Grand Traverse Area Rock and Mineral Club, Traverse City, Michigan
CLUB INFORMATION
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OUR NEXT REGULAR MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, February 21, 2012. The 5 minute program will club members
sharing their favorite quartz crytstals. The main program will be a DVD about the annual World Championship Quartz Crystal Hunts near
Mt. Ida, Arkansas.
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HERE ARE SOME FAVORITE COLLECTING SITES IN THIS AREA
Christmas Cove - Northport - A great spot for Petoskey stones along with rocks brought by the
glaciers from Canada.
Peterson Park - North of Northport - Another good bet for Petoskey stones including some large ones.
Leland - Both north and south of the marina. If going south, walk to Whaleback Point for a larger
concentration of stones of all types. North of the marina there are alternating areas of sand and stone littered beaches.
Petoskey stones, various fossils and Leland Blue are some of the treasures found here.
Many beaches from Elk Rapids to Petoskey are good places for Petoskey stones and fossils including: Barnes Park
in Eastport, Norwood and Atwood.
In Petoskey, there are many spots around Little Traverse Bay including the State Park and several City Parks. One place
worth checking is behind the Glen's Market at the North end of Petoskey. Take the street just south of
the shopping plaza to the small parking lot by the paved walking trail. The rocky shore just down the small hill has
yielded many Petoskey stones.
These are some of the most famous spots but keep your eyes open all around the area. Rocky road cuts through glacial
till, construction sites, road sides, inland lakes and parking lots are other areas with less hunting pressure that can
surprise, with Petoskeys and fossils, the rare, occasional agate and other rocks from Canada and the U.P. left by glaciers.
The many gravel and borrow pits can be lucky spots but make sure you get the owner's permission for these and any other
sites on private property.
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GTARMC NAME BADGES AVAILABLE
If you need a GTARMC name badge, see John Matz. For a $6.00 deposit, you can get a pin type name badge or $8.00 for a magnetic badge.
This way everybody will know your name. If you ever decide to leave the club, just turn in your badge and get your deposit back.
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USE OF CLUB EQUIPMENT ROOM
During the hours that the History Center of Traverse City is open, club members can use the equipment room for creating
cabochons. NOTE: THE CURRENT HOURS OF THE HISTORY CENTER ARE FROM 9:00 a.m. UNTIL 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Two members that have taken the cabochon
class must be present for safety purposes. You must sign in at the front desk, get a key and must quit work by 3:30 pm to allow
clean-up time before the History Center closes. During the summer hours, the Center is also open on Saturdays. Arrangements sometimes can be made during off
hours to get a key from a club "keeper of the key", provided the History Center does not have an activity planned in the adjacent room. There is a $2.00 fee
per use to offset some of the equipment maintenance costs. Make sure to follow any instructions and special notes posted in the workroom.
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CLUB OFFICERS 2012
Lauren Vaughn, President
Don Reed, Vice President
vacant, Secretary
Maria-Anne D'Hooghe, Treasurer
OTHER VOLUNTEERS
David Speirs, Newsletter
Tom Fordyce, Education
Tom Fordyce, Club Show
Lauren Vaughn, Website
Charlie Baumann, Reporter
Margaux Smith, Photographer
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Be sure to check the calendar
and the GTARMC newsletter for more information!