President’s Message – June 2025

From the Top of the Rock Pile

From the Top of the Rock Pile

Our Gem Show is sold out. Everything is moving along with the show. We will be asking for volunteers at the June meeting plus via email. Please plan on helping out at our show. It takes around 50 people to cover all 3 days.

I have not been out to see how the building of our indoor shop is coming along at Roger’s home, but I hear from members that it is really coming along. With some good weather, progress should really move along fast.

If you’re a new member, we’re thrilled to have you join our fantastic rock club! Your presence at our monthly meetings is highly valued, and we encourage you to take the opportunity to introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting you.

Since our membership continues to grow weekly, I hope more members will attend our monthly meetings. The larger our meeting attendance is each month, the easier it will be to book quality speakers.

When planning your estate, please consider donating to our club. We welcome gifts of any kind, including cash, stock, real estate, or other assets. The club will hold all property and monetary donations in our savings account to acquire or operate an indoor shop.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: May 28, 2025 — 12:45 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  I hope you’ve all had a chance to get out and look for rocks during the lovely weather we enjoyed in July – it’s been mostly perfect rockhounding weather. And for those of you who were able to come on the field trips led by our fearless wagon master Roger Danneman, I hope you found some good material. Big thanks to Roger for getting us all out there and helping us find beautiful rocks! August is a bit of a break from the usual club meeting cadence – instead of having our club meeting on the second Thursday

Meeting Announcements

  • Our August meeting will not be happening at the American Legion – instead, this month’s meeting is our annual club potluck and picnic on Saturday, August 15. Join us from 12-4 at Gene Coulon Park, South Shelter 2 – setup begins at 10:30am. Bring something you want to share and/or donate to the club auction, also happening during the picnic. 

  • September’s program is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

  • 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!

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