Flatirons
Facets
Published by The Flatirons Mineral Club
Volume 44, No. 6 August
2002
Flatirons Facets
P. O. Box 3331
Boulder CO 80307-3331
Flatirons Facets is
published monthly by The Flatirons Mineral Club. The deadline for submission of
articles to Flatirons Facets is the 20th of each month. Permission is granted
for reprint if credit is given to the publication and author unless
specifically restricted.
The Flatirons Mineral
Club is a non-profit organization, established March 9, 1957, and dedicated to
developing and maintaining interest in all aspects of earth science and
associated hobbies. The club meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:15
PM. We meet at The
Senior Center, 9th and Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO. Guests and visitors
are welcome. Membership dues are $15.00 per year (beginning October of each
calendar year). People interested in membership can contact the club either by
writing to the above address or by attending one of the meetings.
****************
August
Program
Paul Boni
There will be no August program or regular meeting. Instead, we
are having our annual picnic. Read the important details under the picnic
headline and I hope to see everybody there. I'd also like to send out a special
"thank you" to Anne Black, our speaker for July. She certainly had
some gorgeous specimens and a very nice slide show.
****************
August
Picnic
Alex Cook
Are you ready for the big picnic bash coming up on August 17? This year our annual picnic will take place
at the Boulder West Senior Center located next to the City Library, 9th and
Canyon Blvd. Our deepest appreciation goes to the Kammerzells, Larry and Flo,
who have hosted the picnic for many years at their farm in the country. Larry
and Flo will be out of town this year, traveling the world, so we had to look
for a new venue for our picnic.
We will be meeting at the Senior Center at 11:30 a.m. on the 17th.
Burgers and brats will be furnished by East Lake Catering services, who will
also provide a cook to prepare the meal. They will also provide buns and
condiments and paper plates and utensils. They are charging the club $6.00 per
person for this service. This cost is being absorbed by the club, so if you
want to bring a guest, be prepared to pay $6.00 for that person. The profits
from East Lake go to Meals on Wheels, so what we are paying to them goes for a
good cause. Now, if you are coming and wish to share in the burgers or brats,
you must make a reservation by calling either Charlotte Morrison or Melinda Thompson. Let them know if you
want a burger or a brat. If you don't call, you won't get one.
We are asking each person who comes to bring either a salad or
dessert. If you last name is in the first half of the alphabet, bring a salad,
if in the last half of the alphabet, bring a dessert. The club will be
providing drinks and cups. Also, be prepared to help with the preparation of
grab bags, which is traditionally done at our picnics. Materials will be
provided, and we usually have a good time filling the bags, so if you haven't
participated before, I know you will enjoy joining in. If the weather is good,
we may have part of our picnic outdoors, where the kids, and grownups too if
they wish, can play around the creek. Not much danger of falling in this year,
however. Let's all come to the picnic and have a great time.
****************
President's Corner
Evan D. Elliott
I sure enjoyed Anne Blacks presentation on Morocco. I now feel as
though I have been there. Thanks Anne.
We have good news: As of July 19th Pike forest is open again.
Collecting opportunities abound.... The areas that were burned by the Hayman
fire may still be closed to recreation. For information, check with the local
National Forest Service office. I will do what I can to get us a field trip or
two down that way before the season is over. I know a lot of us would like a
chance at finding some Smokey quartz, Topaz, or Amazonite. If you are
interested in attending a club field trip in August to Spruce Grove, or the
Rampart Range road areas, please call me so I can put your name on my list of
people to notifiy.
As the year rapidly comes toward an end we need to elect new
officers for 2003. We need volunteers,
and nominees. Call Dennis Gertenbach, 303-581-0888, to help fill the open
positions.
The August Board meeting will be held at my house (Mon Aug 5), and
the September Board meeting will be at the home of Dennis Gertenbach (Mon Sept
9).
See you at the picnic.
****************
Grab Bags
Charlotte Morrison,
chairperson
Flatirons members have a continuing activity of preparing grab
bags with mineral specimens. Each year in September at the Denver Gem &
Mineral Show children are invited to learn about our hobby on the Friday
morning of the show. More than 1500 children attend and we have a table with
colorful bags for sale at $1.00 each. All the proceeds go to a scholarship fund
for one or two students at the Colorado School of Mines. There are ten labeled
specimens in each bag.
Each of the sponsoring clubs is asked to donate 400 bags with ten
specimens in each bag. These specimens are collected by individuals and on club
field trips. They are brought to the club meeting or to Charlotte Morrison at
290 Seminole Drive in southeast Boulder.
If you have been working at home on an "Adopt-a-Box"
please bring them to the August Picnic, which is the main annual event where we
all pitch in and help get the grab bags prepared for the September show. Jim Armitage has finished 800 Apache Tears
he collected in Arizona. Dick Kellogg has brought us Mica, Calcite, and
Sandstone. (Lein Quarry near Livermore contributed the Calcite, and Trible
Stone, 8632 N Highway 36 contributed the Sandstone.)
We thank all of you who have made a contribution and want you to
know we always need more rocks and minerals!
The "Wednesday Night" crew of Martha and Paul Ralston,
Dorothy and Ray Horton, Shirley Mehta, and Lew Yoder have welcomed Dick
Kellogg, Gerry Naugle and Terry O'Donnell. Ray Gilbert, Shirley Mehta, and
Dennis Gertenbach took boxes home Jeannie Hurst has sewn over 400 cloth bags
and Caren Johannes and Evelyn Linch are sewing more bags. We need more for our
own show in October and might need to meet again if we do not get enough made
at the Picnic!
****************
New in the Library
We have received several new books in the library this past month.
Fred Woodhouse graciously donated the following titles:
* Trophy Winning Facet Cuts by Afton Giacomini
* Facet Cutters Handbook by Edward J. Soukup
* Pro-Am Tumble-Grind, Tumble-Polish Guide by A.V. Ridge
* Rocks and Minerals, A Golden Nature Guide by Zim, Shaffer, and
Perlman
* Gems and Jewelry by Joel Arem
* A Collectors Guide to Rocks and Minerals by Tindall and
Thornhill
John Hurst has donated copies of Gems and Gemology from 1968 to
1971. He also has provided the club with two Gemological Institute of America
study courses, one on Colored Stones and one on Diamonds.
These new additions, plus other books on a wide variety of
subjects on earth sciences, can be checked out from Librarian Dennis Gertenbach.
****************
October Show News
Andrea Elliott
Hey everyone! We are still
looking for a few dealers. We still need a few to round out our annual
Flatirons Mineral Club show, Oct 18-20 at the Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont. If
you make jewelry or sell any related materials or if you are a rock
hound/collector this could be a small business for you and you could turn your
talents into cash!!! We can always use volunteers as well. I'll see all of you
at the picnic,.
****************
Officers Needed for Next Year
All of the activities of our club - the great meetings, wonderful
field trips, the picnic, the annual show - could not take place without
volunteers. We are looking for club
members who would like to help continue these programs by serving the club as
officers. The club officers are listed
on the second page of this newsletter, and we need someone for each of these
positions. In addition, we are looking
for three members to serve for two years on our Board of Directors, taking the
place of those whose terms end this year. The Nominations Committee is
preparing a list of candidates to serve for 2003. If you are interesting in
committing to one of these positions, or would like more information about what
is involved, please contact Nominations Chairman Dennis Gertenbach.
****************
Introducing your new Newsletter publisher
Barry Knapp is our new
Newsletter publisher. We are always looking
for interesting material, so if you have something to contribute, please send
it to him.
****************
Field Trip
Mt. Antero, Saturday, August 10th.
Trip leader: Paul Boni.
Open to Flatirons mineral club members only, no exceptions. Meet in
front of the concessions booth at the rodeo grounds, Buena Vista, 7 am sharp.
In conjunction with the Contin-tail show in Buena Vista, I will be
leading a few hardy souls up the famous slopes of Mt. Antero. We have
permission to dig on the south knob on the Cardwell's claims. Camping is
available on the rodeo grounds, at the Contin-tail show. We must start up the
mountain early and so will meet in front of the concession booth of the rodeo
grounds at 7 am sharp. I must also insist that all participants be in sound
physical health. We will be at 14,000 feet. Temperatures can fluctuate to
extremes in the same day so be prepared for anything. I will arrange a
"jeep-pool" so that folks who don't own a 4x4 can participate. All
participants must sign up in advance.
Should bad weather prohibit an excursion up Antero (it happens) we
will choose between the calumet iron mine (epidote, actinolite, garnets) or
exploration on the back side of Ruby Mountain (garnets and topaz on rhyolite).
For those who wish to spend the night in Buena Vista we will take
in the Contin-tail show on Sunday. Even if you don't want to trek up the slopes
of Mount Antero, the Contin-tail show is well worth the trip.
****************
Geology Field Trips on the Internet
Dennis Gertenbach
The Internet has a wide selection of field trip covering the
geology of Colorado. During these hot days of summer, it is nice to travel to
the mountains and to learn more about the wide diversity of geology in our
great state. Here are several suggested websites that have field trips around
Colorado.
* A list of geological field trips throughout the country can be
found at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/onlineguides.html
There are nearly a dozen in Colorado, under the "Rocky
Mountain" heading.
* The Touring Colorado Geology site is one of my favorites. It
likes road trips, hikes, and special geological sites in Colorado. http://www.geocities.com/jghist/
* Field trips in Glenwood Canyon, Silverton, the Purgatory River,
and along the Front Range can be found at the Colorado Geological Survey's
website at http://geosurvey.state.co.us/
* Geological sites in the Rocky Mountains in the southern part of
our state are explained at
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/field/rocky_mt/rocky.htm.
* Closer to home is the Indian Peaks area in Boulder. For a guide to the ecology and geology of
this area, see http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/virtdept/ipvft/ipvftmod.html.
* Geologic tours of many of the Jefferson County parks are
described at http://www.gravmag.com/jeffco.html. A tour of the world famous geological area
between Golden and Morrison, including Red Rocks Park, is found at http://138.67.1.32/fs_home/tboyd/IDIG/geology1.htm.
* If you or someone in your family loves dinosaurs, western
Colorado and eastern Utah have many interesting dinosaur sites. The website http://www.dinosaurweb.com/guide.htm
lists many great dinosaur sites to visit.
* Many of our National Parks and Monuments showcase unique
geological features. The site at http://www.aqd.nps.gov/grd/tour/
lists these by categories, including many that can be reached within
a day of Boulder.
****************
Legislative Report
Dick Rodenburg
August 2002
The mouse is back! The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed
designating nearly 60,000 acres along the Front Range from Colorado to Wyoming
as protected areas for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. Once the areas are so
designated, any kind of work that might disturb the mouse would require federal
approval. Public comments will be accepted through September 16. Denver Post, July 18, 2002.
ABC News "Nightline" on July 12 featured Conservation
International's work to set aside a continuous wildlife corridor extending from
Alaska to the tip of South America. The organization is quietly being very
successful, using a combination of public and private money to buy conservation
easements from ranchers and logging companies, and by encouraging governments
to establish parks and the like. Intel Semiconductors donated 1/4 Billion
dollars (yes, with a B ) to the effort; Hyatt Hotels and others have joined in.
With this kind of money, the organization has little trouble hiring retired
generals and other prominent figures, including actor Harrison Ford, as
spokesmen. Successes include protecting a land area in South America that is
four times as large as California. Videotapes of the program can be obtained
from ABC News, 1-800-225-5222.
As if to emphasize the point, the July 15 Denver Post reported
that the US Forest Service bought 2700 acres of land in the Beaver Brook
watershed (west of Evergreen, Colorado) from the City of Golden. The property
is the last piece of a 20 mile forest corridor from the Mount Evans Wilderness
Area to the Bergen Park-Evergreen area. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton teamed
with Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder and Senator Wayne Allard, R-Colorado, to
appropriate money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the
purchase. Golden still owns about 3000
acres in the area. If Congress does not appropriate money to buy that land by
2005, the local nonprofit "Mountain Area Land Trust" will have the
option to buy it.
An internal Forest Service report obtained by the Denver Post
concludes that 155 (48%) of the 326 thinning projects proposed nationwide to
reduce the threat of wildfires have been delayed by environmental appeals. Rep.
Scott McInnis, R-Colorado, who chairs the House Forest Service Subcommittee
requested the report after an earlier GAO document concluded that only about 1 %
of 1,671 such projects were appealed. Environmental groups preferred to quote
from the more favorable report. Denver
Post, July 10, 2002.
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell writes that an estimated $250
million, 40% of the Forest Services' national budget is spent on extra analysis
to insulate the Service from future frivolous lawsuits. Denver Post, June 30, 2002.
And now for the buzzword of the month. Wood Certification. By
picketing and other actions, the "Rainforest Action Networks" persuaded
Boise Cascade to phase out harvest of old growth timber. Home Depot and Lowes
are now cooperating by labeling wood that is grown and harvested in ways that
meet strict environmental standards, including roadways and access.
Lumber that complies with the standards is
labeled "Environmentally Certified". Most customers interviewed at a
Home Depot had no idea what the certification meant, but agreed that it sure
sounded like a good idea. Denver Post July
7, 2002.
The Forest Supervisor at Custer, South Dakota, on May 13, issued
severe restrictions on public use of the Black Elk Wilderness in the Black
Hills National Forest. The restrictions include fines of up to $5,000 for
such violations as "possessing a
bicycle, stroller, wagon, cart or other motorized or mechanical vehicle "
in the area. (36 CFR261.57(b)). ALAA,
July 11, 2002.
At least you know.
****************
Agate Lover???
John and Jeanne Hurst
Who doesn't love a good agate? Say a Fairburn? A Teepee Canyon? Or
a Dryhead? Try the CRAWFORD NEBRASKA ROCK SWAP at their City Park in the NW
corner of town.
4TH ANNUAL FAIRBURN AGATE COLLECTORS GATHERING Aug. 30, 31 &
Sept. 1, 2, 2002
Where else can you camp free in the city park, see agate displays,
and shop for rocks all at one time? Last year there were 15 to 20 dealers and
swappers from Wisconsin, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and more.
The agate displays were enough to turn any rock collector green with envy. The
variety of materials from dealers and swappers gave everyone the opportunity to
find some new treasure for the collection at home. A local collector usually
leads a field trip or two up to pasture 27 for a chance to find your own
Fairburn: one Fairburn a day is good hunting. If you aren't so lucky the first
time, try the Saturday Night Auction to see if any keepers show up on the
tables.
Ready to Tailgate or Swap? Check that pile that has been waiting 5
years or more for its turn in the rock saw. We all have material that just
won't make it to the saw. Dig it out, clean it up and sell it or swap it for
new rocks and material. If they haven't
seen anything like your rock in Crawford before, someone will probably find it
desirable.
While you are there, plan at least a day to wander the agate beds
looking for a Fairburn. Allow a half day to visit the Hudson-Meng bonebeds and
Toadstool park. Throw in a breakfast, lunch or supper at the DRIFTER'S COOK
SHACK (reservations advisable) to finish of a perfect day of rock collecting.
For desert you might want to try the killer ice cream cones at the Fort
Robinson Dining Hall then find a rocker on the veranda. Did we forget to
mention that the Drifter's Cook Shack is also a 4 unit Bed and Breakfast? There
is also the Hilltop Motel and the Townline Motel if you are not up for camping.
Make reservations early, rumor has it there is a Willie Nelson C&W Concert
on Labor Day weekend.
For additional information:
Mike Brost 308-668-2511
Wade Beins 308-432-8950
John Hurst 303-443-7885
Approximate Distance: 265
miles
Suggested Routes: Take I-76 to Ft. Morgan, then CO 52 north, jog
right to CO 71 and north to Scottsbluff NE, then NE 71 on to Crawford.
Collecting: New Raymer, Stoneham, North Platte gravels near
Scottsbluff. Check your NE GemTrails for more sites.
Approximate Distance: 275 miles
Suggested Routes: Take I-25 to north Cheyenne, then exit onto US
85 to Torrington WY, then US 26 to Scottsbluff NE, then NE 71 north to
Crawford.
Collecting: North Platte gravels, Check your NE Gem trails.
Approximate Distance: 300 miles
Suggested Routes: Take I-25 north to Orin Junction, then east on
US 20 to Lusk WY, Fort Robinson and Crawford NE.
Note: Another 100 miles north of Crawford brings you to Rapid
City, South Dakota. There are several Fairburn areas in this stretch, east and
west of the highway. Check your Midwest Gem Trails. There is Teepee Canyon
about 16 miles west of Custer, SD. There are some great fossils
near Newcastle, WY. Happy
hunting!
See You ALL at the CRAWFORD ROCK
SWAP
SUBMITTED BY: John and Jeanne Hurst
****************
Contin-tail Meet August 9-11, Buena Vista
The annual "Continental Divide Tailgate" event will be
held at the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds. There are no fees for campers or buyers.
Bruce Geller will host a "Glow and Tell" fluorescent show under the
grandstands on Friday August 9th at 8:30 PM.
****************
Denver Gem & Mineral Show
September
13-15, Denver Merchandise Mart
The theme of this year's show is "Gemstones of
Colorado". The publicity poster
features a beautiful necklace fashioned from Sweet Home Mine Rhodochrosite.
Alex Cook should have some of these posters at our August picnic. Volunteers
are needed for many tasks in conjunction with this show. Contact Alex Cook if you can help.
Also, Bruce Geller is soliciting your best fluorescent specimens
for display in the Colorado Mineral Society's fluorescent showcases. He asks for
up to six specimens (preferably not exhibited in the last five years) for one
of three cases (one long wave and two short wave).
****************
You Might Be
a rock hound If ...
You can pronounce the word "molybdenite" correctly on
the first try.
You think the primary function of road cuts is tourist
attractions.
You can point out where Tsumeb is on
a world globe
You own more pieces of quartz than underwear.
Your photos include people only for scale and you have more
pictures of your rock hammer and lens cap than of your family............
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Updated 1/12/04