Field Trip Rules and Decorum

General Rules
The field trip chairperson will make sure that each field trip has a designated responsible leader who will assure compliance with all field trip rules and safe practices, and who is familiar with the location, ownership and hazards of the field trip site.
Each person participating in a field trip will agree to abide by the AFMS Code of Ethics and the Littleton Gem and Mineral Club’s Field Trip Rules and Decorum.
Only paid members and their guests may participate in club sponsored field trips.
Guests, other than family members, will not be able to attend exchange field trips and trips to private claims. When proof of insurance is required for field trips, only current members are permitted to attend.
Guests should be okayed by the field trip leader prior to the departure of the trip.
Since guests are not covered by the Littleton Gem and Mineral Club’s insurance policy, it is recommended that those wishing to attend more than one field trip become a paid member of the Littleton Gem and Mineral Club.
All members planning to attend a particular field trip must call the field trip leader prior to the scheduled date of departure, preferably within 48 hours of the trip.
This will let the leader know who is definitely planning to attend, and it will let you know if any changes have been made concerning the trip.
Be prompt in meeting at the designated departure point. Most field trip leaders will wait no more than ten minutes and your tardiness may result in your missing the field trip altogether.
All people attending a field trip MUST UNDERSTAND AND SIGN the liability release form prior to the actual start of the trip.
Special restrictions may be made for some field trips due to special hazards, collecting or weather conditions, etc.
Firearms, dynamite, etc., will not be allowed on any field trip. Power equipment is not allowed.
Children are usually welcomed on field trips; however, they are the responsibility of their parents or accompanying adult at ALL TIMES while on the trip.
Pets are also usually welcomed as long as they are kept under control.
If you must leave a field trip early, please inform someone, preferably the leader, of your early departure. The same holds true if you decide to explore the area. The BUDDY system is strongly encouraged on all field trips.
First aid items should be carried by all members as part of their equipment.
The field trip area should be left in as good or better condition when we leave as when we arrived.
REMEMBER! When a newly worked area is left unoccupied, but tools are in or near the hole, this is off-limits to all but the owner of the tools!
Club Claim Rules (in addition to the rules mentioned above)
All club members MUST carry their current membership cards while on the club claim.
Visitors are permitted on the club claim provided that they are accompanied by a current club member and permission has been obtained from a club officer.
Members must not trespass on adjoining claims.
A record of hours worked on the claim must be reported to the designated club officer.
No collecting may be done for commercial purposes.

Affiliations

The Littleton Gem and Mineral Club is affiliated with the following societies and organizations:
Denver Gem and Mineral Show
Colorado Mineral Society – (Lakewood, CO)
Denver Gem & Mineral Guild – (Golden, CO)
Flatirons Mineral Club – (Boulder, CO)
Friends of Mineralogy – (Golden, CO)
Mile Hi Rock and Mineral Society (RAMS) – (Westminster, CO)
North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club – (Arvada, CO)
Western Interior Paleontological Society – (Denver, CO)

Dealers Who Support Our Club

Buckskin Booksellers
Collector’s Edge
Colorado Minerals
Colorado Nuggets
Costigan’s Minerals West
Dan’s Used Rocks
Dave Bunk Minerals
K & M Enterprises
Pinnacle 5 Minerals
Prospectors Choice Minerals
Xtal – Dennis Beals Minerals

Club Meetings

The Littleton Gem & Mineral Club meets the third Friday of each month, September through May.

Our next meeting is at the St. Philip Lutheran Church, 7531 S. Kendall Blvd, Littleton, CO 80128.

** NO GENERAL MONTHLY MEETINGS in June, July and August.

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Normally, a program pertaining to the hobby is presented by a club member or another presenter. A business meeting is conducted at this time including any changes or current announcements which were not in HIGHLITES (our club’s newsletter). All meetings are open to the public. Club and section meetings may deviate from their regular schedules due to holidays, shows, inclement weather, etc.

At our general meetings, members bring refreshments for the break between the program and business meeting. The club furnishes coffee, punch, tableware and paper goods. In October, a list is passed around for three members to sign up for refreshments each month (except May when five are needed). The months of November and December are pot lucks and everyone brings a dish to share.

Club History

“In the Beginning…”
by Mary Rybieki
February 20, 1981

I was asked to prepare a little talk on the beginning of the Littleton Gem & Mineral Club, as I am one of the charter members.

I think that it was sometime in 1960 that Mrs. Cox called me and said that she, her husband, Chester Young, Martha Meston, Beulah Lind, and Mary Frazier were making plans to start a gem club in Littleton. She asked if my husband and I would help. She knew we were members of the Colorado Mineral Society and were charter members of the Denver Gem and Mineral Guild, a new club which had just started up.

I told her we would be glad to do all we could. So, we had a meeting and decided to put a paper on Martha Meston’s desk, where she worked for the Littleton Chamber of Commerce. She would ask all of the people who came to her for information as to whether they would be interested in joining a mineral club in Littleton. If so, she would ask them to write their names and phone numbers on the sheet of paper.

It was not too long before we had quite a list of names; as near as I can remember, there were about 97. So, we proceeded to find a place to meet. We were able to get a room at the YMCA, where we could hold meetings on the last Friday of every month. We set a date for the first meeting. We called all the names on the paper and invited them to this meeting. We also put an announcement in the Littleton newspaper and invited all interested people to attend. Not everyone came who signed the paper, but we were surprised at the large number who did come.

We made plans to draw up some by-laws, rules, and to elect a president and officers to run the club and hold meetings. I cannot for sure remember who the first president was, but it seems like it was Paul Nichols. I do know for sure that Jim Craig was elected president for 1962-1963 to serve from September to May. Mary Frazier was Vice-President and I was secretary and treasurer. Paul Nichols, Paul Ebertz, and Bill Korenke were on the board of trustees.

It was not long until we had a very enthusiastic group of members lined up. We got our field trips planned for the summer, potluck dinners set, and made provision for refreshments after the meetings. We appointed a Welcoming Hostess who signed up the visitors at each meeting and then introduced them to the members present. I served several times in this capacity down through the years.

We always welcomed children with their parents to our meetings. At one time we elected a committee which started a class for the “Pebble Pups,” the children of our members. A couple of members would help with this at each regular meeting. We would take the children to a different room and teach them about rocks and minerals while their parents had their own meeting. I helped with this and enjoyed working with the children.

I feel we got a good firm foundation for this club because here twenty years later, it is still going strong. I am very proud of all the people who support it and keep it going. I am proud to have had a small part in getting it started. I am still very interested in the club. I do not attend meetings too oftenas my husband passed away in 1972 and I do not drive alone at night . . .

My husband and I never made much headway in this hobby until we joined a club. You learn from each other, you share your ideas, you go on field trips, you make wonderful friends, and you meet the most interesting and likeable people in the world in the clubs, I think. So stay with your club. That is my advice after 30 years in the clubs.

*** Mary passed away in January 1993. We are lucky to have her account of our club’s beginnings and her advice is still very true today.

Join Us!

Join Us!
The annual membership dues are $20.00 per family or individual per year and are due on January 1st of each year.

We were all new to this hobby and felt we didn’t know enough to join a club. Experienced members are more than willing to help newer members explore the many activities of the club and to make you feel comfortable. The club is anxious to have more Pebble Pups activities, but many of our children have grown up and we need new ‘pups’ to have an active group. Dues are prorated to the amount of $10.00 for those who join after September 1st. We welcome anyone interested in mineral, fossil collecting and lapidary. We look forward to sharing with you the excitement of our very interesting hobby. You are invited to attend a club meeting as our guest. Anyone wishing to join may get an application on this website (see below).

Application for Membership (Click to open)
YOUR $20.00 MEMBERSHIP DUES MUST BE INCLUDED WITH YOUR APPLICATION.

MAIL TO:
LITTLETON GEM AND MINERAL CLUB
P.O. BOX 283
LITTLETON, COLORADO 80160

Your membership application will be presented at the next LGMC Board meeting after it is received. The Board will review and vote on your membership. If you are approved, the Treasurer will send your membership card to you. If you are NOT approved by the Board, your $20.00 will be returned to you.

The Club vests are to be purchased through the Vest chairperson. The club pin and patch with logo are given with the vest to each member. Members are encouraged to wear their vests to meetings, special events, various Club shows and the Denver Gem and Mineral Show every September.

Field Trips

**LGMC 2023 FIELD TRIPS**

Note: Due to the reduced, yet continuing presence of the Covid-19 virus, please continue to exercise good judgement and be respectful of others. If you do feel sick, we would advise that you please respect others health and not attend field trips.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR 2023: Due to the extreme drought conditions throughout Colorado, there is a greater than normal likelihood that wildfires may occur throughout the field trip season. Everyone is asked to keep current throughout the upcoming months regarding any active fires in the areas of our field trips. We will attempt to send out notices of area closures that affect a particular field trip, specifically to those who have signed up in advance for that trip. Hopefully we will not be affected, but field trip cancellations have occurred in the past, and could happen again. Keep your fingers crossed for no fires!

Information about field trips is available to members only. If you would like to become a member, you can download a membership application form below and mail it in.

Membership Application

May

North Table Mtn. Zeolites, May 29

June

Queen Bee/Honey Bee Club Claims, June 3
Colorado School of Mines Tour, June 10
Smoky Hawk Mine, June 24
Montana locations, June 25-30

July

Kemmerer Wyoming Fossils, July 1-4
Topaz Mountain, July 8
Wolf Creek Pass, July 14-18
Georgetown Train and Mine Tour, July 22
Dinosaur Ridge Tour, July 29

August

Coffee Pot Springs, Aug. 4-7
Hartsel Barite, Aug. 12
Magnetite Ridge, Aug. 19
Florissant Fossil Quarry/Tourmaline, Aug. 26

September

Fairburn Agate, Crawford, NE, Sept. 30-Oct.1
South Park Museum, Fairplay, Sept. 30

October

Honey Bee/Queen Bee Claims, Oct. 7
Arkansas locations, Oct. 19-24
LGMC Silent Auction, Oct. 21

**Details to the field trips are on the “Members Only” pages. Members must sign-in to view the information.

Please join us at our next meeting!

General meetings are on the 3rd Friday (Sept.-May) at 7:30. We always look forward to meeting new guests, visitors, and future rockhounds.

Upcoming meetings:
No general meeting October 2023
November 17, 2023
December 15, 2023, Holiday Party

General Club Meeting Location

 

If you’d like to join LGMC at one of our field trips over the summer months, contact us at contact@littletongemandmineralclub.com and let them know that you’d like to join LGMC and be part of our field trips. On the day of the field trip, bring your completed membership application along with payment and give them to the field trip leader before signing the liability release and waiver form. Membership applications with dues should not be sent via mail during the summer if you want to join the field trips.