North Table
Mountain Update 3/30/04
An Open Letter to Colorado Rockhounds Rev. 2.1
28 March 2004
To all concerned rock hounds,
Zeolite minerals have been collected from the basalt flows of North Table Mountain, east and north of Golden, Colorado for over 100 years. The site is well known for its fine specimens and unique zeolite assemblages. Jefferson County has recently acquired numerous properties on the mountain for the purpose of an open space/county park. I am writing to all concerned rock hounds and asking for your assistance to keep this classic site open to mineral collecting. Jefferson County is hosting an open forum to discuss the future use of this site. Your voice, added to others, will definitely make an impression on the county officials deciding these matters.
The meeting will take place on March 30, 2004, 6-8 pm, at the Jefferson County Open Space Hearing Room, 700 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO. I have been informed that the meeting site is not in the impressive county building itself, but in a smaller one to the west. Pay attention to the address. If at all possible, please show your support by attending the meeting, and by contacting Mr. Frank Kunze (open space planner) at (303) 271-5983, fkunze@jeffco.us.
Please be polite when contacting Mr. Kunze, as we want to make a good impression. Use your own words and express a sincere interest in keeping the site open to collecting as part of a multiple use management strategy for the mountain. Mineral collecting has traditionally occurred in existing quarries and a few isolated dig sites. These quarries produced paving stones for the Denver area earlier in 20th century. The quarries and small dig sites are all ready disturbed and additional environmental damage will be minimal. Mineral collecting at these sites has provided, and will continue to provide untold hours of recreation for thousands of Jefferson County and other Colorado residents.
Please note that there are a lot of other voices that would speak against mineral collecting on this property. These voices are loud and passionate and come from the extreme end of the environmentalists. They are numerous and will be there to bully their agenda through the process. The only way that Jefferson county will know of our position is if everyone concerned (this means you too) speaks up in favor of continued collecting on North Table Mountain. We are on the verge of losing yet another classic collecting locality. We can turn things in our favor if we make enough noise. We will have to make enough noise to counter the environmentalists and to get our own position heard. Don’t get me wrong here either, I am all for preserving the environmental qualities of this beautiful site. I am proposing that collection be allowed in a few selected locations, to be determined by agreement between open space and mineral club spokespersons.
Please, please, please, remember to be polite. We are not an angry mob. Rather we are concerned, tax paying, and commendable citizens, with an opinion about how our elected officials manage our public lands.
Please do not sit on your rear end and think that others are going to magically make this happen. Grass roots politics relies on the participation of large numbers of people. As a group, we rock hounds number in the thousands in this area. If you feel strongly about this issue, exercise your constitutional right to speak your mind. Those who would take your collecting privileges away from you will be speaking against you. Just think of the impression we could make together. Even if you don’t have an opinion about this issue, you can still help us, your fellow rock hounds, keep this site open.
Time is so short! I apologize for this seemingly late notice, but I recently found out about this myself. Please pass this message on to your friends, ASAP, throughout the mineral clubs and we will see what happens. Updates will be posted on the Flatirons Mineral Club web page, listed below. Please do not stand aside and let others do it for you.
Thank you so much for your help,
Paul Boni
Field Trip Chair
2nd Vice President
Flatirons Mineral Club
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/community/fmc/
Boulder, CO
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Updated 3/29/04