SUPPLEMENTAL TROPHIES
- DIAMOND PACIFIC - Lapidary. Cabochons. Marion Roberts, Mother Lode MS
- BARRANCA – Educational. Edward & Eileen Ferner, Santa Clara Valley G&MS.
- HAMEL – Minerals. "Benitoite." Brett Keller, Calaveras G&MS.
- SWEEPSTAKES (society with most awards).
Santa Clara Valley Gem & Mineral Society.
We also acknowledge all who entered but didn't win a trophy. Your displays were excellent, and we hope you'll consider the judges' comments and re-enter them in future competition.
There was not a lot of competition in any one Division or Class, except in Education. This shows great diversity of disciplines gaining excellence. Several competitors in Novice and Advanced scored very well and will compete in Masters very soon. Overall, we were pleased with how the competition went, except that we didn't have enough Clerks to go around. We made do, but we need to see more Clerks next year. Some, hopefully, will become Learning Judges. We want to thank all Judges and Clerks for their efforts and say, "Job well done!"
We hope to see all these cases at the Combined CFMS/AFMS show at La Habra next year (if not at Billings, MT, in July!). All who scored a 90+ as a Master automatically will be an AFMS direct entry. Anyone who scored in the Novice and Advanced will have to re-enter the CFMS as a Master, and hopefully if they score 90+, they'll fly up to the AFMS competition to be judged a second time. Anyone who scored 90+ as a Master since our 2000 show, is eligible to enter AFMS Direct, unless you won an AFMS Trophy at Roswell, New Mexico in 2007.
Application forms for CFMS/AFMS competitive exhibits will be put out in late August (after the AFMS show in Billings, Montana, is completed). We will see that both the CFMS Newsletter and web site have these forms. Contact Dee at either email beauholland@centurytel.net or shirleyleeson@cox.net, with questions about competitive exhibits, and he’ll walk you through it. We're very proud of the Santa Clara Valley society, the CFMS, and all its members for the excellent show and competition.
- Dee & Tom
By Jennifer Haley
On behalf of the CFMS Scholarship Committee, I am proud to introduce this year's Honorees and Students. It takes a thoughtful club to nominate a special person whom they feel has made great contributions toward furthering the purposes and goals of CFMS. These special people are called the Honorees. These Honorees take part in selecting a college or university of their choice in the field of the Earth Sciences and Jewelry/Lapidary Arts.
June Harris was nominated by Santa Clara Valley GMS - June is known for her great work with Junior rockhounds. For the last two years she has created programs in which 2,000 juniors attended. June selected student Kimi Matsushima, University of the Pacific, Stockton, who is majoring in geology with a 3.92 grade point average.
Preston Bingham was nominated by Sequoia GMS. He has held just about every job a club offers and is considered "the glue" that holds their club together. Preston selected University of San Diego in Lapidary/Jewelry Arts. At this time, the committee is still working with the university in exploring a student.
Rock Currier of Jewel Tunnel Imports was nominated by Mineralogical Society of Southern California. Without his efforts to recover specimens and lapidary material from remote areas of the world, our hobby would have missed out on some great treasures, adventure stories, and incredible exhibits at our shows. Rock selected student Shayda Nilojoo, Cal State University, Fullerton, who came highly recommend by the Department of Geological Sciences. Her professor thinks she has discovered two new uranium minerals!
This year, unlike others, we were able to give two Diedrick Scholarships to students at Stanford University. We'd particularly like to congratulate Contra Costa Mineral & Gem for their excellent hard work and donations helping make this possible. Student Nate Levine is studying Geomorphology of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, a relationship between uplift and erosion. With a grade point average of 3.95, he wants to go into Geological Engineering. Student Valentina Fontiveros is studying the structure of Surprise Valley in NE California using seismic reflection methods, the reflection between faults and geothermal system. She is a graduate in Geological & Environmental Sciences and Geophysics.
In sharing these many accomplishments with the clubs, Honorees and students this year, my wish is that all of you will take this information back to your members and even write in your bulletins about the value of this CFMS program and continue to support this scholarship fund on a yearly basis.
- Jennifer
By Mike Kokinos
A reminder: the IRS asks small tax-exempt organizations to file their annual electronic informational return by May 15. While that deadline may be here and gone by the time you read this, there are generally no penalties assessed for late filings, so if you haven't filed already, you should do so right away.
In the May 6 issue of the online IRS Newswire, the IRS noted this is the second year of the new requirement for tax-exempt organizations whose gross annual receipts are normally $25,000 or less to file Form 990-N, also known as e-Postcards. The May 15 deadline applies to all small organizations whose tax year ends December 31. Organizations whose tax year is different from the calendar year must file the e-Postcard by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of their tax year. The IRS notes that organizations failing to file for 3 consecutive years automatically lose tax-exempt status. The e-Postcard must be filed online; there is no paper option. More information and a link to the e-Postcard can be found on IRS.gov.
- Mike
By Dick Pankey, President, A.L.A.A.
CFMS just completed its annual show and meeting hosted by the Santa Clara Valley G&MS. It was a great show. And there was something else there this year: a meeting of the American Land Access Association. Typically ALAA holds one meeting a year, always in conjunction with the AFMS Show and Meeting. So this is something new for ALAA. The meeting followed the Directors’ meeting and lasted about an hour and a half. We had good attendance and a lot of interest. 28 people attended including Vice President Shirley Leeson, Directors Bill Burns, Ruth Bailey and Dee Holland, web masters John and Suzy Martin and me. About half in the group were ALAA members; the other half wanted to be.
The main purpose of the meeting was to create interest in ALAA and recruit new/more individual and societal members. The objective was to introduce ALAA – What we are, what we do and how we do it. The ALAA slogan: “Protecting the Public Lands for the Public,” pretty much says what we do. The purpose of the Association is to promote and ensure the rights of amateur fossil and mineral collecting, recreational prospecting and mining, and the use of public and private lands for educational and recreational purposes; and to carry the voice of all amateur collectors and hobbyists to our elected officials, government regulators and public land managers. Involving people is what we do and how we do it. ALAA promotes legislation, responds to legislative proposals, participates in the legislative process and participates in the land management process. To accomplish these goals we attend meetings, get to know officials and get involved, and write letters and e-mails.
Shirley Leeson gave us the background and history of ALAA. In 1991, the President of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies appointed a select committee to recommend ways to make the Federation more effectively responsive to the political challenges of increasing regulation and decreasing access to public lands that State and Federal Land Management agencies were imposing on amateur fossil and mineral collectors. The committee recommended that the AFMS form a separate 501(c)(4) organization whose primary purpose would be to promote the amateur collectors' interests in present and proposed policies, rules, regulations and legislation with State and Federal land managers, elected officials and legislators. In compliance with that recommendation, the AFMS directors voted to establish the American Lands Access Association (ALAA) in July 1992 at their convention in Brunswick, Ohio. The Association is a 501 (c)(4) (non-profit) organization which means that all moneys raised by the association can go toward lobbying activity.
Dee Holland talked about the Blue Ribbon Coalition and our association with it. The Blue Ribbon Coalition is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving responsible recreational access to public lands and waters. We want to keep your land open for use, whether you recreate on a mountain bike, snowmobile, motorcycle, personal watercraft, ATV, four-wheeler, horse, or your hiking boots. Today, the Blue Ribbon Coalition is a respected national recreation group that represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. ALAA joined the BRC in 2006. The BRC has an outstanding system to monitor legislative and regulatory activity and an e-mail alert system to notify its members and call them to action.
Our webmasters John and Suzy Martin talked about the ALAA web site and plans for the future. The web site is extremely important because it can provide instant information and respond to rapid changes with the legislative or regulatory process. Our web site provides an easy way to let the public and interested people know about us and what we are doing.
We concluded the meeting by inviting individuals and societies to become members of ALAA, get involved, and participate in our efforts. The easiest way to become a member is to get an application off the web site or out of the AFMS Newsletter. Several people had questions about the affect of society membership on a society’s tax exempt status. Mike Kokinos, the CFMS Tax Advisor, told me that the subject of lobbying is very complex. Being a member of ALAA would be so insignificant it would not affect charitable exemptions. The law does not prohibit membership in ALAA by a charitable organization. Mike is going to research and will write an article addressing this.
I am personally inviting every society, in every Federation to join The American Land Access Association. The yearly dues for a society are only $50.00. I invite them to not only join but to get involved and participate in the process to keep our public lands open to the public. I am also inviting all individuals who believe and support the purpose and objectives of ALAA to join as an individual member and become involved and active. Individual membership is $25.00 per year. For more information about ALAA go to our web site www.amlands.org
This was the first meeting of ALAA at a Regional Federation meeting. I encourage ALAA directors and interested members in other federations to hold a meeting to introduce and promote ALAA during their federation meeting. Contact me with questions and for details for holding a meeting of ALAA.
With your help, ideas interest and participation ALAA will have the strength and the voice to accomplish our purpose of “Protecting the Public Lands for the Public.”
A Cautionary Tale
Finally, a couple of weeks ago I received the following article written by a rockhound from Georgia. He first contacted me in early February. We have exchanged e-mails, had telephone conversations and he has provided me with other information regarding collecting in Georgia National Forests and the charges against him and his fiancé. I have begun collecting rockhounding/collecting regulations and information from BLM and FS offices around the country. So far much of the information is sketchy and vague. Written regulation and pamphlets most often don't exist. What I have found out is that although the laws allows for collecting on BLM and FS land, each district can establish their own management plan based on their interpretation of the law and the ranger/enforcement officer enforces the management plan based upon their interpretation. And these vary widely! So we have undocumented, inconsistent regulations enforced by people based upon their ideas and agendas, so THIS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.
- Dick
By Robert Madden, M.D.
On November 1, 2008 my fiancé Dori and I were criminally charged with collecting staurolites on U.S. Forest Service land. Local collectors have been going to this location to collect staurolites for over 30 years. Our friends Tonya and Barry informed us of the location in Blue Ridge. We visited this area four times in summer and fall 2008. The staurolites we found on the surface were mostly poor quality. However, just a few inches under the surface using a scraper we found much better quality ones. We used hand tools including a scraper and a small pick. I feel we were very careful not to damage the site. We did not dig more than 6 or 7 inches and completely filled in our holes and raked the dirt to ensure the site looked undisturbed.
On November 1, 2008, "Officer T" of the USFS approached us. We did not attempt to hide ourselves because we had no idea we were doing anything wrong. He stated he had set up a video camera at the site and had been watching us. This was very alarming to us. I assured him if he had approached us that first time and explained that the Forest Service did not wish us to collect here we would have politely left and never returned. He will attest to the fact that we were cooperative. He even complimented us stating we were “not like most of the individuals he deals with”.
Officer T approached us and asked us what we were looking for. We told him we were looking for staurolites. He did not know what staurolites were but informed us we needed a mining permit to dig for any type of mineral. He told us any staurolites we find are government property. Next he confiscated our scraping tools, knapsack and bucket. He separated us and read me my Miranda rights. At this point he asked me if I would allow federal agents to search my home in Rome for any other federal property. When I said no, my interview was over. Evidently he tried to obtain a search warrant but was unsuccessful. Officer T repeatedly inquired as to whether we sold rocks. I told him I have never sold minerals and staurolites have only intrinsic value. In the past there have been locations in Blue Ridge (Hackney Farm) that have allowed individuals to collect a bucket of them for $5.00.
On January 11, 2009, Officer T gave us a courtesy call. He stated we are being charged criminally with 261.9(a) destroying a natural feature or property of the United States ($250 fine) and 261.9(b) removing a natural feature or property of the United States ($250 fine). These are criminal misdemeanor offenses and can result in a criminal record. I strongly feel the section we are being charged under is both vague and does not address the important point that we were collecting minerals. Mineral collecting is generally allowed on most U.S. Forest Service lands including public domain lands and acquired lands. Unfortunately, each individual Forest Service can now make the rules (on acquired lands) dictating the rules for rockhounding and Georgia has one of the most restrictive policies. Under this charge it appears we are vandals or even worse thieves. I told Officer T I was considering going to court. 5 days later when I received my ticket it had doubled to $500 for each offense for a total of $2000.
In conclusion, I feel strongly we took utmost care to treat this land with care. We spent at least 15-20 minutes each time to leave the ground looking undisturbed. I feel the National Forest Service in Georgia is treating mineral collectors like criminals. Mineral collecting has in the past been considered a wholesome and educational activity. In other states the USFS has been much more responsive to working with mineral collectors and even encourages collecting. I am saddened that the National Forest Service in Georgia is now considering it a criminal offense. Thank-you for the time you spend considering this matter.
- Robert
By Shirley Leeson, ALAA Vice President
ALAA (American Lands Access Association), the lobbying wing (501C-4) recognized by the AFMS, invites you to attend their business meeting in Billings, MT, during the AFMS/NFMS show and convention, July 30 - August 2. The meeting will be 3-5:00 PM, Sat., Aug. 2, in the Cottonwood Room, Holiday Inn Grand. Featured speaker will be Greg Mumm of Blue Ribbon Coalition, the National Organization that is fighting to keep roads open on Federal Lands. Also attending will be our Canadian friends who are experiencing similar collecting problems in their Provinces.
Please plan to attend. Your voice and thoughts are needed! You need not be a member of ALAA to attend, but we hope you will go away a member.
NOTE: There will a "Cracker Barrel" (hosted by Billings G&MC) on Fri., July 31, in the Missouri Room, Holiday Inn Grand, where a discussion on collecting on both side of the Canadian and American border will be discussed with our Canadian friends. Please plan to attend.
- Shirley
By Doug True, Show Chairman
The Billings Gem & Mineral club would like to personally invite you to the national AFMS/NFMS Show and Convention this July in Billings, Montana. We have planned many special events and programs to make your stay in Montana something you will always remember. Come spend your vacation in our state and visit Dinosaur County, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Dig sapphires in western Montana, amethyst scepters at Crystal Park, or join us in the many field trips after the show. The convention center is fully air conditioned for your comfort during your meetings and stay at the show. We have dealers from 13 different states with an unbelievable variety of material, something for everyone.
Our goal is to have 185-200 exhibits from around the U.S., so spread the word and/or invite someone you know who has something special. We already have a moon rock from NASA, an Ice Age cave bear, a T. rex skull, the famous Food Table, Yogo sapphires, rubies, a 27-ounce gold nugget, and world-class Fairburn, Teepee Canyon, Montana, Laguna, and Argentine agates. Also, fabulous carvings by our featured master carver, Robert Sohli, and fluorescent exhibits. So dig out that special exhibit you have, clean off the dust and bring it to share with others.
Over the past few years, there has been a decline in the number of competitive exhibits at regional and national shows. I would like to ask each of you in each of your regional federations to reach out and ask each club to sponsor a competitive exhibit. If every club in the U.S. sponsored, cultivated, worked with one person, helping them perfect a skill, image what we would have in several years! I don’t see the club doing the exhibit; rather, I see several elders or experts in the club taking a member under their wing and helping them to understand the rules and guiding them through the process to help build confidence. When they have those tools, they will be off-and-running!
So pack your bags, grab some trade items and your exhibit, and head for the North Country! Here are the details: July 30–Aug. 2, 2009. 10am–6pm, Thurs.–Sat.; 10am–5pm, Sunday. Tickets $5 each (2-day pass, $8; 4-day pass, $15; children under 12 free with adult). Dealers, demonstrations, educational displays, silent and live gem and rock auctions, and a full week of field trips after the show for Bear Canyon Black & White Fortification Agate, Montana Agate, petrified wood, agatized coral, jaspers, fossil fig leaves and pine cones, Pierre Shale ammonites, and more! For details and further info, check the AFMS web site (www.amfed.org; click on “AFMS/NFMS Convention & Show”), or email me (Doug True) at dtruefossils@yahoo.com, or call me at (406) 670-0506.
