Marcus Whitman Gem and Mineral Society Newsletter

The Rock Licker President’s Message-Jim Brain Don’t Miss Your Opportunity To Comment Recently you have seen the articles in the federation newsletter and other publications talking about the importance of becoming involved in the various federal and state agency land management planning activities currently going on across the west. That message was reinforced by our program speaker at the May meeting. Locally, at issue in our area, is how the public wants the federal lands in the Blue Mountains to be managed in the future. The primary goals for managing the lands under this planning effort are to maintain: 1. Ecological Integrity, 2.Social Well-being and 3. Economic Well-being of the national forests and surrounding communities they support. As with any planning effort, there are conflicting opinions from the using publics as to what the best management strategy for the public lands should be. Should we cut more trees, do we need more wilderness areas, should more be done to protect salmon and other fish species, are there too many roads and trails or too few, are examples of some of the conflicts. These conflicts have been going on for many years. The planning team has the difficult task of balancing the conflicting interests to arrive at a management plan that will meet the goals. The Ecological and Economic well being goals are science based for the most part while the Social well being is much more subjective. This is where input from groups like

July 2014 ours is important. There are hundreds of advocate groups that feel their interests are the most important. The American Forest Products Association, the Cattlemen’s Association, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and Audubon Society are some of the larger interest groups. They are well financed organizations that tend to fight for their interests at the National or Regional level. Smaller interest groups like the American Lands Access Association operate at a more local level and are dependent on local volunteers to represent their interests in the planning process. If you have concerns as to how your public lands might be managed in the future, take the time to become involved. Currently there is a window of opportunity available to comment on the alternatives being presented for management of the National Forest Lands of the Blue Mountains. That comment period closes on August 15. Copies of the proposed plan alternatives are available at the local Forest Service office on Rose Street in Walla Walla, at local public libraries in the area or on the web at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ wallowa-whitman/landmanagement/ planning. Written comments are due by August 15th. Be specific as to your concern. By law all written comments have to be addressed before the plan is approved so your comments are important.

Important Announcements  Note that the picnic in July will start at 6:00 Hope to see you there.  Remember the show is September 13-14. Be thinking of how you can help.

There will be sign-up sheets at the picnic. Set up is on the 12th.  BJ Selde has more rocks to sell out of her home. Please contact her to

make an appointment to look at them. 509-522-9439

Volume 55, Issue 7

The next rock club meeting will be on July 8th starting at 6:00 at the Lions Club clubhouse in College Place. ——————This Month’s Refreshments

This month is our annual club picnic. See the details on page 3.

Inside this issue: Important Announcements

1

Club News

3

Safety Corner

4

Feature Article

5

Rockhound Code of Ethics

6

Meeting Minutes

7

Page 2

The Rock Licker

Board of Directors: President: Jim Brain

509-522-2261

[email protected]

Vice-President: Jack Edwards

509-529-3673

[email protected]

Secretary: Kathleen Weston

509-540-6174

[email protected]

Treasurer: Sandy Kinsfather

509-529-1455

[email protected]

Federation Director: Olan Long

509-525-4640

[email protected]

Federation Delegate: Norma Long

509-525-4640

[email protected]

Junior Activity Director: Bob Henkle

509-525-1204

[email protected]

At Large Member #1-Vern Young

509-200-6939

[email protected]

At Large Member #2-Rick Magnaghi

509-522-2772

[email protected]

At Large Member #3-Lisa Stearns

509-337-6823

[email protected]

At Large Member #4-Lauren Page

509-529-3245

[email protected]

Immediate Past President: Keith Bacus

509-529-1248

[email protected]

Committee Chairpersons: Education/classes: Warren Rood (509) 522-2330 Field Coordinator: Janel Lacey (541) 427-5394 Lapidary Shop Foreman: Vern Young Membership: Vacant Programs: Ralph Trethewey Refreshments: Suzanne Young and Lauren Page Gem and Mineral Show: Lisa Stearns

Other Supporting Positions Historian: Vacant

Lifetime Member

Librarian: Leslie Hammer Newsletter Editor: Jim Brain (509) 522-2261 Photographers: David Walk and Russell Kinsfather Publicity: Linda and Bill Stonecipher Show and Tell: Lauren Page Stamps: Norma Long Sunshine: Marilyn McCann (509) 525-1776

Bill Stonecipher Linda Stonecipher Jack Edwards Charlene Edwards Jerry Nielsen Janice Nielsen Richard McCann Marilyn McCann

Web Master: David Walk Youth Activities Support Raffle: Bill Stonecipher

Affiliations: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS) http://www.amfed/org Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies (NFMS) http://www.amfed.org.nfms American Lands Access Association (ALAA) http://www.amlands.org

Volume 55, Issue 7

The July Meeting will be our Annual Picnic The next club meeting, our annual Club Picnic, will be held at the Lions Park Clubhouse on July 8, 2014. Weather permitting, we will move the tables and chairs to the outside lawn. Festivities will begin at 6:00 p.m. Please bring one hot dish (e.g., a casserole, an entree, potatoes, or vegetables), and one cold dish (e.g., green salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, vegetable plate, bread, or a dessert. To accommodate those in our group who have dietary restrictions, we will provide small cards on which each chef can indicate what type of potential allergens (e.g., nut, soy, wheat, dairy) their dish has and whether or not it is vegetarianfriendly. Finally, don’t forget to bring your own plates, silver and other service items as well something to drink.

Don’t Forget the Federation Show This year’s NFMS annual meeting and show will be hosted by the Hatrockhounds club of Hermiston Oregon. It will run from 8/15-17 at the Hermiston Conference Center. In addition there will be a field trip on Monday, 8/18 to the China Hollow Picture Jasper Claim outside of Wasco, OR. You must register in advance to go on this trip so call or e-mail Judy Allison at 541-720-4950 or [email protected] to get your name on the list.

Page 3

July Show and Tell There will be no Show and Tell at the July meeting.

Lapidary Shop Schedule Below is the shop schedule for the next three months. Also, I am looking for more members to be shop foreman. Interested parties, please call me. Vern Young 509-200-6939 Lapidary Shop hours are 6:00-9:00 on the dates listed below. July 10 Jack Edwards July 17 Vern Young July 24 Kathleen Weston July 31 Tom Hargrave Aug 7 Jack Edwards Aug 14 Carole Knobel Aug 21 Vern Young Aug 28 Tom Hargrave Sept 4 Kathleen Weston Sept 18 Jack Edwards Sept 25 Tom Hargrave Shop will be closed July 3 and Sept 11.

For more details on the federation meeting and show see the July federation newsletter.

We are now on Facebook Check out the club’s new Facebook page. The site is still under development so if you have ideas or suggestions send them to Dean Angel who is managing the site at [email protected] Don’t forget to check out yard sales if you are looking for ways to display your lapidary treasures.

Ask not what the club can do for you but what you can do for the club.

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The Rock Licker

Safety Corner Tool Safety Everyone has their favorite digging tool, it may be a pick, shovel, hoe or pry bar. I suppose if I looked at all the digging and prying tools I have I would have to go with the Estwing Gad and a 3 pound maul. I am on my second Estwing Gad in the last 3 years; why is that? Well, the first one I did not take care of, I brutally used that tool to the max, hammering and prying with all my strength until it finally had enough and snapped right in the middle. Since that time I appreciate and take care of my digging tools. The thing I see the most and which is the most dangerous are tools are being used with burrs sticking out all over due to being hammered on fiercely. (also known as a mushroomed head) This is going to happen, but you can put the tools back in useable and safe condition by grinding off the burrs. I prefer to use a right angle grinder which can also be used at the same time to sharpen tools. The biggest hazard with having tools with burrs sticking out is they will come off, getting smacked in the side of the head with a flying piece of shrapnel is not on my list of fun things to do. Also think about the people around you being subjected to the hazard. Before heading out on that field trip I always check every tool to be sure that the handles are secure and free of cracks and firmly attached. Check all pry bars for potential cracks and hammers to make sure that the head is firmly attached to the handle, flying hammer heads can do some serious damage. There is nothing worse than getting out into a dig area many miles from home and have a handle break or a tool snap in half, it can totally ruin the trip if it’s a preferred tool. So lets make each and every trip a fun and safe trip and follow some very basic safety rules. ◾Keep all tools in good condition with regular maintenance (sharpening, replacing damaged handles, etc.) ◾Use the right tool for the job, hammers for hammering, shovels for moving materials, etc. ◾Examine each tool for damage before each use. ◾Use the proper protective equipment, such as eye protection, hand protection and hearing protection. Will Self

Presentation Follow-up Following up on a question raised during the program presentation last month. "Do you need a permit for recreational gold mining if you intend to sell any material you find"? I asked a geologist friend of mine who oversees the mining and rockhounding activities on the Ochoco National Forest in central Oregon. This is the gist of her response. "Gold, silver, mercury, etc. are locatable minerals covered under the 1872 mining law (along with subsequent other laws) and when mined from a claim or found when prospecting prior to staking a claim, is totally saleable. No permit required … unless surface disturbance is involved. That’s where the forest mineral administrator gets involved…. (me). I work with the miner and district ranger, determining if the level of disturbance will trigger a plan of operations (and any necessary NEPA analysis done)." Recreational mining could be considered prospecting. The other important thing to remember is to check to make sure you are not conducting your activity on someone else's claim. Regarding Rockhounding she added - "Technically, folks aren’t supposed to be selling the agate they find rockhounding on public lands… but we aren’t looking for the small time folk… it’s supposed to be for personal use, only. We know folk will barter and trade their finds … that’s OK." On a larger scale, since agate is generally considered a locatable mineral based on case law, mining claims (such as the Lucky Strike Thunderegg Beds in the Ochoco's) can be staked on public lands, worked and the material from the mining claims sold since it is their material. You need to check with local agency administrators for procedures and guidelines to follow when prospecting and staking claims on Federal land.

Volume 55, Issue 7

Page 5

The following article was copied from “Live Science” on Yahoo’s June 17, 2014 web news by Keith Bacus

Earth's Most Abundant, But Hidden Mineral Finally Seen and Named By Jeanna Bryner, Managing Editor June 17, 2014

The elusive mineral bridgmanite is shown in a shock melt vein inside a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite … Earth's most abundant mineral lies deep in the planet's interior, sealed off from human eyes. Now, scientists, for the first time have gotten a glimpse of the material in nature, enclosed inside a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite. The result: They have characterized and named the elusive mineral. The new official name, bridgmanite, was approved for the mineral formerly known by its chemical components and crystal structure — silicate-perovskite. The magnesium-silicate mineral was named after Percy Bridgman, a 1946 Nobel Prize-winning physicist, according to the American Geophysical Union blog. "It is a very exciting discovery," Chi Ma of Caltech and Oliver Tschauner, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Live Science in an email. "We finally tracked down natural silicate-perovskite (now bridgmanite) in a meteorite after a five-year investigation, and got to name the most abundantmineral on Earth. How cool is that?" [Shine On: Photos of Dazzling Mineral Specimens] The mineral likely resides beneath Earth's surface in an area called the lower mantle, between the transition zone in the mantle and the core-mantle boundary, or between the depths of416 and 1,802 miles (670 and 2,900 kilometers), scientists said. Scientists have been searching for the mineral for a long time, because in order to identify a mineral one must know its chemical composition and crystal structure, Ma said. Researchers found the bridgmanite in a meteorite that had fallen to Earth near the Tenham station in western Queensland, Australia, in 1879. The meteorite, Ma said, is highly shocked, meaning it endured high temperatures and pressures as it slammed into other rocks in space. Those impacts can create shock veins of minerals within the meteorites. "Scientists have identified high-pressure minerals in its shock-melt veins since 1960s. Now we have identified bridgmanite," Tschauner said, referring to the Tenham meteorite. The meteorite is considered a chondrite, the most common type of meteorite found on Earth; scientists think these meteorites are remnants shed from the original building blocks of planets. Most meteors (which are called meteorites once they strike Earth) are fragments of asteroids, while others are the cosmic dust discarded by comets. Rarely, meteorites represent impact debris from the moon and from Mars. Ma and Tschauner used various methods to characterize the extracted mineral, including so-called synchrotron X-ray diffraction mapping and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. After five years of work, including multiple experiments, Ma and Tschauner sent their data for review to the International Mineralogical Association's Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC), according to the AGU blog. The commission approved the mineral and new name on June 2.

Page 6

The Rock Licker

Since the field trip season is upon us, I thought it was appropriate to include our annual reminder of the “Rockhound Code of Ethics” which we, all as members of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, subscribe to. Jim Brain—Rock Licker editor.

—————————————————— American Federation of Mineralogical Societies

Code of Ethics 

I will respect both private and public property and will do no collection on privately owned land without the owner’s permission.



I will keep informed on all laws, regulations and 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 us no firearms or blasting material in collecting areas.



I will cause no willful damage to property of any kind—fences, signs, buildings.



I will leave all gates as found.



I will build fires in designated or save places only and will be certain they are completely extinguished before leaving the area.



I will discard no burning materials—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 of others.



I will support the rockhound project HELP (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 education 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 rockhound everywhere.

Reprinted from the June, 2014 AFMS Newsletter. Save Your Canceled Postage Stamps Members are encouraged to save canceled postage stamps and give them to Norma Long, our Federation Director, who will forward them to the Federation which in tern sells them to a stamp broker. Proceeds from the stamp sale are donated to organizations that support cancer research. The most desirable stamps are the commemorative stamps, not the American Flag or Liberty Bell forever stamps, so save commemorative stamps whenever possible.

Volume 55, Issue 7

Page 7

Minutes from the June 8, 2014 General Meeting The following guests were welcomed: Shawn Castoner, Evelyn Zamindio, Gary Zumwart Announcements: There will be a "no minimum" silent auction of misc. items from the store room. Auctions will close after refreshment break. 1) Board actions follow-up--Jim a. M/S/P--To combine material from the Anderson Estate, Boucher donation and the recent club purchase from Dale Huett to provide quality offerings at club show silent auction and at the members only auction in November. b. Jack and Keith will work out details to try to sell some of Dave Williams mineral collection at the NFMS show tailgate session. c. Vern will head a group to inventory and organize the loose rock material stored at the Stonecipher Ranch. This is step one in consolidating the clubs rock inventory. d. Suzanne Young, Jack Edwards and Olan Long will develop a list of potential field trip opportunities for 2015 and have them ready by fall. 2) Reports a. Federation Director--Olan Terry, MT field trip registration is closed. b. Show Chairperson--Lisa absent--Jim our show is 3 months away September 13-14. Lisa will have a meeting after July 4th with all volunteers and members who are willing to help. 3) Current Business a. Finalize details for upcoming field trips. We need help in coordination and planning all trips please contact Jim and sign up soon. 4) Upcoming shows and activities a. NFMS Annual meeting and show, 8/15-17, Hermiston, OR. b. Our Gem and Mineral Show September 13-14, fairgrounds in Walla Walla. 5) Other Announcements: a. July 8th is our Club's annual picnic. Details in the July Rock Licker. b. BJ Selde has more rocks to sell out of her home. Please contact her to make an appointment to look at them. 509-522-9439 6) Show and Tell Theme is "Thundereggs or Geodes" Will Self showed Thundereggs and Geodes from our last field trip to Glass Butte area, also beautiful obsidian in many colors and nice pieces of petrified wood. Andrew Kinney and family brought nice pieces from our last field trip too. Bob Henkle showed nice cut geodes with colorful interior. Keith Bacus brought obsidian and nice green colors and a limb cast opalized with nice crystals. Sally Reed had a display of miniature geodes and Gary Wright showed an amethyst geode. Program--Getting involved in Federal Land Management Planning efforts. Amber Mahoney of the US Forest Service gave a great presentation on the planning efforts being done for the local area. A slide show with information and questions answered by Amber were informative and helpful in understanding these plans are for the greatest good of our forests. There are 3 primary goals with this plan 1. Ecological Integrity 2. Social Well-being 3. Economic Well-being. She also discussed how a person could submit comments on the proposed plan which must be submitted by August 15.

The Rock Licker Editor Jim Brain 509-522-2261 E-Mail: [email protected]

We are on the WEB https://sites.google.com/site/mwgemandmineral/

The Marcus Whitman Gem and Mineral Society is affiliated with the: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Northwest Federation Mineralogical Societies American Lands Access Association

THE ROCK LICKER is the official monthly publication of the Marcus Whitman Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. (NFMS Club # 719), PO Box 338, Walla Walla, WA 99362. The objective of the Society is to encourage the study of earth science through suitable programs, field trips, exhibits and other educational activities. People of all ages are welcome to join us. There are junior club activities for youth aged 18 and under. Regular club meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month (except July and December) at the Lions Club Field House on the corner of SE 8th St and SE Larch Ave. in College Place, WA. Both the Juniors club activities and general club meeting start at 6:30 pm. Note: July is reserved for a club picnic and December is reserved for the Christmas party and potluck.

Marcus Whitman Gem and Mineral Society PO Box 338 Walla Walla, WA 99362 Return Service Requested Remember to save your stamps

The Rock Licker Volume 55 Issue 7

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