VLMS Field Trips:
Each month there is a field trip outing to a local collecting site. If you are interested in participating on a field
trip or would like more information on this months planned trip, please contact Mr. Gilles Lebrun at 250 382-6119.
There will be a field trip coming up. Please phone Gilles if you intend to participate. 250 382-6119.
VLMS Collecting Information:
Here is a list of local collecting sites and resources you can draw on to find sites on Vancouver Island
and around the lower mainland.
Vancouver Island has a wealth of material that you can look for. This list will be added to as
time permits. If you have a suggestion for a site or resource please click
here to let us know about it.
All beaches in the Victoria area have agate, jasper, dallasite
Hill 60 north of Duncan for Rhodonite (most claims are staked so please respect the owners claim)
Sooke to Jordan River and beyond: There is gold panning in stream beds (remember to check for claims), Road cuts in the Jordan River
area and beyond for Fossil shells and Zeolites and checkout Muir creek for fossil
shells in a sandstone matrix
Please see our links at the bottom of this page for more web related resources.
Splendor of Morroco!
The VLMS 2010 Rock Gem, Mineral Show and Sale
March 19, 20 and 21
Leonardo da Vinci Center
195 Bay St
Victoria, BC
Friday 1:00pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday 10:00am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00am to 4:30 pm
Adults $5
Seniors/Students $4
Family of 4 $10
Weekend Pass $8
Gem Mineral and Rock Dealers from across
Canada
Activities for the whole family. Kiddies activity
room.
$300 Treasure Chest and other Door prizes. Spin and Win. Silent Auction Table. SilverSmithing
Opal Work
Mineral Identification
Fossils
Beads
Lapidary Demonstrations
Precious Metal Clay
Gold Panning and Displays
Watch club members turn rough stones into beautiful jewellry!
EMail for Info about the VLMS Show!
Events:
ROCKS ON ISLAND VIEW BEACH
At the June VLMS meeting it was announced that at various times between then and the end of September a number of buckets of rocks would be strewn on Island View Beach. The first batch has now been deposited there. These are spread between 25ft. and 50ft. below the high tide mark opposite the public parking lot to the north of the old launching ramp.
There is various jaspers including poppy jasper, chert, agates of various types including some cut geodes, petrified wood, pastellite and other rhyolites.
Good luck and happy hunting.
BCLMS - BC Wagonmaster’s report, Fall 2009 courtesy of the BCLMS
At the recent BC Society meeting, the BC Wagonmasters mapped out several field trips for the fall – winter season!
Sunday October 4 was a trip to “Black Tusk” which is between Squamish, and Whistler north of Vancouver. At this location are quartz crystals, some clear, some covered in chlorite, and some just dusted with chlorite. The trip was attended by over 50 people, 27 cars, and a number of new rockhounds out on their first trip! Weather was fabulous, and a big thank you to Cam Bacon for taking us out to a great spot!
Saturday November 21 will be our first Fraser River bar trip of the fall season to Peg Leg Bar, which is near Chilliwack. This is an easy to get to gravel bar, very flat, small gravel, and great for kids, and folks who may not be able to walk on rough ground, or for long distances. The meeting place to gather everyone together is the Tim Horton’s coffee shop south of highway #1 on the Vedder Road exit, 9;00AM sharp. The Tim Hortons is behind the Shell gas station about one block from the freeway.
This trip will be led by Gordon Pinder. 604-870-4779
As per usual, if there is a snowstorm covering the ground, stay home. If it’s just raining, we’re going to the gravel bar.
Materials found at this bar are jasper, agate, serpentine, granite, and a wide variety of other materials including the elusive jade. Tools to bring would be a rock hammer, and a squirt bottle. Dress warm, in layers, as the gravel bars are often windy! A good idea would be to bring some snacks, and warm beverages!
For December we have no scheduled trips.
Sunday January 10, Yale Bar. This will be a Fraser River gravel bar trip, so the appropriate tools are a rock hammer, squirt bottle, and something to carry your finds! For clothing, dress warm, in layers, with the expectation of rain, and wind. Good hiking boots are strongly suggested for walking over the rocky gravel bars. A thermos of your favorite warm beverage is also a good idea. As this is the winter time, we may get snowed out, so if it’s snowing, stay home. If there is no snow we will probably go to Yale bar, or perhaps a downstream bar if the Yale bar is covered. Finds on this bar can be Jade, Serpentine, Sillimanite, jasper, agate, and other assorted rocks.
Meeting place will be the Bridal Falls Coffee Shop at 9:00AM. From Vancouver, use exit #135 and follow signs to Bridal Falls….if you miss the exit, just take the next one, and drive back along the frontage road to the Shell Station & Coffee Shop.
Official leader for this trip is Harley Waterson, 604-590-3289.
February 21, Sunday: Wahleach Bar, or perhaps Yale bar if we get snowed out in January. The meeting place will again be the Bridal Falls Coffee shop at 9:00AM, and the tools, and potential finds are the same as the above Yale bar trip.
Official Field Trip Leader is Harley Waterson, 604-590-3289.
March will be a trip to the east side of Harrison lake for Garnets. No date is available for this trip, as the trip leader will be verifiying that roads are open and passable later this fall. Please see the BC Lapidary web site for updates on this and other trips
April 25, Sunday, will be the annual spring trip to the west side of Harrison Lake for fossil collecting. This is a great trip for the kids as there are lots of fossil clams to find, as well as some additional less common belemnites, and ammonites. The meeting place for this trip is the Sasquatch Inn parking lot in Harrison Mills. This is on highway #7, at the turnoff for the Hemlock Valley Ski area. If you do not know where this is, please refer to a map. DO NOT go to the town of Harrison Lake! This trip is 30+ Kilometers from the Sasquatch Inn, so please fuel up ahead of time, and have snacks & beverages! Cars are OK, but this is 30+ KM over gravel roads. Tools to bring are rock hammer, and larger cracking hammers and chisels. You only need tools for breaking open rocks, many specimens are collected by picking them up off the ground.
Walt and Gordon Pinder are leading this trip. 604-460-0969 & 604-870-4779
May is the annual rockhound “Rendezvous” over the May long weekend, and for 2010 it will be based in Lillooet BC. See the BC Lapidary web site for more details
http://www.lapidary.bc.ca/rendez.html Always a great time with multiple field trips, rock auction, bucket raffle & dinner!
As always, Canadian Rockhounds may join the US Wagon Master trips, and we also invite the US rockhounds to join any of our BC trips!
US Wagonmaster trip info at:
http://www.mineralcouncil.org/
If you would like to get onto their e-mail distribution, just send a message to Glen Morita at:
gmorita@seanet.com
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