July 17th, 2021 Greenwater Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On July 17th we went up to the Greenwater area for black agate, jasper, and common opal. There were 25 people in 13 vehicles. We had good weather – overcast and about 60-65 degrees. The black agate site is on an unmarked spur road off of 7222 and goes deep into the woods 1 1/2 miles having a couple of Y intersections. So we unfortunately had a couple of vehicles that got separated and lost the group. I’m going to have to be more proactive in implementing and explaining a signaling method using light flashing up the “wagon train” so that this doesn’t happen again. I’ll also bring a pair of cobra radios to use between the lead car and the caboose. We did manage to recollect everyone further up the hill on the way to the 2nd site.
Anyway, the black agate site was very productive. Everyone found some nice material. Some of my haul is colorful, which I haven’t had a chance to cut and polish yet, but looks like a combination of agate and jasper with black, gold, and red. Quite a bit of opal was dug by the group as well.
The 2nd site was up near the top of FR70 by Government Meadows. The spur road has been gated as of this year and now requires a 1/2 mile walk to the dig sites. We had about 6 or 7 vehicles that continued up. I collected a little bit of the red opal, some of the grey, and found a few pieces of petrified wood.

 

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide.  Roger.Danneman@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: August 15, 2021 — 5:53 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  September is here, and it looks like a wonderful month so far for getting together and getting out in the field. First, thank you to everyone who helped make our August picnic and club auction such a success. The delicious food, generous donations, volunteer help and spirited bidding made it a great afternoon, and the auction raised $750 for the club. We return to our regular meeting schedule on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Kent. Our program is all about YOU: Show, Tell & Transform, where you get to briefly present …

Meeting Announcements

  • This program is all about YOU. Bring a rock, mineral, fossil, or other field find that you would like to turn into something. It might become a cabochon, carving, display specimen, jewelry piece, slab, polished piece, or something entirely different. Bring your item and share: Where and how you found or acquired it What interests you about the material What you’re considering making from it Any questions or challenges you would like help thinking through Then we’ll open the conversation to our knowledgeable and curious club members. Together, we can discuss the material, possible designs, cutting or finishing approaches, and other ideas that might help you take the piece from field find to finished project. You do not need to have a complete plan or any special expertise. That’s part of the fun. Bring the piece itself if possible, along with any sketches, inspiration photos, or examples that might help explain your idea.

  • Noelle Barnes will present Using Gaia for Rockhounding, an overview of the features and tricks associated with the app Gaia and how you can use it for GPS, saving waypoints, navigation, photo tagging, trail recording and more. Show and Tell: Bring the rock(s) that have the best “story” – and tell everyone how you found them and where!

  • Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe while out rockhounding – and what we can do today to help mitigate our risk. Paul will combine his knowledge gained from learning at both the WSU Green School (Master Gardener) and WSU Climate Steward programs. Show and Tell: Bring something you found, from a place that you know has since been impacted by floods or wildfires – or was impacted shortly before you arrived. Tell your story!

  • December’s date and time is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

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