March 2021 Meeting Minutes


Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: March 8, 2021
Intro:
This was a virtual meeting held via Zoom conference. Per ZOOM, there were 11 members present.

Old Business:
None.

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New Business:
Report from Jack Glenn on Mineral Show: Show is planned for Sept. 17 – 19, 2021. (dependent upon Public Health Guidelines from the state of VA.). It will be at the Augusta EXPO.

  • We plan on having a kiddie area “mineral find” with perhaps a “prize wheel” and the mineral sluice. Volunteers will be needed for these activities.
  • No details on whether a meal will be possible.
  • There are more vendors signed up than usual. Some are new. Most of the contracts have been signed.
  • The Richmond Mineral show is this same weekend. They frequently change their dates, but we try to keep the same time frame.
  • Jack is working hard on advertising. FaceBook has been a great success. Perhaps radio/TV slots?? More details later. We still have the magnetic car signs and the banner for EXPO.
  • Masking, hand sanitizer, social distancing will be decided depending on guidelines.

We can do this!! - with cooperation and dedicated volunteers.

Program Report:
Presentation by Jim Bradley – a member who ZOOMed us from Boston, MA!!

Jim and his wife, along with a friend of theirs, has made the long trek three times from MA to Ontario, Canada to visit some great digging locations. He said it’s about 750 miles from Amelia Courthouse, VA. They stay in RV camps in their tent, and have a wonderful time visiting with and making new friends. They spend about a week or so at the locations, so there is ample time for collecting. Some of his specimens were tiny – a few mm to quite large – several pounds in size.

He gave us a brief geology lesson about the area being a thrust fault as part of the original Canadian Shield. He visited several areas, with each having their own unique minerals. Jim showed photos of himself covered in mud, inside crevices, and otherwise completely enjoying his digs!! Some areas are fee based, while others are free, and a few need property owner’s permissions. Respect for Mother Earth is a must! He used a wonderful guide book that he bought from the Bancroft Chamber of Commerce which listed locations and mineral types.

Locations included:
  • Eganville – green and red apatite
  • Desmont Mine at Monmouth – calcite, granite pegmatite, limestone, molybdenite
  • Crown properties (must have permit) – fluorite, apatite, amphibole, scapolite
  • Beryl pit at Lyndoch township in Renfrow county – This was a historic area that mined beryl in the 1920s to send to Germany for tank manufacturing. There was tourmaline, beryl and euxenite Y – a rare earth/dump mineral.
  • Wilberforce – richterite (only one of 6 locations in the world that have this)
  • Haliburton construction site – the guys actually leave minerals lying out for collecting! Tremolite
  • Craigmont mine – Corundum found at a huge dump
  • Gibson Road – Titanite Hill (Tommy showed us a video last month on ZOOM of this exact area) Calcite vein, green apatite (4” crystals), amphiboles

Jim enticed us with some actual samples –

He told a story of a man who collected so many radioactive samples in Canada, that when he came back across the border, the Geiger counter set off an alarm. Every single sample he had was unwrapped & all items in his car were searched. (The guards did NOT re-wrap them, either!)

Unfortunately, due to COVID, Jim’s travels may be over for a while, but we certainly enjoyed hearing about his adventures and seeing his treasures!! (and I apologize to Jim if I misspelled or misrepresented any specimen or area)

JIM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR TIME & TREASURES!!

Next meeting:
Monthly club meetings are suspended due to the current restrictions on gatherings and non-essential activities. Once these restrictions are lifted, we will resume our meeting schedule.

NOTE: In 2020 and going forward until further notice, we will be starting our meetings at 7:00 pm so we can be finished by 8:30 by request of the library staff. (We will do our usual show and tell after any programs we may have.)

FYI - If Waynesboro City Schools are closed on a meeting day, our meeting will be canceled. The club secretary will try to send out an email ASAP that day, and an announcement will be posted on the club’s Facebook page and web site.

Thanks for your understanding; we want everyone to be safe!

Field Trips: NOTE: All previously announced field trips have been canceled due to the restrictions on travel and non-essential activities. Please do not go to the sites on your own that were sent out.

Doing so may prevent the club from visiting a particular area. Trips must be organized by the club.The club secretary will send information about scheduled/rescheduled trips once they are again feasible.

Looking ahead:
Future of meetings & shop: No plans yet to open the shop due to small area & state guidelines of 6’ distancing. We will continue ZOOM through May.

It was suggested that perhaps we meet outside at the Coyner Springs Park Pavilion in Waynesboro for the June meeting – no food, just a show & tell with health mandates in place. More on that later, once the officers come to a decision. I’ll keep you informed!

Our ZOOM meetings have been very interesting, and we invite more of you to attend. I hope you have been taking advantage of the Virginia Mineral Project ZOOM presentations as well – most of them are available on you tube if you do a search.

After pandemic restrictions are lifted, the lapidary shop will be open the Saturday following a regular meeting and on the second Saturday after that (See Events At A Glance for a calendar view). Leo, Charlie & Jack can assist you. Open from 9 am to noon.

There are several slab saws and trim saws. Keep in mind that safety is a priority, and wear closed toe shoes, safety glasses, with no loose hair or long sleeves. Children must be supervised and closely monitored to insure they are safely using the equipment. Check this page to see what you can learn to do!

If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting.

Be sure to keep up with our website www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org and our Facebook page Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society for updates and information.


Deborah Grimm, Secretary

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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2021
President – Michael Pabst
Vice President – Leo Cloutier
Show Co-Chairs – Dean Hostetter/Scott Gregory
Educational Outreach -- Deborah Grimm
Secretary/Newsletter -- Deborah Grimm
Field Trip Coordinators - Scott Steele
Co-Treasurers – Scott Gregory/Deborah Grimm
Web Site Coordinator – Jack Glenn

Club web site: shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyGemMineralSociety
Club email: svgem-min-club@live.com


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