The Bitterroot Conglomerate
Newsletter of the Bitterroot Gem & Mineral Society
Vol. XXVIi issue 7
Presidents Column
This has been a great month for our club, new members, field trips, and having fun. The opal digs down at Salmon was the best i have ever seen, UF TA one of our new members had opal fever, everything she turned had blue everywhere, in case you were wondering who UF TA well no other than Barbara Abbe, a rock hound she has been turned into big time. Next there is Larry; he also had to have a thermometer in his mouth because he was having a case of blue fever. Larry and UF TA had the most opal and they earned all of it digging in the dirt. At our last club meeting Toni Seibert gave our first wire wrapping session, it turned out that all had a great time, Toni will be back on the 22 June to give another class. Wayne has put several field trips together and will talk more about that at our next meeting. The state show is progressing onward, i have secured most of the dealers and Bitterroot River Inn for the dates of our show. Larry has been working with me, and Larry, I thank you so much. Next UF TA has been doing great on working on the advertisement and deserves a keep up the good work. Pat Tibbs has helped so much with the computer work which has helped me greatly. Oh almost forgot Don and Joe, Don and I went to the Bitterroot River Inn to measure the space we are going to need, now Don is making the floor plan for our show, thanks so much to all the members who have been going full speed. Now there’s me, the good President, who by his own doings booked to many dealers and have things in quite a mess, Don and Joe are trying to straighter me out. I have the unpleasant task ot notifying the dealers of the space change they are going to have to deal with. So i better get to it, the Chief Flunky would be a better name for me. Well not much more yet, but am sure something will happen, so see you all at the next meeting. ---
Chief Flunky
Editors Notes
On vacation in Alaska!. -- Ralph
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BGMS Minutes June 24, 2008
There were no minutes taken at this meeting as the program was the class and workshop on wire wrapping presented by Tony Seibert. There were about 20 members who participated in this program.
Both our newsletter editor, Ralph, and our secretary, Wayne Farley, were absent at this meeting. Ralph is spending the summer in Alaska, and Wayne was in Portland, OR visiting his daughter. Ralph sent an email to Wayne on 6/23/08 with the following message.
“You should be in Oregon by now. I hope all is going well. We are in Glennallen, Alaska today and expect to head for Anchorage tomorrow. We've had no trouble so far but the roads are not the best, lots of frost heaves and construction activities.”
BGMS Field Trip – July 4th Weekend, 2008
By Wayne Farley, Field Trip Chairman
The Bitterroot Gem & Mineral Society (BGMS) conducted field trips to the Salmon and Challis areas in Idaho on Friday (July 4) and Saturday (July 5), 2008. The field trips were led by me, Wayne Farley. Three vehicles were used for the trips. On Friday, the three vehicles coalesced on the BGMS Blue Grouse claim, tem miles south of Salmon. Christine (Cris) Ponder and her daughter, Mylea, went down on Thursday in their two-wheel drive pickup and camped at the campground, where we turn off Hi 93 on the Williams Lake Road to go to the claim. On Friday morning, Wayne Farley and Harvey Sharp went down in Wayne’s 4-wheel drive pickup, and met the Ponders at the campground. The Ponders left their pickup at the campground, and continued on up to the claim with Wayne and Harvey. Larry Jones went down to the claim on Friday morning in his 4-wheel drive pickup, with Steve Vieth and Barbara Abbe. They were at the claim when we arrived about 10:00 am. Us seven rockhounds dug and cracked rocks in the lower pit until about 2:00 pm, when thunderclouds started building and we figured it was about time to get off the mountain. You don’t want to go up or down that last two mile stretch of torturous mountain road when it gets wet, as the clay turns to slim. We were also concerned about lightning strikes on the top of the mountain. I, Harvey and the Ponders had planned on staying on the claim overnight for a black-light hunt for fluorescent rocks, but with the pending weather, decided to change our plans and head for Challis. Larry, Steve, and Barbara had planned on only a one day hunt, and returned to Hamilton. We all did very well on our collecting. Larry, Steve, and Barbara were digging in the dirt that came out of the pit; and they found several gorgeous pieces of blue opal in the dirt. I’m sure you will see them at the next meeting. Harvey and Cris later joined them in the dirt, and they also found nice pieces of opal. Mylea found several nice pieces of opal just laying on the surface. I looked for opal seams in the big rocks that had been thrown out of the pit, and broke them up with my crack hammer to isolate the opal rocks to reasonable collecting sizes. I wound up with a five gallon bucket of rocks.
Before I, Harvey, and the Ponders headed for Challis, we decided to check out the Williams Creek jasper area just around the hill from the Blue Grouse claim, which our BGMS members had never been to. The directions to the jasper area were obtained from “The Gem & Mineral Collector’s Guide to Idaho”, by Lanny R. Ream, 2000. From 93, go 0.8 miles on the Williams Lake road, then left around the corner continuing on the paved road for another 1.6 miles, then right on the posted Cobalt dirt road for 2.2 miles. The jasper is on the right side of the road, at bottom of the talus slope that comes down to the road. You can’t miss it, as there are BLM signs saying “Do not Collect Minerals from this Area”. I thing the BLM thinks that the talus slope is a safety hazard. Ream thinks that the signs refer to taking truck loads of construction material, or climbing the talus slopes, which could be dangerous. Picking up a single rock or two at the base of the slope is not dangerous. It is apparent that rockhounds have been collecting there. The material is not that great, and I doubt if rockhounds would want more than a couple of pieces.
Harvey, I, and the Ponders stopped in Challis for dinner, and then went out to the Spar Canyon area to spend the night camping in the desert at the old stagecoach station. The station is on the way to the Lone Pine Creek jasper & agate area listed in the Ream Field Guide. The Spar Canyon road is 18 miles south of Challis. Turn right onto the gravel Spar Canyon road (there is a sign), go 1.3 miles, then right onto a two-rut dirt road. The stagecoach site is about 1.5 miles and the Lone Pine Creek jasper site is 4.5 miles. The collecting area is mostly on the right side of the rut road. Where we camped at the stagecoach station, we collected old broken glass and old square horseshoe nails, etc. There is a lot of the blue glass that has formed from ultra-violet radiation from the sun. There was also broken stoneware with blue designs, which is valuable for wire-wrapping. I had collected there once before with Harvey, and found out later that some of the clear glass was very fluorescent white with a short wave black-light. I therefore decided on a night hunt with my black-light. On the night hunt, we found a lot of quarter size broken fluorescent pieces, but no intact bottles. The white porcelain stoneware was only slightly fluorescent white, so I only collected a couple of pieces for reference material. The only natural fluorescent material found was caliche on some of the small rocks, which fluoresces a dull orange.
The next morning, Saturday, we woke up to the call of coyotes. After breakfast, we drove the final couple of miles to the Lone Pine Creek jasper collecting site. The rut road is in good condition, but a little rough, so requires slow driving. The Ponders took their two-wheel pickup with no problems. At the site, the first thing that happened when we stepped out of the vehicles was that Mylea found a large arrowhead (spear-point) right next to the road. It was made from the local flinty material found in the area. At first we thought it was a genuine Indian artifact, but later, Harvey found basalt knapping chips on the other side of the road, and they were not local material. We concluded that the spear-point was a resent reproduction.
We spent about three hours at the Lone Pine site, and collected all that we wanted. I found an area up on the hillside, a couple of hundred feet across, where you could collect tons of good red jasper. Some of it so hard, that thin plates of it rings when stuck with another rock. It should make good cabochon material. There was also scattered chalcedony and agate in the same area. I have one head size piece that contains both jasper and chalcedony-agate. I checked it for fluorescence when I got home, and the chalcedony shows a green fluorescence under the black-light. Harvey found a solid ledge with wonder stone, and broke out a bag full of small pieces for Mylea to wire-wrap. In addition to the rocks, Cris collected some cactus and Bitterroot specimens to take home. The Bitterroots were in bloom, and they were everywhere.
After lunch, we headed for the Lime Creek agate collecting area as shown in the Ream Field Guide. To get to the Lime Creek Road, drive south on Hwy 93 from Challis, and at the junction of Hwy 75 to Spencer, zero your odometer. Continue on 93 for another 8 miles, and you will see the Lime Creek Road sign on your left. Turn onto the Lime Creek road, and drive about a half mile until to come to the power line that crosses the road. Turn left on the rut road that follows the power line. After about ¼ mile you will cross a shallow dry wash, and then climb a small hill onto a flat area. Go another ¼ mile on the power line road, and park. The collecting area is the large flat on the right side of the road. It extends for a couple of miles. You will find translucent chalcedony and agate as soon as you step out of your vehicle. A lot of it appears blue under the desert sun, but white when you get it home. I think that is because it reflects the blue sky in the desert environment. A few pieces will retain the blue tint under ordinary light. Some pieces have altering bands of blue and white, and can be called true agate. Some of the chalcedony will have a red tint and some a green tint. I think some of the green is from algae, as it only appears to be a thin surface coating. The red tint is caused by iron oxide. I found the best piece of blue agate this time that I have ever found in this area, and only after ten minutes of searching after leaving the vehicle. It is about 5 inches in diameter and about two inches thick. The top half is dark blue, and the bottom half that was in the soil is green, probably from algae. I cleaned it up with muriatic acid in water when I got home. I will bring it in for show-and-tell at the next BGMS meeting. Harvey, Cris, and Mylea also found a lot of good material, and after about two hours, we figured we had found enough. I had originally thought of spending the night here for a black-light hunt for fluorescent caliche, but nightfall was still several hours away, and it was getting hot. I checked one rock that had a caliche coating for fluorescence by putting it in my black-light case and shining the black-light through the top opening. I did not see any fluorescence. Because of the heat and the fluorescence test, we decided to return to Challis for a refreshing shake; and then try and find the fluorite area 6.5 miles west of Challis.
We had our shakes at the bowling alley on the north end of town, and then drove west up main street. While driving through Main Street we looked for the rock shop that was there a couple of years ago, but didn’t spot it, so it must have closed.
From the end of Main Street we drove up a narrow canyon 6.5 miles on Garden Creek Road, as instructed in the Ream Field Guide. The road was paved for about five miles with scattered houses along one side, and a large church about half way up. The houses and church all had the same colored blue roofs. We were wondering if everyone in all the houses belonged to a church group. At about 6 miles we saw a mine pit off to our left and assumed it was the fluorite mine. At 6.5 miles we were on a gravel roar at the top of a mountain pass. A side rut turned left for a hundred yards and then turned left about a 1/2 mile above the fluorite mine. The Ream Guide Book said that there were shallow exploration pits above the mine. While exploring this area, a man and boy came along on a four-wheeler ATV. We asked about the fluorite mine and the man said it was still under claim. We decided then not to go back and enter the mine. On the upper bench we did find nice slabs of quartz breccias, large blue rocks that we assumed were colored by micro blue fluorite, and translucent pebbles of clear chalcedony. We all collected representative samples. Harvey found one piece of chalcedony right in the road that was about 2x3x6 inches, and dug it out. At this point, it was about 5:00 pm, and we had collected from all of the areas originally planned. Therefore, Harvey and I decided to return to Hamilton.
Cris said, she and her daughter would follow us back to Salmon and camp overnight by the Salmon River. Harvey and I had planned on stopping at Becky’s Rock Shop at Salmon on this trip, as she is going out of business and has very good sales, but it was too late when we came back through Salmon. We gassed up at Salmon, got burgers and coffee for ourselves, and got back to Hamilton about 9:00. It was a very good trip.
Butte Gem & Mineral Show, and MT Council Summer Meeting, June 14, 2008
By Wayne Farley – MT Council Delegate
On Saturday, June 14, 2008, my son Daniel and I (Wayne Farley) attended the Butte Annual Gem & Mineral Show at the Civic Center at Butte, MT. The show was well organized and well attended. They had a good mix of dealers, a silent auction, lapidary demonstrations, and about 20 show cases. The show cases had good material, and were well arranged. My favorite show case was a collection of thumbnail specimens presented by Pete Knudsen; who is a member of the Butte Club, and head of the mining department at Montana Tech. Pete had a fantastic gold nugget in his collection, as well as many other fine specimens. The specimens were well arranged and well labeled.
Later that day, Daniel and I participated in the summer meeting of the Montana Council of Rock and Mineral Clubs (MT Council). I am the vice president of the MT Council, and Daniel is the Editor of the MT Council newsletter. We also attended as delegates of the BGMS. The MT Council dinner & business meeting took place at the Country Kitchen in Belgrade, 10 miles west of Butte, from 6:00 pm to 7:40 pm. Minutes from the business meeting, from Secretary Betty Luke, are presented below:
“The meeting was called to order by President Dana Anderson at approximately 7:00 p.m. at the Perkins restaurant, Butte, Montana.
After the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, the members present were introduced. All Executive Board members were present. Director, Bill Luke was present, however Rose Houseman was absent. George Loud was a guest of the Luke’s at the meeting. George was visiting Butte from North Carolina, and previously he had been active in monitoring land use issues at the American Federation level.
Secretary, Betty Luke read the minutes of the previous meeting. One correction was made in that she had Jeff Conrad’s name incorrect. Change was made. Minutes were then approved.
Treasurer Kimberly Lourdeman, gave the financial information and reported that she has paid the PLAAI dues for the year 2008. The last dues paid to the organization had been in 2006. She also reported that the Northwestern Montana Rock Chucks had finally paid their dues for the year. Therefore the club will have the use of the Council trailer and showcases for their show in July in Kalispell. Ellis Houseman has agreed to continue as person in charge of the trailer scheduling and will remain the contact person for the Council trailer.
Editor, Daniel Farley, reported that he had e-mailed his first issue of the Council Reporter during the previous week. He also stated that it had been decided that the website for the Council should be independent which would be best for the organization. The Website address is www.montanacouncilrockmineralclub@googlepages.com. Daniel was thanked for his efforts in taking over the job as editor and for setting up a web page.
Betty Luke reported she had heard from Joanne Gilpatrick. Joanne asked that Editor, Daniel Farley be complimented for doing a very good job of putting out his first issue of the Council Reporter Newsletter. Joanne emphasized the importance of the job that Daniel is doing. Joanne also sent a message for Council members that Gil’s condition remains about the same and that he is in a care center in Lewistown, slowly going downhill, and not expected to return home. Members at the Council meeting and throughout the weekend at the show have expressed their concern for both Gil and Joanne who were active in the Council and the Lewistown Junior and adult clubs for years.
Joanne also sent the message to the Council that the Lewistown Club has been disbanded due to lack of activity and has stated that she would like all historical information for the Lewistown Clubs to be kept by the Council Historian. Council Historian, Chuck McGuire, in Butte, was contacted during the weekend and has said he will look forward to receiving the information and will certainly see that it is preserved.
No one has stepped forward to host the 2008 Annual Montana Council Fossil Hunt. Tim Hoff, who is making arrangements to host the 3rd Annual Butte Club Rendezvous on August 17-22, near Ruby Reservoir has invited Council Members to have their Fossil Hunt with the Rendezvous group. Interested Council members are asked to contact Tim for exact location and registration information the week prior to the Rendezvous event. Tim’s phone number is 406-491-3587
Historic Sites and Preservation Committee – Dick Wendel spoke for John Usher who was not able to attend the meeting. John had prepared a letter addressed to political candidates stating our position on land use issues. Copies were passed out to members at the meeting. It was emphasized by Dick that we have an important obligation to write to and contact our political representatives and make our wishes known if we expect to keep our collecting sites open.
Wayne Farley reported that he has submitted an application to fill an open position on a local BLM Advisory Board. He has not heard back on whether he has been selected.
Nominations Committee position is open. President Dana asked for volunteers. None were forthcoming and the item was tabled until the next meeting.
Montana Council Showcases- Dick Wendel reported that he has repaired 4 showcases (numbers 1-5). He has repaired the fronts, backs, sides and 1 front. The bill for labor and material totaled $479.27. Money to do the project was appropriated at the last Council meeting. Notes should be made and kept with the trailer about which cases need to be repaired. The repair project will continue at the Missoula where more cases will be removed and worked on. Missoula show dates are September 20-21. Montana Council Fall meeting will be held at that show and Kimberley Lourdeman will make arrangements for the meeting.
The Montana Council Spring 2009 meeting will be held in Hamilton during the weekend of the State Show there. Wayne Farley will make arrangements for the meeting. There are RV parks nearby.”
Meeting adjourned at 7:40, Respectfully submitted by: Betty Luke, Secretary
NFMS Show and Annual Meeting at Ontario, OR, June 20-22, 2008
By Wayne Farley – NFMS Director
On Friday, June 20, 2008 I and my wife, Sharlene, traveled to Ontario, OR from Hamilton via Lolo Pass – Kamia, ID – Riggons, ID – and McCall, ID. The trip was about 370 miles and took about 7.5 hours of driving time. I attended the show as a representative of the BGMS. As things turned out, I missed the NFMS meeting, as it was on Friday evening instead of Saturday evening. I could have made the meeting on Friday if I had started earlier, but I made a mistake on the date. I ran into Dick Wendel from the Bozeman Club at the NFMS show on Saturday, and asked him about the NFMS meeting. He said the meeting was a disaster, as it was at the Amory, where there was no air conditioning and it was very hot, there was no speaker system and participants could not hear the speakers, the only think discussed was the stamp program for cancer research. I guess I didn’t miss much. The show was also a disaster for many dealers, as most were out in the hot sun at the fairgrounds with no shade tarps. On Saturday when I was there, the temperature was 106 degrees F., and the rocks were so hot you could not hold them in your hand. There were very few customers. Several dealers were in an open barn structure with concrete floors, and that area wasn’t too bad. The show cases were in a building with wood floors, but no air conditioning. The doors were left open at either end of the building for air circulation. It was OK in the morning when I was there, but I imagine it got pretty hot in the afternoon. The displays were good. The best was two cases of intarsia cabochons. There was a black-light display in a black plastic tent in one corner of the building, with six cases of fluorescent specimens. The specimen material was OK, but all but one of the cases used plastic or glass fronts that fluoresced. This resulted in a foggy image of the specimens, and another disaster. The food at the showcase building was bad, and another disaster.
On Sunday, June 22, Sharlene and I drove to Portland to spend a couple of days with our daughter. On Monday I visited a rock shop in Portland, Ed's House of Gems at 7712 NE Sandy Blvd. It is a very good rock shop, and I highly recommend it, if you visit Portland. I bought some lapidary material, and some plastic specimen stands at Ed’s. I also had my wife’s opal ring buffed, and they did a very good job.
On Tuesday, we drove from Portland to Arlington, WA (Sharlene’s home town) to visit her cousin Loran Kraetz for a couple of days. The traffic through Seattle was horrible, as usual. On Wednesday, Loran, Sharlene and I drove to Derrington to visit Sharlene’s 94 year old uncle. While there, we inquired about the jade that has been reported on Mount Jumbo, just out of Derrington. We were told that it did exist, but was on the mountain top in very rugged country with no roads, and very few people went there. You can see the mountain top from town. There were no rock shops in Derrington, and no-one we talked to had any samples of the MT Jumbo jade.
Later that day we went to the Pioneer Museum in Arlington to see a wire-wrapped cabochon collection they had there. There was a two by four by five foot high case with two shelves, with cone shaped displays. There were probably one hundred cabochons on each shelf. The material was from all over the western states. If you go through Arlington, be sure and stop to see it.
BGMS 2008 FIELD TRIPS & SPECIAL EVENTS 05/01/08 |
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Bozeman Gem & Mineral Show, Gallatin Co. Fairgrounds, Black St., 10:00 to 6:00 Sat & !0:00 to 5:00. MT Council Spring Meeting
230 mi – about 3 hours 38 min.
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Dan Carter 588-4552
Doug Ellis 266-4452
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BGMS Gem & Mineral Show, Senior Center, Hamilton, MT
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Hellgate Club - hi-Way clean-up and look for quartz crystals
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June 14-15
Sat-Sun |
Butte Show – Civic Center – 1340 Harrison
145 mi – about 2 hours 31 min. |
Pete Knudsen
406-486-4395 |
June 21 Sat |
Hellgate Club - Black Pine Mine for minerals, rocks & crystals. |
Bob Riggs 543-3667 |
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NFMS annual show at Ontario, Oregon (57 mi west of Boise, ID).
370 mi – about 7 hours 32 min. |
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June 28 Sat |
Hellgate Club – Rattler Gulch for jasper and/or fossils |
Bob Riggs 543-3667 |
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110 mi to BGMS Blue Grouse Claim, Salmon Idaho
Collect blue common, fire-opal (if your very lucky), fluorescent agate & opal, and Jasper on Williams Creek Road.
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July 19-20
Sat-Sun |
Kalispell Show, NW MT Rock-Chucks, Red Lion Motel, Center Mall, 20 N. Main, 166 mi – about 3 hours 3 min. |
Sandy Dahl
dahlsl@centurytel.net |
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Lincoln with Missoula Club: Leaf Fossils and Pyrite
130 mi – about 2 hours 17 min.
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Wayne Farley 375-1341
Bob Riggs 543-3667
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70 mi to Snowbird Mine with Missoula Club:
Parasite-(Ce), Fluorite, Quartz, Scapolite, Rutile, Annabergite
Meet at Lolo Hot Springs 9:00 am, collect Sat 12 to 4 pm
Camp overnight at mine on Sat for fluorescent rocks.
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Hellgate Club – Calvert Hill – Variety of crystals and minerals
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Aug 17-21
Sun through Thursday
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All club Rendezvous sponsored by Butte Club at Anderson Ranch on Sweetwater Road 15 miles east of Dillon. Agate, Opal, Jasper, Wonder Stone, Talc, Marble, Garnets, Star Sapphires, Fossils.
150 mi – about 3 hours
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Wayne Farley 375-134
Tim Hoff 491-3587
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BGMS Annual picnic and auction at Don & Jo Farley=s place at 129 Martin Dr., Corvallis
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Don or Jo Farley
406-961-0080
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Hellgate Club Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show at Rubys Motel on Reserve St., Missoula
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Billings Gem & Mineral Show, Billings Hotel and Convention Center, 1223 Mullowney Lane, 368 mi – about 5 hours 33 min.
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Lewiston, Idaho Gem & Mineral Show: Nez Perce Co. Fairgrounds, 10:00 to 6:00 Sat & 10:00 to 5:00 Sun. 242 mi – about 5 hours 11 min.
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Jack L. Edwards
509-529-3673
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Christmas Party: Potluck & Auction, Corvallis Community Church,
CE Building behind church. 1:00 to 4:00 pm
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For Sale. An ore car from the Betty O’Neil Mine near Battle Mountain, Nevada. In good shape. $500.00. Contact Posey at 961-4116
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Article VII. Code of Ethics
The code of ethics for the conduct of field trips presented by the American
Federation of Mineralogical Societies, as indicated below, shall be adopted by the BGMS;
with the addition proviso, that in the interest of safety, no person shall carry a
firearm on any field trip without the expressed consent of the field trip leader
AFMS Code of Ethics
* I will respect both private and public property and will do no collecting on privately owned land without the
owner’s permission.
* I will keep informed on all laws, regulations of rules governing collecting on public lands and observe them.
* I will to the best of my ability, ascertain the boundary lines of property on which I plan to collect.
* I will use no firearms or blasting materials 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 safe places only and will be certain they are completely extinguished before
leaving the area.
* I will discard no burning material - matches, cigarettes, etc.
* I will fill all excavations holes which may be dangerous to livestock.
* I will not contaminate wells, creeks, or other water supply.
* 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 and benefit of others.
* I will support the rockhound project H.E.L.P. (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 rockhounds everywhere.
SAVE POSTAGE STAMPS FOR CANCER REASERCH!!!
GIVE A HOOT – DON’T POLLUTE! KEEP MONTANA GREEN
BGMS 2008 FIELD TRIPS & SPECIAL EVENTS |
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to be announced |
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Anyone that would like to plan and lead a field trip on any of the open dates please call Wayne Farley to set it up and have it announced to the group and also put on the web-site for all to see.
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A fool and his money are soon elected.
Will Rogers
America is becoming so educated that ignorance will be a novelty. I will belong to the select few.
Will Rogers
BITTERROOT GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY is a member of the Montana State Council, Northwest Federation and American Federation. We support State and Federation projects and goals. We are guided by the AFMS code of ethics:
I will respect private property. No rockhounding without permission.
I will use no firearms or blasting material in rockhounding areas.
I will take all garbage home, or dispose of it in proper receptacles.
I will leave gates as found.
I will cause no willful damage to materials or take more than I can use.
I will build fires in designated or safe places only.
I will not contaminate wells, creeks or other water supplies.
I will appreciate and protect our heritage or natural resources and wildlife. I will always use good outdoor manners.
SAVE USED POSTAGE STAMPS FOR CANCER RESEARCH!
GIVE A HOOT - DON"T POLLUTE! KEEP MONTANA GREEN
