Spreading the Joy of Rockhounding

Submitted by Dr. David Jordan Program Chair, Helena Mineral Society

- ANTOINETTE RAHN

What do you enjoy the most about our hobby? Is it the excitement of unearthing a new mineral specimen or agate, or the pleasure of reading and learning all about it? Or perhaps it’s the joy of cutting and polishing a cabochon, to reveal its previously hidden beauty? And of course, there’s the satisfaction of passing your knowledge on to a new generation of rockhounds.

Members of the Helena Mineral Society (helenamineralsociety.org) have found a new way to share in all of these. We’ve joined forces with a local nonprofit called the Montana Learning Center (montanalearning.org), located on the shores of nearby Canyon Ferry Reservoir. The Learning Center holds a series of hands-on summer educational camps for youth in first through twelfth grade, with each camp lasting five days. Among these are two camps for middle-school youth focusing on geology, specifically the geology of western Montana.