As always, the holiday party this year was great fun, with the gift exchange and goodies to eat.  Hopefully, you were pleased with your gift this year.

With the new year, we begin planning our activities for 2005.  Two opportunities for you to consider:

The Jr. Geologist program continues to grow.  Many of our children really enjoy rocks and minerals, and are eager to learn more and more.  If you have a particular rockhounding skill that you would like to pass on to our kids, consider joining us at our monthly meetings.  It could be anything from lapidary arts to collecting to making a great display.  Just let me know.

We are without a field trip chairperson this year.  But, we still want to have a wide selection of trips in 2005.  Please consider leading a field trip this next year to a favorite collecting spot or to a place of geologic interest.  There are several experienced members that can help you plan your trip.  You can give me the date and place for your trip and we will get it on the calendar.

Happy rockhounding in 2005.

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Club Meeting

Thursday, January 13, 7:00 PM
West Boulder Senior Center, 9th & Arapahoe

For our January meeting, we will watch one of two videos.  If Mike Trafton is available (not known at press time), he will present his video on the Sweet Home Mine, and bring us up-to-date on the status of the mine.  Or, if Mike is not available, we will watch an interesting video on Diamond mining in Australia.

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Jr. Geologists Update
Dennis Gertenbach

In December, we had 7 Jr. Geologists working on the Rocks and Minerals Badge.  After making hardness kits, everyone learned how to use their kits and streak plates to identify minerals.  And, as a holiday celebration, we made, decorated, and ate cookies - dinosaur cookies, of course.  In the picture, you can see Ricki and Sally Runions decorating their cookies.                              

Next month's meeting will be on Thursday, January 27 at 7 p.m.  We will meet at the Hyde's home, 6762 Bugle Court in the Gunbarrel area.  Please call Laurel directions.  We will complete the Rocks and Minerals Badge by studying crystal shapes and how they are used to identify minerals.  In preparation, each participant needs to do a little homework, to find out Colorado's state rock, mineral, gemstone, and fossil. The Jr. Geologist program is open to all of the club families. Parents are encouraged to join their kids at the meetings and take part in the activities. Every child who wishes to work on the rockhound badges needs to sign up with Dennis Gertenbach. Just by signing up,  each child receives the Future Rockhound of America badge.

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Denver Gem & Mineral Guild Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Show

The 39th Annual Jewelry, Gem, and Mineral Show sponsored by the Denver Gem And Mineral Guild.  The show will be held January 14-16, 2005 at the Lakeside Center, 5801 W 44th Ave, Interstate 70 at Harlan St.  Hours: Friday, 10 A.M. to 9 P.M.; Saturday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. and Sunday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.  The show will consist of gem, fossil, and jewelry dealers, and gem-cutting demonstrations by local artists. There will also be exhibits, grab bag sales, and a swap area.  The Denver Gem and Mineral Guild is a non-profit club for amateur mineral and fossil collectors and is dedicated to earth-science education.  The club also sponsors a scholarship at the Colorado School of Mines, financed, in part, through the sale of "grab bags" at our show.

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Paleontology Certification
Required Courses
Denver Museum Of Nature & Science
Spring 2005 Course Schedule

To register for any of these programs, call the DMNS reservations office at (303) 322-7009 or 1-800-925-2250 between 9am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Fossils, Fossils, Fossils: An Introduction to Paleontology, Lou Taylor, Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences. Explore the science of paleontology. Following a brief introduction to the history of life and basic geology, learn the scientific value of fossils and the basic methods of fossil collection and data recovery, curating, and study. 5 Wednesdays, May 4-June 1 6:30-8:30PM, Classroom #303, One Saturday field trip, June 4, 8:00AM-6:00PM. $125 member, $150 nonmember

Reading Colorado: An Introduction to Geology, Bob Raynolds, Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences. Discover geology fundamentals as applied to the fossil record. Learn the basics of stratigraphy, sedimentology, geological mapping, and dating techniques, and complete a field report. The first field trip will introduce you to the Denver Basin and  to Front Range structure and stratigraphy and the second to sites in central Colorado that we have discussed in the classroom. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 1-15 6:30-8:30PM, Classroom: Naturalist Nook. Two Saturday field trips: March 5 and 12, 9:00AM-6:00PM (FULL DAY), $145 member, $175 nonmember.

Curation of Fossils, Logan Ivy, Collections Manager. Learn the basics involved in the identification of fossils: accessioning, cataloging, and documenting locality information. Mon/Wed, May 9 - 23. 6:30-8:30PM, Classroom #301, $100 member, $125 nonmember. 

Vertebrate Paleontology, Bryan Small, Preparator. Discover the major groups of fossil vertebrate animals and the techniques used in their study. 6 Thursdays, April 7 - May 12. 6:30-8:30PM, Classroom #301, $120 member, $145 nonmember.

Paleobotany, Kirk Johnson, Chief Curator, Department Chair and Curator of Paleontology. Learn the major fossil plant groups and the techniques used in their study. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb 8-17, 6:30-8:30PM, CLASSROOM #303 One Saturday field trip, Feb 19 9:00 am-1:00 pm, $115 member, $135 nonmember.

Research Methods and Report Writing, Ken Carpenter, Chief Preparator. Learn the basics of preparing a research design for field, laboratory, and scientific projects in paleontology. Attendance for each session is mandatory. Students write a research proposal and a report on a project of their choice. Wednesdays, Jan 12-26, 6:30-8:30PM, Classroom #301, $60 member, $75 nonmember.

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An Elephant Never Forgets!

A friendly reminder that the annual dues to the FMC become due on October 1st, 2004. They are still only $15 per individual/or/family.  You can pay in
two ways:

          SEND A CHECK TO (& MADE OUT TO):
               "Flatirons Mineral Club" (or)  "FMC"
               P.O. Box 3331
               Boulder, CO    80307

(Or) pay only Gerry Naugle, Treasurer (or) Patrick Runions, Membership Chair at any FMC monthly meeting.  One of them is at the sign-in table upon
entering the meeting room.

If you pay by CASH at a meeting, your receipt will be your 2004-05 FMC membership card issued to you by Gerry Naugle. Please do not send cash to
the Club P.O. Box by the USPS mail.

Remember you receive monthly newsletters, monthly meetings, guided field trip information, annual show opportunities and an annual club summer picnic when you are a member of the Flatirons Mineral Club. Dues must be paid by Jan. 25th, 2005 to stay current in membership, and keep receiving the monthly FMC club newsletters. Thanks and have a good 2005! from Gerry Naugle.

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A Rock
from Rockhound Ramblings, August 2004

A rock to a fisherman makes a fine seat.
A rock to a sailor is a landmark at sea.
But of all the meanings it has been to man
Since the world's creation and it all began,
Surely no value can hardly be measured,
Nor can a rock be so highly treasured
As that rock that the rockhound holds in his hand.
A great specimen, so great, a specimen so grand.
Be it pyrite, topaz, jade, or a geode,
After digging and digging, that rock he holds
Has a value unmeasured, much higher than gold.
For the discovery of nature is an experience untold.

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Mother Lode Of Jade Found In Guatemala
Summarized by A. Schafer from information in article by William J. Broad in The New York Times, May 23, 2002, and taken from The Pegmatite, June-July-August 2002, via The Rockhound  Bulletin, September 2002.

The Olmecs flourished in the southern Gulf coast of Mexico and highly prized a beautiful blue jadeite that they carved into thousands of artifacts, including human forms and masks. The Maya prized jadeite as well, making use of it in funerary suits, jewelry, and even inlaying it into their teeth! These jade items are found all over Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras. But where was the original source or sources? Was there any jadeite left? And how did knowledge of the source get lost? The last question was most easily answered. With the coming of the Spaniards in 1519, a people who craved gold and had no use for jade, the indigenous pre-Colombian civilizations fell victim to the diseases of their foreign conquerors, and the knowledge of jade carving, mining, and mine locations disappeared.

But what about the source off the material? Scientists and archaeologists have been looking for the original source of Olmec-style jadeite for decades. Jade hunting parties were sponsored by the Peabody Museum at Harvard, the American Museum of  Natural History in New York, several universities, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and even a well-to-do jade collector, among others.

By the 1950's, geologists had studied Burma and other jade deposits enough to know that jadeite occurs in association with serpentine. They also knew that much serpentine is found in the Sierra de Las Minas and the nearby Motagua River valley in Guatemala. By the 1970's, low-quality jade outcrops had been identified near the river. But it took the hurricane destruction of 1998 to set off floods, start landslides, expose veins of jadeite, and wash new chunks of it into rivers.

In 1999, one of the original jade hunters, Russell Seitz, was on vacation in Antigua when he spotted a very translucent hunk of blue jade about the size of his hand  in a local jade shop. The shop owners did not know where the jade came from. So, in 2000, Seitz returned to Guatemala several times, climbing higher into the mountains north of the Motagua, finally reaching a vein uncovered by local workers which was six feet wide and 50 yards long! Samples tested out as high-quality jadeite. In  2001, Seitz and a team of university archaeologists returned to Guatemala to find an ancient stone pathway, an old mining area, a habitation, and a tomb site.

So there is jadeite left. South of the Motagua, giant boulders of blue jadeite were found, and the extent of the deposit is said to rival that in Burma. And just think, the Motagua deposit was  worked for millennia, rather than the mere centuries in  Burma.

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Flaked Out
An Introduction To Flint-Knapping
By Bob Miller a.k.a. White Arrow from Rock Chips, March 2004

Somewhere lost in the sands of antiquity, the first flint tool lies buried and forgotten. My guess is that it sleeps somewhere east of Eden in Mesopotamia, likely fashioned by the hands of Adam. Of course, I don't really know and neither does any other living human. The bond between mankind and flint is very old and deep indeed. Likely, it is some vestige of this friendship that reappears today as the urge to rock-hound.

Flint-knapping (from the German ("Knappen" meaning "to nibble") is doubtless one of the most basic and ancient of industries. Without the very sharp and durable edges produced by fracturing flint even the working of wood becomes next to impossible. If you doubt this, go into the woods without knife, ax, or saw and try to fell a useable sapling. Catching a cooperative beaver is about your only option here. Along with fire, flint was survival for millennia, and many of those fires were kindled using a flint spark.

In everyone's genealogy there were flint-knappers. It may be many generations ago for some or only a few as in this writer's own Cherokee and Choctaw ancestors. Their skills were undoubtedly adequate or we would not be here today.

Until the recent development of fused diamond plating on a tungsten matrix blade, obsidian (as in "Apache Tears") produced the sharpest known edges, far superior even to the best surgical steel scalpels. Obsidian fractures at the molecular level producing edges that may be only a molecule or two thick. The Maya Indians of southern Mexico were in fact successfully performing brain surgery (trepanning) centuries before Columbus landed, using obsidian tools.

The knap-ability of flint owes to its krypto-crystalline structure (its crystals arc microscopic or non-existent). It is much like glass being about 95% quartz (silicon). When struck a sharp blow with a hard object it will fracture into a "Hertzian cone" (conchoidally). Perhaps the easiest illustration of this phenomenon is to shoot a piece of thick glass with a B-B-gun. The characteristic product of this collision is a smoothly rippled Hertzian cone. This is the basis of flint working by percussion.

Flint-knapping is the art of vectoring blows from a "billet" to remove flakes from the core in a manner predictable enough to eventually shape a blade. This process is called "core reduction". Once a blow is struck it cannot be recalled. For better or worse the record of that blow is "written in stone'.

Knapping is a lot like playing billiards. Due to inconsistency or defects (inclusions) in the flint it can more resemble playing pool on a wavy table with a tree limb and glass eggs. There are times I feel that I am actually matching wits with a piece of flint, as in three-dimensional chess!  Many Indians believed that everything, even inanimate objects like rocks had a spirit and were somehow "alive". Perhaps they were right.

There is, of course, a Iot more to knapping, like pressure flaking, heat-treating flint to improve its "lithic" qualities, "hands on" experiencing of just how sharp flint really is, weeping over the halves of an exceptional, almost complete blade, and of course losing one's mind.

One thing is certain, if you pursue knapping with any degree of persistence, you will recognize that its ancient practitioners were not a bunch of dumb savages banging rocks together. Instead, that is what we modern hobbyists are!  They did it to survive—we do it ... For fun???!!!.

Bob Miller is a member of the Deming Gem & Mineral Society.

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Spindletop Oil Well
By Guy McBride, as told to Leslie Osgood from Rockhound Ramblings, August 2004 

About 101 years ago, oil was discovered near Beaumont, Texas. Patillo Higgins, a self-taught geologist, was sure there had to be a relationship between the gas seepage around a little knoll called Spindletop and subsurface oil and gas deposits hidden in the ground. He formed a gas company called "The Gladys City Oil, Gas, and Manufacturing Company" and made three earlier attempts to discover if there was oil. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, on January 10, 1901, mud began bubbling from the current hole on Spindletop. The workers fled as six tons of four-inch drilling pipe exploded out of the ground. All got quiet for several minutes and then mud bubbled out. Then the gas came and then oil. They named it the Lucas geyser, after Mr. Higgins' friend, who did a lot of the digging and many attempts. Nine days later the well was capped and began flowing 100,000 barrels a day. The world had never seen such a geyser before, and Beaumont, Texas had been put on the map. 

The part of the story I found interesting was told to me by the former President of Colorado School of Mines, Guy McBride. After the Spindletop Geyser was discovered, the oil was raw or sour crude, meaning Hydrogen Sulphide was dissolved in it. The wind would blow into Beaumont from the gulf and back then people painted with lead based paints. The house would be painted a nice white color; the painter would turn around and voila! The house would turn black with the winds of Sulphide blowing in. Then one night there was a debutante ball at one of the hotels downtown. The women were all dressed up in high fashion, and, of course, their faces were powdered up with... yes, lead based face powder, because it was white. The winds blew and the women's faces all turned black.

Guy McBride went down to Beaumont in 1953 to discuss the environmental problems of Hydrogen Sulphide with mining officials and they told him they had never had a problem until he came. He pulled out an old copy of the debutante story from their paper and showed them this problem had been going on for some time.

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Upcoming Events, Nearby & Elsewhere

January 1 - February 28, 4th Annual Desert Gardens Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show, Quartzite, AZ.  A Select group of dealers from around the world.  Gems-Minerals-Fossils-Petrified Wood-Carvings-Jewelry-Rough Rock and Slabs-Faceting Rough and Cut Stones-Crystals-Silver and Gold Smithing-Beads-Leather-Rockhound and Lapidary Supplies-Much More!  Just off exit 17 on Interstate 10.

Wed, January 12, 12:15 p.m. Sea Turtle or Sea Lion: How Plesiosaurs Swim.  Join Dr. Ken Carpenter, chief preparatory and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a lunchtime lecture. Location: Ricketson Auditorium, DMNS. Cost: free with museum admission.

Thur, January 13, 7 p.m. The Puzzling Story of Flowering Plants. A lecture at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science by Dr. William (Ned) Friedman, Professor of Biology, University of Colorado-Boulder. Description: To Darwin, the origin of flowering plants was an "abominable mystery' - and more than 100 years later it's still mysterious. Why is this particular evolution so puzzling? In this lecture, Friedman explains the dilemma and discusses recent advances in solving the mystery, including his own contributions to the discipline. Location: Ricketson Auditorium, DMNS. Cost: $12 member/student, $15 nonmember. Info: 303-322-7009.

January 14-16. Denver Gem & Mineral Guild - Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Show: gem mineral and fossil exhibits, swap area, and lots for sale including crystals and fossils, jewelry and lapidary supplies. Location: Lakeside Center, I-70 at Harlan. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

January 14-16, 48th Annual Gila County Gem & Mineral Show, Globe AZ.  Dealers: Lapidary equipment, finished jewelry, books & tools, minerals & slabs, fossils. Demonstrations: gold & silver casting, fire agate polishing, twist wirecraft, channel/jewelry making, custom jewelry making, copper enamel bead making.  Snack bar, door prizes.  Gila County Fairgrounds, Globe AZ, 3 miles north of junction of US60 and US70.  $2 adult donation.  Contact: Bill Morrow, Show Chair, 928-425-0194 or Clyde Caviness, Dealer Chair, 928-425-7200.

Sunday, January 23, Noon. A Mammoth Find in Florissant: During the last Ice Age the mighty mammoth roamed the hills and valleys of Florissant, Colorado. Eleven thousand years ago they vanished from the face of the earth. Join a park ranger and Steven Veatch, a local geologist as they reveal the exciting discovery of a mammoth that has been buried in the ground near the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center for at least 49,000 years. This discovery represents a relatively high elevation for mammoths and is the first documented mammoth in Teller County. 

Come and learn about this exciting find, and after the slide presentation, celebrate the discovery with freshly baked "mammoth" cupcakes. An optional walk in the monument follows, where we will explore Florissant's winter. Dress for winter conditions. The program and hike will end by 3 p.m. Regular park admission applies ($3.00 per adult, anyone 16 or under is free). Location: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center. Info and reservations: 719-748-3253.

Tuesdays, February 1-15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Denver Museum of Nature and Science Classroom 301. Geology of Australia and New Zealand, Dr. Bob Reynolds, Research Associate, Earth Science Department. Learn about the substrate beneath kangaroos and kiwis, the dynamic plate tectonics of New Zealand, and that Ayers Rock, like much of the Denver Basin, is made of sediments deposited at the foot of growing mountains! $60 member, $75 nonmember. 

Thursday, February 10, 7:00 p.m., Ricketson Auditorium, Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Book sale + signing, Evidence from the Earth: Forensic Geology, Dr. Ray Murray, Geologist and retired Vice President, University of Montana. Get the real dirt on crime scene investigation!  Forensic geology has been a stalwart in the field of criminology since the days of Sherlock Holmes. In this lecture, Murray walks you through some of the most intriguing cases involving soil and rock evidence, and discusses the history of forensic geology, body finding, techniques for evidence collection and analysis, and how geologic evidence is used in court. $12 member/student, $15 nonmember.

February 10-13.  Tucson Gem and Mineral Society 51st annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show: "Minerals of China-Come and see the flamboyance and simplicity of Chinese minerals". Tucson Convention Center.  For more information visit http://www.tgms.org/2005show.htm.

February 19, 10-11 a.m.  Ice Age Mammoth Discovery Talk - Colorado Springs.  Join geologist Steven Veatch for the fascinating story of a recently discovered Pleistocene era mammoth found near Florissant. Learn about the excavations and history of this Ice Age creature. $3.00. Reservations required. (719) 520-6387. El Paso County Parks Bear Creek Nature Center 245 Bear Creek Road Colorado Springs, CO 80906. From the intersection of I-25 and Highway 24, go west on Highway 24 to 26th Street, proceed south on 26th Street to Bear Creek Road.

Beginning Feb 22, Dinosaur exhibit: A hands-on exhibit offering an array of authentic dinosaur eggs and nests from around the world begins Feb. 22 at the Aurora History Museum, 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. Admission is free. Call 303-739-6660 for more information.

Sat-Sun, February 26 & 27. Cripple Creek School of Prospecting: Learn about the basic principles of geology and prospecting using Cripple Creek and the Pikes Peak region as a backdrop for discussion. This popular two-day course covers where minerals and gems can be found in Colorado, the basics of geologic and topo maps field collection techniques and photography, and more. Participants receive a database to record their collection. Discounted lodging rates are available. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Cost: $119, including all fees and materials, and lunch. (Lodging not included.) Info: 719-689-3514. Early reservations encouraged - this class fills quickly! A free service to the public and the scientific community.

March 10 - 13, 2005, Deming, NM, 40th Annual, Deming Gem & Mineral Society Rockbound Roundup. S. W. New Mexico Fairgrounds. Buyers Market, Lapidary Equipment Displays & Demonstrations, Auctions, Guided Field Trips, Jewelry & Rock Related Items, Free Admission, Free Parking. Show Chairperson: Barbara Hamilton 505-544-8643. 

March 18 - 20, 2005, Cottonwood, AZ. 29th annual Verde Valley Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show. Held at Mingus Union High School. Sponsored by Mingus Gem & Mineral Club. Show features 24 dealers, numerous exhibits, jewelry & lapidary dealers and supplies, raffles, silent auctions, fluorescent display, kid's activities and more. www.geocities.com/mingusgmc.

April 22 - 24, 2005, Wichita, KS, 52nd annual "Gemstone Artistry", Cessna Activity Center, 2744 George Washington Blvd. Sponsored by The Wichita Gem & Mineral Society. Silent Auction, Spinning Wheel, Jr. Rock Pile, kids day on Friday. Numerous vendors, and displays. Show chairmen: Gene Maggard 316-742-3746. E-mail: wgms2001@yahoo.com or visit www.geocities.com/wgms2001.

May 7 - 8, 2005, Grand Junction, CO. 58th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show, "Mesa County Barite", Two Rivers Convention Center, 1st and Main, Grand Junction Gem & Mineral Club, Inc. Show Chairmen: Gary and Pat Briels, 301 Kava Way, Grand Junction, CO 81503, Phone 970-245-7925.

June 11 - 12, 2005, Powell, WY, Wyoming State Mineral and Gem Show - "STONES and BONES", Park County Fairgrounds, 655 5th St. Hosted by Shoshone Rock Club (http://www.geocities.com/jacmac43/index.html). Show information: www.geocities.com/jacmac43hng-show05.htm .For further information contact: Mrs. Jane R Neal 1207 Rd 9 Powell WY 82435, 307-754-3285 or Mrs. Mary Ann Northrup, 736 Lane 13 Powell WY 82435, 307-754-4472. 

June 17 - 19, 2005, Colorado Springs, CO, The Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society will be hosting the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies Show at its 41st annual Pikes Peak Gem & Mineral Show. The theme will be "Pikes Peak, A Rockhounds Paradise", featuring Colorado Gems, Minerals and Fossils. Five days of field trips will follow the show. CSMS will this year also be hosting The Rocky Mountain Micromineral Symposium. The symposium is co-sponsored by The Denver Museum of Nature and Science and The Friends of Mineralogy. For more information, call us at (719) 632-9686, e-mail us at csmsshow@cs.com or visit our website at www.csms.us.  Location: Phil Long Expo Center, 1515 Auto Mall Loop, Colorado Springs, CO.

Check our own web site for additional events, and further details: http://bcn.boulder.co.us/community/fmc/fmctk.htm

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Minutes of the Board Meeting - Nov. 29, 2004
Charlotte Morrison. Secretary

The meeting was held at Charlotte Morrison's house.  Present were Dennis Gertenbach, Terry O'Donnell, Ray Horton, Paul Ralston, Alex Cook, Gerry Naugle, Ray Gilbert, Lew Yoder, Trick Runions, and Charlotte Morrison.

Gerry Naugle has prepared a complete report on income and expenses for our recent club show.  The attendance was up, and with expenses we still added income to the treasury. On a poll taken as people came in to pay they stated the signs were more of an attraction than the newspaper advertisements.  Gerry reported that we got  12 new members at the show, that we have 73 renewals thus far, but that many have not yet renewed. Thanks to Emily Epstein for selecting speakers and instructors and printing a program. Alex Cook would prefer to have someone else named show chair. He will help.

Terry O'Donnell and Ray Horton have many ideas for our monthly club meeting programs. December will be our annual gift exchange party.  Ray Horton and Terry O'Donnell requested a musical February. Ed Raines is lined up for our March meeting.

We received a request from Dinosaur Ridge to contribute to their membership.  Dennis called for the motion, and it was seconded and approved, that we would join at the $100 level.  We will receive their newsletters, two books, and a place for field trips.

Gerry Naugle, as treasurer, moved that more money for the scholarship fund be sheltered.The motion was approved.

Alex Cook suggested that we adopt an operating budget to guide our purchases and expenses.  There was discussion on ways to decrease expenses and increase income. Our dues structure does not pay all of our expenses. Trick Runions suggested that we advertise the e-mail delivery of the newsletter on page 1.  Advantages are: color photos, clickable URL's, and the saving of trees. Dennis would like to table this item and have the board members think of new ways to earn money.

The fact that we do not have a field trip chair for 2005 was discussed.  It was pointed out that the field trip chair would not be expected to lead every trip, but would coordinate trip leaders and keep a box of maps.  Paul Boni will write a message of encouragement to get a field trip chair or committee.  Dennis will lead one or two trips, and Trick one.

The club has acquired a Cloud Dome for close up photography.  At present, Emily Epstein has checked it out.  There will be a list for members to sign up for it at the next club meeting.

Dennis Gertenbach has all the information for the Junior Geologist merit badges organized by the American Federation of Mineral Societies.  Dennis obtained their 96-page manual off of the Internet.  The badges are free. 

For the next board meeting, Dec. 27, Dennis suggests a potluck dinner at his house, 1283 W. 27th Drive, North Lakewood.

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Minutes of the Board Meeting- Dec 28, 2004

Present at Dennis Gertenbach's house in Lakewood, CO were: Ray & Joyce Gilbert, Trick Runions, Charlotte Morrison, Alex and Carolyn Cook, Gerry Naugle, Shirley  Mehta, Lew Yoder, Terry O'Donnell, Dennis and Linda Gertenbach.

Trick Runions presented a thank you letter from the "Toys for Tots" campaign thanking the FMC members who donated things to their recent campaign and silent auction for the 2004 holiday season.

Gerry Naugle brought a sample of the train club newspaper ads for ideas for next show's advertising. And, Gerry brought in a laminated copy of a recent Boulder Daily Camera article regarding Jeff Ferguson, which mentioned Natasha Goss and the 2004 FMC November show, to place into the club library. Ray Gilbert accepted it.

Alex Cook did an audit of the 2003-04 financial ledger and found that all balances check out. He will present a formal financial report at the January board meeting. Alex noted that the revenue from club annual dues does not meet the typical expenses and the shortfall is typically around $1000.  The club requires additional revenues from the annual show and silent auction(s) to meet current obligations each year. Treasurer G. Naugle concurred.  G. Naugle put forward a proposal (tabled) for a possible flat $20 annual dues, with $15 to those members who take the electronic
version of the newsletter, only. 

The club paper newsletter is the largest single expense item each year, and the board is going to try and "emphasize" to the membership to sign up for the electronic version wherever and whenever possible.  Gerry Naugle belongs to two engineering groups that do not publish paper newsletters at all, they assume that all of their members have Internet access and e-mail accounts and perform their diligence accordingly.  FMC will always need to produce some paper newsletters, but the numbers can be minimized. 

Alex also sent thank you letters to Dr. Robert Bakker and Dr. Pete Modreski for their lectures presented during the annual show last month.  A tie-in with our new sponsoring membership in Dinosaur Ridge is being pursued.

Melinda Thompson has agreed to take over the website updating, and Emily to interface with her. Many thanks to Melinda Thompson.

Charlotte reported that new members are coming on Wednesday evenings.

The board wants to thank John Hurst and Emily Epstein for all of their efforts at the 2004 annual show.

Dennis and Terry will answer letters sent to them regarding the locations of Trilobites in CO.  Terry thanked the club for providing equipment that is used at Charlotte's house and to Charlotte for providing the use of her house.   Possible cleaning crew to be empanelled ad-hoc to assist in cleaning areas of her basement for possible future club equipment...a grit sandblasting/cleaning box and lapidary cutting band-saw were mentioned as possible acquisitions for 2005.

Dennis is continuing with the junior geologist program with patches, and parents can contact Dennis: 303-462-3522. The next Junior Geologist meeting will be on Jan. 27th at the home of Laurel Hyde.

The board wishes to thank Dennis and Linda for hosting the nice potluck dinner prior to the board meeting and for possibly using their home as a staging point for a  FMC summer filed trip to North Table Mountain.  The number one response on FMC membership polling forms is the summer field trips.  The board is earnestly seeking a field trip coordinator for spring and summer of 2005. 

FMC regular club meeting on Thurs. Jan.9th at the West Boulder Senior Center and the presentation topic is "TBD" as of this moment. Next FMC Board meeting at the home of Alex Cook at 636 Linden Park Drive on Jan. 31st.

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Updated 1/9/04