President’s Message – February 2021

Past Presidents Message
From the Top of the Rock Pile .  .  .  . 
Let’s all hope 2021 is a better year.
The Board has agreed to try and have an online general meeting. I don’t know  the topic or speaker we may have as the meeting is presently in the planning stage. I am working on putting together a meeting for February 11, Thursday at 7 pm. Check the website for more information and your emails for the link to join us. Make sure emails from the club are not going to your junk email.
If all goes well, we will have monthly online meetings until we are able to return in person meetings.
Last year we welcomed 15 new members and their families. I am looking forward to meeting each of you either online or in person. I also want to thank our Field Trip Guide Roger Danneman for all his hard work in planning these monthly field trips. It takes a lot of planning on his part, as he always goes out before hand and checks the location before we go. He makes sure the roads and hiking paths are accessible and everything is clear and okay for our rockhounding trips. Thank you Roger you are doing an amazing job!
Dues for 2021 is only $15 per family or individual. The Board approved this reduction in dues for 2021 only. Even though we are not presently holding meetings, our club still has to cover our annual dues to NFMS, AFMS, ALAA, WA State Mineral Council, website hosting and the cost of liability insurance for 2021. I am sure by spring or summer we will be back to holding our meetings again. When this does happen we will once again have the cost of the monthly rental for the meeting room.
So please go to our website and renew your membership now!
Renewals
New Membership
Anyone that joined our club from September 11, 2020 thru December 31, 2020 (last year) your membership is good for all of 2021. If you are an existing member use the Manage my account/Renew link on the menu under membership.  Use the email address you used when you joined CMS
I personally thought we were going to make it through 2020 and 2021 without the virus touching our family. I am sad to say my family has not dodge the virus. On December 28th a close family member was taken to ER and on January 3rd they passed away. All my kids came in from around the US and we met in Southern California to say our goodbyes. It was sad a occasion but so nice having all the family together in one place. We made a promise with one another to get together more often and not wait for funerals.
Now another two very close friends have caught the virus. One is going to be okay and the other is in very serious condition. This is a very mean virus.
Stay home, always wear a mask if you have to go out, and be sure to sanitize your hands constantly. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy as we all want to see each other this year.
Kat Koch, President
Updated: January 9, 2022 — 3:35 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.

Current News