But, we are overcoming these bumps in the road!

This issue is a catch-up issue to get the minutes from the general and board meetings printed, and alert everyone to the October meeting. I thank those members that have forwarded articles and information. All submissions are welcome and very much appreciated.

Thanks for submitting those articles! Information can be submitted via the website at www.wamsi.org (click on the “Rockhound Rumblings” link on the left side to find an email link that will be forwarded automatically to my personal email address). Or send articles, photos, etc. email directly.

Janine Owens, WAMS Bulletin Editor

President’s Message

Greetings fellow rockhounds,
I hope you are all enjoying the sunny weather and finding time to collect, cut, polish, cab, silversmith, facet, or whatever else you like to do. Most of all, I hope you are finding time to learn. For me, it's my favorite part of this hobby. I find that the more I try and teach other people, the more I learn myself... and once in awhile I learn that I'm even wrong... and that can be a good thing.
One of the other major rock-related activities is show-planning... and there's a lot of that going on... from Bob H's planning on the River of Gems to Janice V's planning on the Federation Show. We are going to have new cases for our show (thanks Don M.), there are work parties happening already, and our storage trailers are being fixed without having to replace them (thanks Chris W. and Tom R). Regarding the NFMS Show, we have exciting announcements to make including guest speakers, display features, accommodations, and a special two-day class on petrified wood identification. Stay tuned for those announcements. Thanks to everyone who is already on task to help make the best NFMS show in years. Congratulations also to Janine O's regional and national awards for her work on the newsletter. The website is always fun to visit... it's nice to see what others are doing on field trips and having the newsletter online is a major plus... nice work Susan. Our picnic was a great success as well... thanks to Sandy W. for her excellent organization. I also want to thank Ray P. and his committee of four (Ted S., Don M., Bob W., and Wayne C.) on their efforts to pick up, clean, and appraise the lapidary equipment donated by the folks at the 4-H Center -- and thanks to the folks at the 4-H Center!

I've been working to try and find interesting programs for your entertainment. For those of you who missed it, last month I gave my talk on my Montana trip -- I think we can agree I did a pretty good job of finding what I set out to find. This month we'll have a guest speaker from the Rice Museum. Rudy Tscherniak is a world-recognized authority on zeolites. If you don't know what a zeolite is, you are in for a treat. We also have a bit of business to cover and we need your attendence for the benefit of our club.

Regards, Aaron Currier, President

AFMS News
Can be viewed at www.amfed.org

NFMS News
Can be viewed at www.amfed.org/nfms/

Cool Websites
- by Janine Owens

Here’s a link to a great Lapidary Journal article on evaluating, purchasing, and reconditioning an old slab saw. Check out http://www.lapidaryjournal.com/feature/slabsaw.cfm
for the full story.

The Recreational Gold Mining and Prospecting website can be found at: www.dnai.com/~wfw

http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Geology/webdogs/amber/welcome.html is a site with everything you’d like to know about amber

The website ‘Surfing the Net with Kids’ has this page that contains kid-friendly, rated links for kids on rockhounding and collecting: http://www.surfnetkids.com/rocks.htm

The mineral gallery at theImage.com has hundreds of pictures of minerals and gemstones, properties, and specifications here: http://www.theimage.com/mineral/index.htm

Our club website can be accessed at www.wamsi.org. Here you’ll find the latest information on meeting information and field trips. The newsletter, Rockhound Rumblings, is available for download and also available to read online.

Dues are due …
- by Kit Leshk

Can you believe it? We are already in the last quarter 2004 which means payment of WAMS dues is fast approaching. With a membership over 200 we are trying something different this year for collecting dues. Enclosed in this newsletter is a MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2005 sheet. Please fill it out and return it at the October or November meetings or the December dinner or mail it to the WAMS post office box (of course please include the appropriate fee). Help us update our files and achieve our goal of 100% membership dues payment by December by returning the form and fee as soon as possible.

From the Senior Center
- submitted by Ted Silver

Welcome and thank you to those who joined 'Friends of the Salem Senior Center'. Your annual contribution of $10.00 (tax deductible) will help us continue the diverse programs at the Center and make them available to the community. For those who missed the opportunity to join during the mail campaign, you still can. Just contact me or Gerry. Another way you can help is to bring in your newspapers! We recycle them and the money earned goes directly to 'Friends' for maintaining programs. Thanks for your support.

Digging Sunstones at the Dust Devil Mines
- submitted by Susan Appleby

Dust Devil Mine held it's 5th Annual Artist Dig-in July 9th through the 17th. Rudy and I had the opportunity to attend and couldn't pass it up. The dig-in is a great time to visit, share ideas and enjoy digging for sunstones. The hospitality shown was five star. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were provided with plenty of water, Gatorade and ice always available. You also got to keep the first 300 carats of sunstone you collected at no cost. All of the folks at the mine were friendly and very helpful to point out areas that might produce some good finds.


Susan digging Sunstones.
Photo by R. Appleby

Rudy and I took off Thursday morning heading south on I-5. We decided to try the highway through Oakridge and over the Willamette Pass. On through Crescent, LaPine, Fort Rock, Christmas Valley, passed Jasper Mountain and drove along Abert Rim to reach the road to the mine. The gravel roads into the area were well maintained. The mine is located in Rabbit Basin, with Hart Mountain and Rabbit Hills in the distance. Saw some antelope one morning, but they stayed quite a ways from the camp. We also saw many "dust devils" around the area with a few also coming into camp.

This was our first experience digging sunstone - and with any rockhounding it is always a gamble as to what you will find. People have many different methods of collecting sunstones. We spent most of our time digging out from the wall and then screening the material to make sure nothing is missed. Angular features distinguish sunstones from the more rounded shapes of the basalt gravel. Others would sit on a pile of material that had been recently excavated and slowly sift through the sand and gravel using small garden tools. Many sunstones were found by breaking open the basalt matrix either by hammering rocks against each other or with a hammer and chisel. I saw many people finding pockets of hidden crystals inside. Another method is to just wander around looking. One fellow after digging all day, found a large beautiful red sunstone just sitting on the top of a pile of rocks.

A few members from WAMS were there - Chris, Don Miller and Mary, Rob and Cara and Wes and Gretchen. I've found the time to work on several sunstones that we found since we got back and they are a lot of fun to work. With a hardness of 6.5 - 7.2 they grind and polish quite easily. Sunstones come is different colors, clear, yellow, green, red and pink and some have schiller. Some stones contain from two to four of these colors and in some you see different colors when viewed from different directions (dichroic and trichroic).

We left Dust Devil Mines - no longer novices at digging sunstones and ready for the next trip down. We enjoyed ourselves and met a lot of new rockhounding friends who came from all over the country to attend.

WAMS Picnic Revisited
- submitted by Susan Appleby


Peg and Evelyn enjoying some Rocky Bingo

Thanks to Tom and Susan Robertson for hosting the Annual WAMS Picnic held on Sunday, August 8th. The picnic was well attended - though nobody got an exact count. It was a hot, sunny day, but the trees and canopies provided plenty of shade. The club provided fried chicken and sodas and everyone brought along a side dish or dessert - lots of good food. It was a great time to socialize and catch up with other members on summer field trips and life in general.

A few games of Rocky Bingo was played with most everyone participating for the rock prizes (thanks Rudy for retuning the Rocky Bingo program and printing more out). Several members also brought rocks along for trade/sale. I decided this would be a good opportunity to try to get rid of some of our rocks that are collecting in buckets and shelves in our garage. Although I brought all but a couple back home again, it was fun going through the rocks we had collected over the past eight years.

When you start collecting (and even now for me) you tend to pick up rocks that you maybe should have left behind - new rocks become your favorites and the older material is moved to the side. Plus those rocks and fossils at the silent auctions you wouldn't give up on, the slabs for 25¢ that you know would make wonderful cabs and of course all those gems you see at rock shows that have to come home with you. Another fun thing about going through the rocks is finding those nice ones that you had forgotten all about - like a handful of Holly Blue Agate or the pieces of the soccer-sized geode I found at Thistle Creek on one of my first field trips.

Thanks to Sandy Wissinger for organizing the picnic. She did a great job! You too, Chris.

Ask Rocky
Question: I bought some rocks in Colorado that the dealer called "dinosaur gizzards". He assured me that dinosaurs had used these rocks to digest their food. As I understood him, dinosaurs swallowed rocks, which then tumbled around in their stomachs while digesting food, and then came out somewhat polished. The rocks have a matte finish, which support his story, but on closer inspection, they also have some white specks (tripoli?) in some of the cracks. Was I snookered? If his story is true, how do they know that's how the rocks got polished?

Answer: No, you didn't get snookered. Dinosaurs had a crop like a chicken. They swallowed rocks to grind up food, and eventually passed them. These polished rocks are called gastroliths. The white in the cracks is called collegie, or alkali. It is not uncommon for gastroliths to have a coating of collegie, especially if found near a river.

Rocks can be identified as gastroliths because they are a round smooth rock that seems out of place, they are found in areas dinosaurs are know to have lived, and you won't find many of them. Some gastroliths have even been found sticking out of copralite (dino dung), which is the best proof of all they came from dinosaurs.

Note: Rocky welcomes your questions relating to lapidary, silversmithing, gems, minerals, fossils, collecting, etc. Please email your questions to Theresa Byrne or call 503.364.7190.

2005 Federation Show Report [click here to go to Oregon Treasure Trail page]
- submitted by Janice Van Cura

Boise is over and WE are next!!! The committee had a meeting on August 17th and we are well underway. All of the dealers have been invited and we have commitments from almost all of them. Thanks to a great committee of Linda Groah, Mary Haslebacher and Tom Robertson we will have all of the dealer space filled with really great dealers.

As a special treat we will be presenting a two day Petrified Wood identification workshop by the noted expert Walt Wright on Monday and Tuesday after the show. Dan Groah has been very instrumental in securing this speaker and will coordinate the workshop. The workshop will be $40 plus an amount for dinner Monday night. Space is limited to 65 people. Walt will also present a free lecture during the show.

Aaron Currier has confirmed a varied and interesting group of speakers for the Show. Rudy Tscherniak from the Rice Museum, Bob Watkins, on Obsidian, Janice & Joe Van Cura on Thundereggs, Jeff Murray on the Missoula Floods will be presenting. In addition Aaron has worked to provide what is probably the largest gathering of fossil displays, demonstrations and lectures ever at a Federation show. These will be provided in conjunction with the North American Research Group and Dr. Orr of the Condon Museum at the University of Oregon. We will have the Pleistocene mammal bones from the Woodburn dig site on display and lectures by Dr. William Orr, Dr. Jeffery Myers, Dr Ellen Moore and Andrew Bland.

Chris Wissinger is the display chairman and he has been busy inviting members of other clubs to come display. We are also planning a group of displays to highlight the material that can be found in Oregon. Chris will be asking for the club members help in putting these displays together.

Advertising is our next big push. We need to get the word out about how great our show is going to be. If you are going to a show please check with Susan Robertson our advertising chair to see if we need you to take some fliers. Also if you have any ideas on how to get the word out to other rockhounds or the public please let her or myself know. We want a lot of people to come and enjoy our show.

There are still several areas that we need to work on. We will need help with demonstrators, banquet planning, table favors, programs and several other areas before the show. If you would like to help, please contact myself or a member of the committee. Planning the show can and will be a lot of fun for the club and I hope that we all can enjoy the process. Other subcommittee chairs are: Facilities - Joe Van Cura, Secretary - Janine Owens, Registration - Kay Story, Silent Auction - Jodi Leshk, Fliers & show packet - Susan Appleby, Members at large - Ray Plummer, Ted Silver, Jerry Lundeen, Don Miller, Rob Leedy, & Bob Watkins.

Field Trip Activity
- submitted by Joe Van Cura

Our field trip in July was to Darrel Friend's ranch in Ashwood. I arrived at Darrel's around 4:00 Friday afternoon to find Bill Jacobi, Kay Story and Mark and Christy Wood already there. We set up camp on a gravel bar beside Trout Creek and found some agates, jasper, and petrified wood on the gravel bar. Darrel stopped by and informed us that he had to attend a funeral on Saturday, but that we could collect anywhere on the ranch and that he would weigh us out at the end of the day. Charmaine Mortimore joined us in the morning. Our first stop was what Darrel calls the "old green" agate. We didn't get into the really fine green moss agate, but did manage to find some nice green and some red moss agate. Just before leaving we hit a vug with green angel wing agate, so ended up staying a while longer. Having a small group and the run of the ranch was nice because we could set our own time table and stay at any spot as long as we wanted.

Next we headed to Darrel's "candy apple" agate. This was very hard agate, and hard work without large equipment, so we only stayed long enough to collect some samples. After lunch we went to Darrel's thunderegg bed. On Sunday morning Alex McDonald stopped by camp and told us we could go up and collect his petrified wood, thundereggs, and agate and then weigh out back at his house before we left. We had so much fun looking at all the wood available that we never made it to the egg or agate beds, but are thinking about going back next year.

Saddle Mountain
In August we had another small group as Chris, Dan Groah, Ted and Gerri Silver and I headed over to Saddle Mountain, Washington for petrified wood. On Friday afternoon, Dan, Chris and I found ourselves digging in 106 degree heat. I do not recommend this. On Saturday we only dug until about 1:00 and then visited the Ginko Petrified Forest and a rock shop in Vantage. On Sunday Chris led us to a couple of thunderegg beds in Natches Washington. We only stayed long enough for each of us to get a sampling of the eggs, since we were on our way home.

Lost and Found - Two Riker Cases found near Stayton with specimens. Call 503-897-3280 and identify if you lost them.

What’s Rocking?

WAMS General Meeting
Thursday
October 7 – 6:30 p.m.
Salem Senior Center
1055 Erixon St. N.E., Salem
Guests Welcome!

October Program
Zeolites – Rudy Tscherniak from Rice NW Museum of Rocks & Minerals

October Show and Tell
Bring rocks/minerals/gems beginning with the letter ‘R’ for Show & Tell
JULY, 2004

NO MEETING OR BULLETIN IN AUGUST.

WAMS Picnic - August 8 - Submitted by Sandy Wissinger

This year’s Annual Picnic is being hosted by Tom and Susan Robertson. It will be held August 8, at 1:00 pm. Hope everyone can make it. Should be a good time. Chicken will be provided by the club and members should bring:

  • If your name ends in:
    - A-L bring a side dish
    - M-Z bring a dessert
  • Plates and silverware
  • Chairs

Along with good food and good friends – entertainment will include:

  • Rock Tailgate - Bring Rocks to Trade or Sell
  • Raffle Prizes
  • Rocky Bingo
  • Games and more

NW Federation Show - July 23 - 25, Boise Idaho - Submitted by Susan Robertson

The NW Federation Show is being held this year in Boise, Idaho on July 23 - 25th. All events will be held at the Bank of America Centre. WAMS is putting in a display case promoting the 2005 NWF Show we are hosting in August 2005. The show theme is Oregon Treasure Trails and the display case will feature Oregon materials. If you have specimens you would like to be in the case, bring them to the meeting.