Prez Message
By Marion Roberts, CFMS President
I'm sitting here the first of May just day's away waiting for the June Newsletter and realizing that my year is half gone already. This first half has been a very full one for me as I started with the Mother Lode Show in March, a breakfast meeting with the Faceters Guild, and a breakfast meeting with the Ye Old Timers Mineral Club. Then the Calaveras Show in late March with a Ye Old Timers breakfast, then the Zzyzx Earth Science Studies program in early April, which by the way was another great week and 43 extra participants for the 20th Year. Saturday was the open house, "Great Job Cal."
This week Snyder's Pow Wow in Valley Springs, with a Co-op Field Trip Association meeting and a Ye Old Timers Potluck dinner and Auction. Now I'm preparing for the show and meeting in Roseville, "remember June 10,11, & 12, 2005"
I hope many of you made preparations and plan to attend because we all need to help each other in all of our shows and survival endeavors.
I read in AFMS Newsletter that we have reached the half way mark overall to raising the necessary unrestricted funds to cover all of the Scholarships, which is part of what we are all about. My heart felt thank you and appreciation to all of those who have contributed and sincerely hope the rest of you will see fit to come on board with us. Remember to note on the check that this goes to the unrestricted fund and send it to Montella Lopes, who is our AFMS Endowment fund Representative.
My hat is off to all of the committees sending reports to the Editor, and to the Editor for his efforts as well.
The attendance of your Directors at the Meeting is important. If you are not there, we are not in business. I would dance to see a 100% participation. MAKE ME DANCE!!!
From The Editor's Desk
By Dick Pankey, Editor
Communication
The theme and focus of my "From The Editor's Desk" column is communication: Why. Ways to foster it. Who is responsible for it. What is needed. And the like. To restate - communication is a give and take process, an exchange of ideas and information.
Each month, through the efforts of the officers and committees, there is a lot of information printed in the CFMS Newsletter that need to get to the members of our clubs and societies. The purpose of the CFMS Newsletter is to convey information about the CFMS, the reports of the actions of the committees, announcements, to provide forms, inform about legislative action, and much, much more.
Your club newsletter is a great way to forward this information and many bulletin editors do reprint selected articles. That's good, but only a few articles get to the members. Others condense or shorten the articles. And others just print the highlights and the key, important sections. Both of these are good because now your members know enough to ask questions for all of the details. Likewise, don't forget all the great articles and information in the AFMS Newsletter.
We are counting on you, the bulletin editors to play a key and vital role with communication between the members and the CFMS. I also, encourage articles from our members or bulletin editors. If one of your members writes an article of general interest that affects the Federation and its members, please send it to me. We want to hear from the members,.too.
Another key player with communication is the Federation Director. Your Federation Direction is the interface, the liaison between your club and the Federation. There is more to being a Federation Director than getting a copy of the CFMS Newsletter. One of your major responsibilities is to attend the upcoming Directors' meeting on Saturday, June 11th during the RRR-CFMS Show in Roseville. It is at the Directors' Meeting were a director truly represents their club by listening to the reports, discussing and voting on the proposals and actions that come before the Federation. Experiencing and participating, first hand in the functioning of our Federation. If you are not there you are cannot represent your club, you are not doing your job. Let's see if we can make Marion dance with a 100% attendance.
Always check out the last few pages of the Newsletter. This is where we publish forms, manual updates, etc. Make sure you checkout the registration form for Camp Paradise and the Future Rockhound of America Application. This month we have an example letter to use in writing your Congressman about Senate Bill S-263, Paleontological Resources Preservation Act
LET THE SHOW BEGIN ! ! ! !
By Gloria Tomczyk, 2005 Show Chair
Eighteen months after the Roseville Rock Rollers initial inquiry about hosting the Federation show, D-DAY is upon us. Opening day, June 10th is only days away, and I sincerely hope that all of you reading this will be part of this fantastic show.
DIRECTORS: The Directors meeting will not be held on the fairgrounds. By now you should have received the agenda in the mail notifying you of the location. If you missed that bit of info here it is again. The meeting will be held at the Woodcreek Golf Course Legends banquet room. This is a much nicer facility with food service on site, however they cannot accommodate food for all 75+ of us during lunch. There are other food sources in the surrounding area, along with food service at the fairgrounds that may be quicker. If you would like a map to Woodcreek Golf Course, please go to our website: www.rockrollers.com and look up "maps."
BANQUET: For those you receiving this newsletter early, we have extended the banquet registration deadline. We will be accepting reservations for the awards banquet until June 3. If you plan on attending, or know someone that would like to attend, but are late in submitting payment and registration form, please email Terry Yoschak at: rockrollers@hotmail.com. Please let her know that you will be sending in your payment right away, and we can take care of you.
FIELD TRIPS: We will be offering field trips on Saturday and Sunday to the "Original 16-1" working underground gold mine. Please call Jim Barton for reservations at: 916-773-0458. Also on Saturday, another field trip to "Sierra College Natural History Museum." The website has further information.
Directors please pass this information onto your club members, as they may not know all the details about this enormous show. Be sure to check out our website for further information/updates/maps at: www.rockrollers.com
I hope to see all of you there with your club vests on, enjoying your stay, finding treasures that make you happy (our silent auction will have some really spectacular items) talking to folks you may not have seen ages, and just plain ole having a darn good time! ! ! !
A suggestion To Help Encourage Exhibitors
By Dick Friesen, Rules Committee
I suspect that most of us that exhibit regularly at club shows started in a similar way. We were encouraged by a club member to put a case into our local club show, perhaps several times, until we gave in and entered a case and that was as far as our thoughts went about future shows. It wasn't until our first invitation to exhibit at some other club's show that it really occurred to us that our case was interesting and other clubs wanted to see it. From that point exhibiting seems to take on a life of its own.
While there isn't much we can do to start new exhibitors in other clubs, other than encouraging them to do so when we have the opportunity. There is something we can do to help them move beyond their local show.
I would suggest that when a Club Exhibitor Chairman goes to another club's show looking for exhibits that they contact that club's Exhibitor Chairman and inquire about any first time exhibitors or members who have only shown there. Take some extra time to evaluate those cases to see if they would be a case to invite to your show.
Try to look beyond the case itself, remember it is their first time. Does the exhibit show potential for growth, can you offer any suggestions for improving it (without hurting their feeling, remember it a first timer). Be ready to offer information about how to get to your show, parking, camping, or hotel rooms. There is a good chance they have never been to your show.
Unfortunately the number of people entering competition seems to be declining and I think that a major contributing factor is a lack of new exhibitors. I know some people go directly onto competition, but I think it is more common to start with exhibiting and then move on to completion. Encouraging exhibitors to exhibit at shows other than their own is one of the most important things we can do to increase the number of exhibits and competition at our shows.
Museum Corner
By Debbie Bunn, Chair, Museum Committee
Some of you coming up to the CFMS show in Roseville this June, may want to take a side trip to the nearby Napa Valley wineries. If you do, plan to spend a couple of hours at the Calistoga Petrified Forest. This private park/museum is located at the far end of the valley, just past the tourist town of Calistoga. This is a pleasant, shaded area for a picnic lunch (or a place to "sober up" after visiting those wineries).
The .4-mile trail is mostly paved or compacted dirt. Only the last .1 of a mile has any elevation gain worth mentioning. Guided tours are offered periodically, or you can take the self-guided trail that includes information about present day vegetation as well as eleven stops to show off the petrified wood in situ.
Most of the petrified trees are redwood. There is some pine, too. Most of the redwoods were over 2000 years old when they were buried 3 million years ago. The longest tree excavated is 105 feet in length and 6 feet in diameter. As you walk along the path, watch for unmarked chunks of wood--but remember--no collecting!
There is a very nice little museum and gift shop. The gift shop has a little bit of everything. Local wood, polished wood from around the world, T-shirts, books, ice cream, chips, film, etc.
The Petrified Forest is open daily 9-6. Winter 9-5. 4100 Petrified Forest Road. Calistoga, Ca. 94515, #707-942-6667, www.petrifiedforest.org
What could be more perfect than an afternoon at the Calistoga Petrified Forest? Wine, and petrified wood. It doesn't get any better than that.
Part 2 - Auto Safety
By Chuck McKie, Safety Chairman
Gasoline should be stored in tightly capped and labeled safety cans that have flame arresters and pressure-relief valves - never in glass or plastic jugs. If you must siphon gasoline, use a hand-operated pump - not your mouth. Never store gasoline in the trunk of your car. The vapors can ignite and cause an explosion. Or, a rear end collision that could otherwise be minor could result in a tragedy.
If your car has a catalytic converter, don't drive through or park in areas of dry grass. The intense heat generated by catalytic converters can ignite these grasses. Unless you are tuning your car, never run your car with the carburetor air-cleaner removed. The air-cleaner device functions as a flame arrestor in the event the engine backfires. If it is not in place, a backfire can easily ignite spilled gasoline or oil on the engine surfaces. Never discard smoking materials out the window. Use your ashtray. Carry and maintain an approved fire extinguisher in your car. Know how to use it.
Driving Excellence The following are the "Five P's" or basic principles for effective driving: Perception - Perceive the complete picture of what is ahead by rotating your eyes 180 degrees, looking to the horizon and scanning from side to side. That way you will see what is developing before it becomes a problem.
Planning - Go through various driving situations in your mind and think through "escape route" options to prepare yourself beforehand for unexpected hazards. Prevention - Practice defensive driving and be ready to adjust to the other person's mistakes. Give yourself time to react so that you can remove yourself from another driver's folly. Publicity - Broadcast your driving intentions early enough so that other drivers have time to react to you. Make eye contact when possible. Avoid sudden movements and be as visible as the situation requires by using turn signals. Proper - Proper attitude is very important in safe driving. Many collisions are caused by bad decisions influenced by anger, speed and frustration. When emotions run high, recognize and neutralize any tendency to forego safe driving practices.
Driving at Night While only about one-third of all traffic-related incidents occur at night, more than half of the fatalities stem from night-time driving . In fact, based on miles driven, there are two and a half times more fatalities at night than during the day. This is because less light is available and vision is restricted. Night vision varies considerably among people. Older people generally cannot see well in the dark and eyestrain can substantially reduce night vision. Bright light, such as lightning or high-beam headlights, can cause temporary blindness at night. Headlights on low beam illuminate the roadside for about 150 feet. On high beam, visibility will be 350 to 400 feet. At 55 miles per hour, it takes 4.5 seconds to cover 350 feet. For night driving, control speed so that your stopping range is within headlight range. To improve your visibility and the ability of others to see you, do the following: Turn your headlights on at dusk, and leave them on until full daylight. Keep your headlights clean and properly aimed Replace burned-out headlights immediately Dim your high beams within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle or within 300 feet of a vehicle in front of you Never stare into the high beams of another car; guide your vehicle by watching the right edge of the road Do not flick your high beams up and down to remind another driver to dim his brights - it can blind him temporarily Never use high beams when going into a curve.
Keep your windshield clean, inside and out. Keep your instrument panels dim. Keep your eyes moving; avoid focusing on any one object Keep a bottle of windshield or glass cleaner in the cab for mirrors and interior windshields Keep your windows clean. Wiping the blades with club soda or carbonated water will significantly reduce streaking. If the washing solution under your hood does not leave the glass clean after 10 wiper cycles, replace the blades and/or use a stronger concentration of washing fluid. Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., be particularly alert for drunk or drowsy drivers. If you notice another car with erratic speeds, weaving across lanes, or delayed starts at intersections, use extreme care in passing.
Driving in Bad Weather Bad weather affects your ability to control your vehicle. Stopping on wet pavement takes approximately twice the distance as stopping on dry pavement. On ice or sleet, it takes you five times the distance to stop. Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you in any kind of weather. About six times more people are killed on wet roads than on snowy and icy roads combined, and when it starts to rain; the roads are the most slippery. When the road is wet, your vehicle "hydroplanes" - the front tires literally lift so that the vehicle is riding on a film of water rather than the actual pavement. Hydroplaning begins at speeds as low as 35 miles per hour if the tires are worn.
Do the following when driving on wet roads: Keep your mirrors cleared of water. Avoid sudden braking and sudden moves of the steering wheel. If you are about to go through a large standing pool of water, slow down and turn on your wipers before you hit the water. As you leave the water, tap the brake lightly a few times to dry it out. If the car pulls to one side, pump the brake slowly and smoothly to dry the brake out. If you begin to hydroplane, hold the wheel steady, take your foot from the accelerator and gently pump the brake. If you turn the wheel from side to side to try and get down through the water, or if you jam on the brake, you probably will skid.
When visibility is poor, such as in dust storms, do the following: Slow down but avoid decelerating suddenly. Watch the road ahead and behind carefully for other cars that are traveling slowly. Turn on your lights, regardless of the time of day, and use your wipers. Never use the high beam on your headlights. The reflection of the beams from the dust will actually reduce your visibility. Even if the lights do not improve your own visibility (as in daylight), they will make it possible for other motorists to see you better. If you need to slow down, tap your brake pedal several times so that the flash of your brake lights will warn motorists behind you.
Animals in the Road If you encounter an animal running into the road, do the following: Gauge your reaction by the size of the animal and your vehicle speed. Try to avoid the animal by slowing or swerving, but remember that it is better to hit a small animal (dog, cat, rabbit) than to risk losing control of the vehicle. Hitting a large animal (horse, deer, cow) will have an impact equal to hitting another vehicle. Remove your foot from the accelerator, steer the vehicle in the opposite direction from the one in which the animal is running and be prepared for the animal to stop suddenly. Do not jam on the brake. Keep all steering wheel and brake motions smooth. Be alert for children who may run after the animal.
Tire Blowout Front tire blowouts are most dangerous, because loss of a front tire dangerously interferes with the steering of the car. You may hear an explosive boom, and the vehicle will veer suddenly to the side of the blown-out tire. To regain control, follow these steps: Take your foot off the accelerator, giving the car a chance to slow down. Hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands - expect it to be difficult to steer. When you have gained control of the steering, put on the brake slowly; avoid locking the wheels. Come to a gradual and complete stop, if you can, off of the roadway so that you can change the tire safely.
Brake Failure In case of brake failure, do the following: Attempt to slow the vehicle, both manual and automatic, by downshifting Then gently apply your parking brake. You cannot pump an emergency brake. Remember that this is a cable brake. The rear wheels may lock if you apply too much force and the vehicle will probably pull to one side. Pump the brake pedal rapidly. It may build up pressure in the brake lines and restore some braking force. If you have to collide with something, choose an impact-absorbing object, such as a clump of shrubs or a chain-link fence. Avoid head-on collisions - sideswipe whatever you hit. At slow speeds, simply turn off the engine and let the vehicle coast to a stop.
Vehicle Crashes Unfortunately, vehicle crashes occur. Most often citizens will be at the scene of the crash before fire units are there and it is important that they know what to do correctly or, in some cases, what not to do. Be sure that someone has called 9-1-1.
Is the scene itself life-threatening? For example, a car hits a tanker that is now leaking an unknown substance. Since you are
dealing with an unknown, the patient should immediately be removed a safe distance from the leak regardless of his condition. As best as possible, however, immobilize the patient's head and neck during movement.
If the scene is not immediately life-threatening, assess the patient's condition and manage critical situations first.
Does the patient have a clear airway? Is the patient breathing? Is there excessive bleeding? If you know CPR, and the patient needs it, administer it immediately. If there is excessive bleeding anywhere, apply direct pressure to the wound with a dry, clean cloth. If there is no immediate danger to the patient and he doesn't need any management of the ABC's, do nothing. Keep the patient as he is in the vehicle until fire units can get on the scene. There may be cervical spine damage of which you are unaware and movement by the patient could only make it worse. Many times, people who have just been in a car crash will want to jump out of the car and move about. But as best as you are able, keep them still.
The scene can be a combination of environmental hazards such as downed electrical wires, unknown substance leakage, gasoline spills, fire, etc. If you are on the scene before law enforcement officers or fire units, be aware of such dangers. Often, spilled gasoline is present. Allow no smoking. Turn all vehicle ignitions off. If the car is on fire and firefighting personnel have not yet arrived, decide if you can remove the passengers quickly enough or whether you should fight the fire. If the passengers are not trapped, move them first. If they cannot be extricated quickly, deal with the fire. The main cause of most vehicle fires after a crash is from a ruptured fuel tank or fuel lines that have been ignited by internal or external sources. The most common ignition point, however, is under the hood, which rarely presents a serious hazard to vehicle occupants unless combustion is enhanced by gasoline. Most under hood fires will not spread unless fueled by an external source. Once emergency units do arrive, tell them what you know and then get out of their way. They are trained professionals and know what to do from that point. (From Phoenix Arizona safety info)
CFMS Field Trip to Afton Canyon Report
By Bob Fitzpatrick,Field Trip Chair South
Just returned home from the Cady Mountains and Afton Canyon areas. I want to thank the 83 CFMS rock hound members who showed up for this field trip and signed the CFMS consent and assumption of risk waiver of liability forms.
Day 1, Friday, April 29th The weather was nice when I arrived at the campsite area at 8:30 a.m. First I put the CFMS signs up on Basin Road as I got off the freeway to help everyone find their way to the campsite. At 1:00 p.m. we had a large group and as planned we headed out for an afternoon field trip to do some serious rockhounding. We had 14 vehicles in a caravan and found the 4X4 trail that we had to take was in really bad shape. Most of the way the road had really soft sand or large rocks in it due to all the rain we had during the first part of the year. Our first stop was for collecting gem marble and agate on the flats nearby. After that we drove to the blue agate and gem hill area where we all had a good time climbing the hills and collecting calcite rhombs (they look like ice cubes), chalcedony, agate, jasper, small amygdules, (some will have sagenite sprays in them), blue agate and much more. By 4:30 p.m. it was time to make the drive back to camp where everyone pitched in and got things ready for the campfire that evening. We had a lot of fun telling stories and visiting with everyone. I want to thank all of those who brought wood for our campfire.
Day 2, Saturday, April 30th The schedule was to leave at 8:00 a.m. sharp to go the collecting site. We all lined up in a caravan; rides were found for the ones that didn't have 4-wheel drive vehicles. People were still showing up late because there had been an accident on the freeway, so while we were waiting we took group pictures. By the time we left at 8:30 a.m. we had 23 SUV's and pick-ups lined up. While heading to the fluorite mine (about a 30 minute drive) we had one 2-wheel drive pick-up get stuck in the soft sand (everyone had been told "4 wheel drive" vehicles only). At the fluorite mine, Adam Dean gave a talk on what we would be looking for; he also had some nice pictures of sagenite that he had found in the Cady Mountains. We walked up the canyon and everyone was shown where and how to find the emerald green fluorite. Some nice specimens of the green fluorite were collected and some good multicolored jas-agate, opalite, onyx, calcite rhombs along with other gemmy items were found. At 12:00 noon we traveled about 2 miles up the main canyon to one of Adam's secret collecting area for sagenite sprays in larger amygdules. We searched here for a couple of hours and everyone found some nice gemmy material then we drove down the canyon a few miles to collect on the open flats. A Mojave rattlesnake was spotted and some nice pictures were taken of it. Around 4:00 p.m. we headed back to camp to get ready for our potluck dinner. At 6:00 everything was ready and all the food was on the tables where Bob Bryne said grace before we ate. After dinner we sat around the fire and told jokes and stories.
Thomas Hess and his lovely wife Kim and little girl, Autumn, arrived Saturday afternoon to collect with us and camp out. Thomas showed everyone some of the gemmy tourmaline and other pegmatite gems he had collected over the last few years at some of the well-known mines in San Diego County. Thomas is the founder and leader of the Die Hard Rockhounds (a large group of rockhounds that are out rockhounding almost every weekend); he is also a member of the CFMS.
Day 3, Sunday, May 1st My good friend Adam Dean who is a member of the OBMS Club and knows the Cady mountains better then any of us, took us to another one of his secret areas to collect. More new people showed up to join us and at 8:00 a.m. we were on our way. We all had another great day collecting amygdules nodules, (they're shaped like large potatoes with a dull iron stain that cover the exteriors also most have plume or sagenite sprays in them), and other gemmy items were collected too. About 2:00 we headed back to camp to pack up to head for our homes.
During the three days of our field trip the weather couldn't have been better, I could write 100 pages about this field trip telling you all the great things we did and saw; it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. If you missed it, you missed a great time!
There is some CFMS members I want to thank for helping me make this field trip and camp over a great success, Ken Barron, Adam Dean, Teresa Felix, Bob Bryne, Jay Valle, Jean Wise, Kathy Eschbach, Pamela Birge, and everyone who brought all that great food to the potluck. Again, thank to all of you.