Current Field Trips

It is often mentioned that the GMS is among the most active groups in the country for mineral and fossil collecting. This reputation is a very important part of what it means to belong to the GMS and perhaps the reason our membership is filled with many avid and knowledgeable enthusiasts. I volunteered to help with field trips firstly because I don’t want us to lose this distinction and want to actively promote it, and secondly because the first year of my membership in the Society was really outstanding due to our excellent and generous Chair George Libby.

In order to kick start the new year, I have a few ideas for getting more people engaged in field trips. First, I am going to implement a message board for members to find people to share a ride. With gas prices up and some field trips taking us to far away states, I think that some who are reluctant to attend might feel more inclined if they know they can cut their travel costs in half, and enjoy good company for the long trip. I was recently pleased to have been invited along on a trip to Ruck’s pit that made the trip possible for me, as well as benefited enormously from the wisdom and experience of my host at this locality. I will provide more information on this feature once I find a suitable means for it. Second, I would like to find sites that are close by. I know the North Carolina is a fantastic place for minerals, but Georgia has its own wonders to behold, and I’d like to give special attention to things that are unique to our home state. To this end, I am thinking of ways to go out and advertise our interest in collecting to try to find new localities, or to contact people we have fallen out of touch with, or even new owners of old lands that don’t even realize they have something we want!

In an attempt to find the best way of providing the community with some forum for discussion, I have created a Yahoo Group on the web. The web address is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gamineral/ To subscribe, simply send an email to gamineral-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and you will be added to the group. This will allow you to post and view photographs and post messages and discussion, as well as advertise if you are seeking or willing to provide rides to and particular field trips. (As a cautionary note, I would advise against posting any information about the location of the trips to prevent unauthorized people from visiting the sites. This could jeopardize our ability to use the sites ourselves, and messages containing this information will be edited out.) I also hope this will increase the sense of community of our members, especially those who cannot attend the meetings regularly, and also perhaps attract new members from people on the internet that aren’t aware the Society is available to them. I realize that having this online may exclude some who do not have internet access. I apologize in advance, but this is just a first attempt to see what will be the most effective way of reaching people. Eventually, I may also add a way to exchange phone numbers with people to make up for this.

Please feel free to offer any comments or suggestions to improve this service, and know that it is a work in progress. Please be patient as we work the bugs out.

Greg Grieves
GMS Field Trip Chair