Vol. 52 Issue 3

February, 1999

AFMS Web site
Committee Assignments
Newsletter goals
"Days of Silver"
        Field Trips
        Display Registration
        Room Rates

President’s Message, February, 1999

We have good news this month. Our new web-site is now up and running. It is not now, and never will be, complete. We will be constantly changing, enlarging and renewing it. It is to the point where it is enjoyable and does provide news for us. Marty Hart has done a great job on this and we owe him a big thank you for his work. You will get to meet him in July as he is the new President of the Middle Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society, our host society for the Annual Convention and Show in Nashville.

The web site is www.amfed.org. This is our own site, we own it and can move it to another internet service provider if we ever need to do so. Visit it, look around, think about it and let us have your ideas as to what we need to do, what to put on, etc. This is a site for all of us and we need your ideas to make it even better.

By the time you read this all of the Executive Officers of the AFMS and the Regional Federation Presidents and Executive Vice Presidents should have a packet of information I sent to them. Many of the committee positions are filled either by the appointment by the Regional Presidents or by their recommendation with AFMS approval. It has been a big job, with some complications made by illness, etc. but it is almost done for the year. Each year after this should be easier as the President Elect will receive a computer disk with all of the committees, members, officers, etc. on it. Next year the President will only have to make the necessary modifications and print it out. No more typing of the entire lists, committees, etc.

The list has been sent in order that the Regional Presidents and Committee Chairs may review it for completeness, accuracy, etc. and respond. I have asked the Presidents to make appointments where we have vacancies and to provide email address for all persons who have one. If we can get the addresses then communication is much faster. An example: A few weeks ago I sent an insurance company a document which was eighty nine pages long. It had to be completed and filed by the insurance company. While I was on the telephone with their representative I sent the document, he received it, we discussed it and I coached him on how to make the necessary modifications he needed in order to make his filing. The next day I received his filing by overnight mail. Now this is the way to do business. If the Regional Presidents will review the packet and get it back to me immediately then we can have a completed listing of all committees in the March issue of the AFMS Newsletter.

Speaking of the newsletter, Bill Luke and I are working on this to develop an even better newsletter than we now have. We are attempting to produce a publication of which we can all be proud. We are striving for better quality print, photos, etc. and are seriously considering changing the format to one which will be printed on better paper and will be a better size for you to read and also better for you to keep as a permanent record. Bill took on this job, knowing that it was a temporary assignment. He has promised to get this done by the July Convention so that he can then turn the job over to a new editor who will inherit a job which will then be much easier to perform. How about you? Would you like to be the AFMS Editor? It is a job which does entail some work. Not as much as you might think, but still it is an effort which is richly rewarding to someone who is willing to tackle it. Think about it and lets talk it over. Call me if you are interested, or if you know someone else who might be interested in taking on this job.

Now for some fun things. We have had a suggestion, made by my wife Anna, that it would be great if clubs would sponsor field trips for those attending the Annual Convention and Show. The trips would be on the weekend before, and the weekend after, our convention. By doing this persons who are traveling could stop over and visit with the sponsoring clubs on their way to Nashville. It would be a wonderful way to meet and make new friends. Think about it and if you are willing to do this then let us know. We need to know the name of the host club, name of field trip leader for the trips, their name, address and phone number. We will then publicize all of the trips and let each person who desires to participate contact the trip leader directly. Please keep a record of the attendees and let us know so we may report on the success of the endeavor. By the way, we already have a few trips promised by the clubs we have talked to. Looks like this will work out well.

Have you been thinking about your display and one for your club to set up in Nashville? It is not too early to be planning your display and/or your demonstration. Next month we will have our sign up sheets published for the displays, both competitive and non-competitive, demonstrations and speakers for programs. Be sure to send them in as quickly as possible.

The motel for our show is the Ramada Inn Governors House and Conference Center. Since the last newsletter we have obtained a concession on room rates and the inn lowered the rate to $49.95 per night. The phone number is 1-615-834-5000. Be certain to tell them you are registering for the AFMS Convention to get the above rate. This is a heavy time in Nashville and we are fortunate to get such a good price on the rooms. I hope we can "close down" the hotel. All major meetings and all scheduled meals will be held at the hotel. Come on, be getting ready to travel to Nashville in July to attend "Days of Silver" and to see old friends and to meet new ones.

Lewis Elrod

How to keep the Newsletter Mailing List updated

AKA Spinning Your Wheels.

One of the functions of the AFMS Central Office is to keep the Newsletter mailing list updated and make necessary changes each year when the officers swap hats.

Out of a total of 767 Clubs in the 7 Regional Federations, less than 10% sent the changes in officers to the Central Office. SO - to be sure each club received the 3 copies of the Newsletter sent free, it was necessary to go through each Federation Directory, club by club, and verify the individuals to be on the mailing list. Sure, it took lots of time to complete the task, but I felt certain that a big problem had been eliminated. WRONG!!! It seems that even the Regional Federations can not get the correct and adequate information to publish in their directories.

The November issue of the AFMS Newsletter was the first time the mailing had been done after the list was finished. As a result, many copies have been returned to me with 50 cents return postage due for the following reasons:

Moved, Left no forwarding address 1
Unknown 3
Forwarding Order Expired 5
No such number 6
Temporarily Away 5
Not deliverable as addressed 9

I did get 35 letters back from the Post offices with corrected addresses which I appreciated, except having to pay 50 cents for each of them.

That's a total of 64 letters returned, or $32 taken out of my budget, which I will need before the year is over.

What Does the Federation Do For Me???? Not much when we do not have the cooperation of the individual clubs that comprise the Federation.

THINK ABOUT IT. PLEASE???????

Dan McLennan
Secretary/Administrator

See ALAA site for the entire message

I’m receiving several club bulletins and Regional Federation Newsletters. Thanks to all of you! In them I see many references to e-mail, Web-sites, internet, etc. See the article "Internet" from CFMS on page 5 for one example. Maybe I don’t understand, or am not aware of, a lot that is going on separately and individually. Seems we need to coordinate. There are two things in common here: our rockhound interests and the Internet. We can coordinate by letting the AFMS Web-site committee know about all club sites, etc.

Also, all of the Regional Newsletters are reminding their club Editors to send their bulletins to their Bulletin Aids Committees. And, reminders of the Editors’ Breakfasts and Awards that are conducted at the conventions. This AFMS Newsletter is filled with recognition of many Editors who have been rewarded for their efforts.

One of the things that most Editors need to do is to improve their coverage of Federation news. I have included an excellent example from one bulletin of how it can be done (page 6). That example also give me opportunity to address an issue of paramount concern to me. That is – timeliness of delivery of the AFMS Newsletter.

My intention/goal is for delivery to you by the first of the month. My schedule is to mail out the paste-up on the 20th, allowing a couple of days to mail to Idaho, 3-4 days for printing, and a couple more days for the USPS to deliver to us. This next week, I will be on the phone to the Newspaper office in Rexburg, and to the Post Office. I will try to get data on every step of the process. Maybe you can let me know by way of your club bulletins when you receive your Feb issue of the AFMS Newsletter? Sorry for the tardiness to date. I hope we can correct it.

I had hoped for more input for the sections that I laid out last month; but, if you have not seen it yet, how can you respond? Hopefully, this next month, more committees, officers, directors will submit interesting material for our reading pleasure.

The list of Regional Presidents and VP’s (AFMS Directors) on page 4 has been updated to the 1998-1999 officers.

Club Presidents and Editors please note Dan’s Report from the Central Office. Please help! The initiative has to come from club members to the Federation.

Sister Clubs -

Exchange Clubs

by Reivan Zeleznik,
lst Vice President, EFMLS

I have an idea.

Now I often have ideas which I bounce off my wife and few go farther than that. But this is one I'm not sharing with her and is going directly into print. Its germ is the combination of a recent club program and a Stamford, CT long-time community effort.

There appeared to me to be a significant disparity between the attendance on our field collecting trips and the number of members who collect minerals, fossils, cutting material and other related rockhound stuff. The willingness to bring collection items to a late fall meeting and share a story about them quite frankly surprised me by the number who participated. A rather broad variety of interests were shared and my interest was piqued by the tales, recent and past, which were related. I really had a false sense of the collecting involvement of my own club members until that meeting. I thought personal collecting had gone the way of dinosaurs and the carrier pigeon.

Field collecting also appeared to be a limited participation series of events. While I remember day and weekend collecting trips which attracted dozens, attendance during recent years has fallen off considerably. A good case can be made for the aging of our members, the closing of many of the more popular local sites and the lack of excitement when one already has a cabinet full of Roxbury garnets, Kerhonkson selenite, Connecticut valley pegmatite crystals and Herkimer 'diamonds'. Exchange bulletins from around the country report the same difficulties we have here in Southern New England. But there still are many newer members who don't own that good stuff.

Stamford meanwhile, as did other cities, adopted a few 'sister' cities in foreign countries. Two are located in England and Denmark. A boating regatta with Stamford's Danish counterpart is held here each summer which draws Danes and others who annually come to participate. There have also been 'shared' events both here and abroad with Stamford, England.

And so, what if societies were to 'adopt' a mineral club from another part of the country to share a joint geology and collecting trip? Would you want to collect in Ohio, Montana, Arkansas, New England or California? Could it be done once a year, or even once every three years? Would you participate by hosting an out-of-stater in your home? Would you join a series of local field trips in exchange? Is this a pie-in-the-sky idea or are you intrigued? I'm willing to explore the possibilities with my local society, but the success of such an activity is also up to you.

What you need do is explore whether your members would participate. Then decide upon an area of the country which would meet your expectations. Communication with clubs in that area would determine whether you could recruit a 'sister' club and from then on it would be a planning and logistical problem. A good start is the information contained in each of the regional federations' directories.

How about it? Is it worth following up on? Or, write an editorial to share your thoughts.

Adapted from a similar editorial in the VUG Examiner, the bulletin of the Stamford Mineralogical Society

The Rocky Mountain Federation announces the opening of it’s web page. It may be found at :
www.galstar.com/~mela/rmfms.html

Please come visit us.

There is always much to accomplish. The Bulletin Editors Contest is underway. We have a somewhat shorter time period this year with the AFMS convention being sooner this time. I hope more of our editors are getting involved because looking at the total entries for last year the participation has dropped. There are many grand winners out there and perhaps many unknowns- this is a good way to share and bring more exchangers.

By Teresa Masters

I am hoping via this article to give you a sense of Internet. Those who attended the CFMS Fall Business Meeting at Visalia, and club members who have had a report from their Federation Director, know that CFMS will shortly have an online presence. The Executive Board made a proposal that was voted on and passed to develop a Web site for CFMS and an Internet Board appointed.

What does this all mean? There are easy and free ways to check this all out. For me, I volunteered at my local Public Library Branch, to teach and assist people in the community to use this service. First I needed to be taught. This was done free by the Library person in charge of the program in exchange for a commitment from me to teach others one hour a week. I was there every Friday for two years. Made several lasting friendships in that time. Check with your library to see if this is offered there. Senior citizen centers have also been a resource, as well as Community Colleges.

You may never need to spend one cent to use Internet and e-mail. E-mail (Electronic mail) is a quick communication with anyone, anyplace around the world. How much do you have to learn to use this technique? Very little. Can't type? Just hunt and peck .... the speed comes after you press the send button. Can't spell? Well, there is this thing called "Spell Checker", press the button and 'hight' becomes 'height'.

Remember growing up, how your parents may have scrimped and saved pennies and weekly gave a small sum of money to the Encyclopedia Man, to help you "get smart"? Each year it was necessary to buy an upgrade. None of that is necessary now. Most major encyclopedias are online and easily accessible.

Interested in Genealogy? Wish you could transport to that church in Rome to check out the Baptism record? No longer necessary, it is all online and easily available via Internet. Can't find that favorite recipe? E-mail sister or mom and have it soon.

Just what is Internet? Quite a few years ago Universities developed a quick and easy way to share information with one another around the world. Later, with the proliferation of computers, first in the workplace and then in the home, this became a way for all to share information. This is what it is .... shared information.

What is all this fuss about a computer anyway? Check your local newspaper community page, or pick up one of those free local computer magazines at your local Sears. Look for the computer club listings and attend one of their meetings. Introduce yourself, ask questions, ask to see a demonstration, listen. Afraid you can't learn? Check out the Imac, a new all in one Macintosh less pricey computer. My bias is toward Macs. They are intuitive and extremely easy to use. Mostly visual icons (small pictures). Just push and you are there.

The world is there for you, check it out. Your local library can give you regular access to a computer and the Internet. There are free e-mail services available .... Juno for one, Hotmail another. Sign on at your library or wherever you may access a computer and get your free e-mail address. Get the e-mail address of a few family members and friends, send them a message. Their reply will be waiting for you when you next visit the library. Read their message and simply hit the "reply" button, once again type away and "send". That is all there is to it. Don't know their e-mail address, there are online e-mail phone books. No need to ever pay the phone company information service. It is all there on Internet.

How does it relate to our common interest? Recently I had a problem with an Idiot's Delight Chain I am making. I put a question online and got answers from all over the world. Have a special interest? There are groups for every area ..... Faceting, Crystals, Micro-mounts, Minerals, Fossils, Lapidary, Wire, Beads. You name it and it's there. I am including one I just came across yesterday. It is the Web Site for Amateur Mineralogy. The Host is The French Association of Micro Mineralogy. The site is in English, and has many wonderful links. (A link is a direct path to another related web site.) The address is (and it must be copied exactly):

<http://cri.ensmp.fr/afm/afrm_uk/liens_uk.html>

Try this out where you find a computer and internet. It is worth it.

How may it impact your local Rock and Mineral clubs? How about an increase in membership, more attendance at club shows for starters. Check out the web site for the San Diego County Council, <http://www.sandiegoinsider.com/community/groups /lapidary> That has brought all of us more activity. It works.

Please check it out and give it a chance. You will not be sorry.

By Bonnie Glismann, Chair

Hells Canyon Gem Club of Lewiston, Idaho have chosen Alene and Bob Chambers as their Rockhound Couple Of The Year. Over the years they have remained steadfastly loyal, congenial, and supportive of the club. Their enthusiasm and willingness to take on responsibilities has been greatly appreciated over the years. Besides serving in numerous offices, they have also shared their knowledge and experience and freely given of their time and resources in supplying their juniors with materials and finished pieces to use at the shows. They have been enthusiastic about Field trips. They also joined a Canadian club to explore the resources up there. Once again, Thank You, Bob and Alene Chambers.

Pasadena Lapidary Society, CA. presents Dalton and Mary Cotter, who have been involved in every club activity: teaching and demonstrating cabbing, sphere-making, carving, intarsia, gem tree making, and repairing and maintaining club machinery. They also volunteer many hours at their show every year held at the Los Angeles County Fair.

The Woodland Hills Rock Chippers, CA, presents Charlene Komatsu. She is actively involved in the club, as Membership Chair, Refreshment Chair, bulletin staff, and part of the Publicity committee. She also spends all weekend at the San Fernando Valley Gem Fair volunteering with their club show.

The Whittier Gem & Mineral Society, CA, presents Jim Aikin, an accomplished teacher of cabochon making and other lapidary skills to the boys and girls and to the adult "Rock Gabbers" in the club. He is past president and has served on various committees over the years.

(Summarized by Celia Tiffany from the A.F.M.S. Newsletter 11/98)

The A.F.M.S. Newsletter (52nd Year, Issue 1, November, 1998) has a new Editor - officially it is Bill Luke of Black Diamond, Washington, but 1998-99 AFMS President Lewis Elrod also credits Bill's "lovely wife Betty" with taking on the job. Both gentlemen wrote columns introducing themselves and their plans for this year. Items include a new look for the A.F.M.S. Newsletter (which will skip the December issue so Bill Luke can play with new software and Lewis Elrod can fill committee positions), a bigger budget for production and distribution of programs, the creation of Web Sites for the AFMS and each Regional Federation, the creation of a scrapbook to pass around at AFMS functions, a study of the feasibility of a national insurance program to reduce premium costs (by replacing the regional insurance policies), and plans for the 1999 convention. On the latter subject, Lewis Elrod wrote as follows:

"The 1999 convention will be in Nashville, Tennessee, in July. The convention will be held in conjunction with the SFMS Annual Convention and a Show hosted by the Middle Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society. A number of events are being planned to make your visit enjoyable. It will be the 25th anniversary of the SFMS and the theme has been selected as Silver. We are requesting displays and demonstrations relating to silver, its uses, crafting of jewelry and other objects. Let's all plan to attend and be a participant in a memorable occasion. Information will be provided on this each month, and the AFMS Web Site will provide current information."

Other material in this issue: an article by Chester Miller of Delta, British Columbia, on "Ammonite Jewelry" (how to fashion a cabochon from a fossil ammonite, using a process similar to that for opal triplets); a notice of proposed rules by the Bureau of Land Management and where to write about them; more people recognized via the "Each Club - Each Year - One Rockhound" program; the "Endowment Fund / Ways and Means Report on the Houghton Show"; a report on the 1998 Program Competition Award Winners; the rules and entry form for the 1999 AFMS Program Competition; lists of the top three winners in each category of the 1998 AFMS Bulletin Editors Awards; two of the articles from that contest; a photo of the installation of the 1998-1999 AFMS Officers; and a directory of current AFMS officers, directors, and committee heads (some of these will change by January, so a complete listing will be published later).

by Celia Tiffany

The A.F.M.S. Newsletter (52nd Year, Issue 1, November 1998) reported that its December issue would be skipped, so that new editor Bill Luke can play with new software while developing a new format for the Newsletter, and also to give President Lewis Elrod more time to fill committee positions.

As of the first full week in January, I haven't received their January issue (no great surprise, considering all the holidays). Since I used up all the November AFMS news of local interest in the two previous issues of The Geode. there won't be any fresh AFMS news this month.

By Marge Collins, AFMS Program Competition Coordinator

... Yes! Four prizes of $200 each are waiting to be claimed. Four programs entered in AFMS Program Competition can win a $200 cash award* - in addition to the prestige of winning a National Competition. The author(s) efforts will be publicized across the country and a copy of the program will be available to all Clubs affiliated with AFMS through Regional Program Libraries for the foreseeable future.

Slide presentations are still the presentation of choice (after a live speaker) for most Clubs. The AFMS Board recognizes the expenses incurred by such productions and increased the prize for *the highest scoring program over 95 points in each of the four Classes from $100 to $200 at the 1998 Annual meeting. (The $100 prize was initiated at this Competition's conception in 1977.)

Amateur video presentations are also eligible for the Award.

It may be a little late to get a presentation ready for the April 15^th deadline for the 1999 Competition. But why not begin preparing for the 2000 Competition? The Rules and Awards are not expected to change. See the November 1998 AFMS Newsletter or contact your Regional Program Library Chairpersons for details.

Or contact the AFMS Program Competition Coordinator,
Marge Collins,
3017 Niles-Buchanan Rd.,
Buchanan MI 49107

By Mel Albright, AFMS Safety Chair

It’s cold and windy out here. We've been hunting rocks for hours. It's time to warm up. Hey - Let's build a campfire. That’ll warm us up. There's some wood. Got a match? Stack it up and we'll get it going.

Does this sound like you starting an outdoor fire? If so, things may not be just right for you in a while. They may be way, way too hot. The fire might just start other stuff around burning and then the grass, brush and trees around and then your vehicle. Then how do you get home?

Well, maybe not that bad. But, building a fire in a safe place and getting it put out when you leave can be very important. Smokey the Bear lists some rules for campfires. They are simple:

Your fire may not need the care of a camping fire, but the basic ideas MUST be followed for safety. Build on a fireproof base - rock or bare dirt (no roots). Build where nothing above can start burning and clear around the fire so it won't spread. Keep extra wood where it can't start burning. Remember roaring fires can send sparks out so keep yours small. Stay with the fire while it is burning. Keep some tools around to stop the fire if it should spread somehow.

And, when you are finished with the fire - PUT IT OUT! Use water. Stir the ashes to be sure they all get wet. Feel the area - if you feel any heat - it is NOT out. Then bury the ashes so air is excluded from them. Where I live, many range fires start when ranchers burn their pastures on a windless day and go home. The next day, the wind comes up, the ashes restart the fire, and shortly we have a major fire going 30-40 miles an hour cross-country.

So, have a fire. Get warmed up for sure. Toast a couple of marshmallows, too. But please think about the fire safety while you do.

Reference: http://www.smokeybear.com/cgi-bin/rbox/fr.cgi

Congratulations to all of the Editors of Club Bulletins who sent their bulletins in for judging critique, and especially to those who received trophies, plaques or honorable mention at the Editors’ Breakfast in Houghton.

See --- for the complete list of winners

These articles are from a book entitled, "And This is What They Wrote" compiled by Kitty Starbuck, AFMS Club Publications. It contains of all of the Junior Articles, Adult Articles, Adult Articles Advanced, Poetry and Special Publications .

I will try to put one or two in each issue, depending on space available.

THE CONQUEST By Doris Payne (Posthumous)
from Dusty Rocks 7/97
(2nd Place in AFMS 1997 Poetry Contest)

by Bryant P. Nelson
from The Rock and Hammer 11/97
(2nd Place, 1997 AFMS Junior Article– Under 12 Contest)

The barbed wire keeps people from stealing Blue Lady tourmaline, but not the Lake Elsinore Gem and Mineral Society. Bryant Nelson is a member of the L.E.G.M.S. and is on a field trip. He walked up the mountain, it was a very long hike. He carried a back pack which held a shovel, a pick, food and water. He was looking for tourmaline. From the book Rocks and Fossils, "Tourmaline is one of the minerals you can find in pegmatites. It usually forms from long crystals with ridges along the sides. The cross section is triangular with slightly curved sides. Streaks white. Hardness 7 1/2. Density 3.2." Tourmaline comes in the greatest color range of any gemstone. Specimens may come in a mixture of colors, or just in black, brown, pink, green or blue. By heating tourmaline, it makes a magnetic change.

He saw people drilling a hole in the rocks. Water was pouring out. It had a hexagon shape at the tip. They put air in to blow the water out of the hole. Then they put two sticks of dynamite in the hole with a fuse coming out. Bryant packed dirt into little packages. They were put into the hole and with a rod, the workers packed it in. The men lit the fuse, and ran. Bryant saw the dirt blow off the side of the mountain with rocks. He heard a boom a second or two later. And that’s when the blue lady blows up.

Bryant went into a cave with his dad. His dad chipped off a rock from the ceiling and it fell onto his foot. Bryant bumped his head, but he had a hard hat on. He pushed a big rock. It went into another cave. Bryant went into that cave and saw a wooden shaft.

When he left the mine, he was tired, hungry, thirsty, and had to go to the bathroom. He was happy to leave with some blue tourmaline.?

By Shirley Leeson

The Rockhound Bulletin Editors Hall of Fame was initiated in 1995 at the Editors’ Seminar at Boise, Idaho, hosted by the Northwest Federation. Names were added to the "Charter" list in 1996 at Riverside, California. The AFMS, under President Margaret Heinek, adopted the Bulletin Editors HALL OF FAME as an AFMS Committee at Jackson, Mississippi, in 1997, with Shirley Leeson as Chair. Additional inductees were added at the Editors’ Breakfast at Jackson, and again in 1998 at Houghton, Michigan. Every Editor receives a Certificate of Appreciation.

All those Editors who have been honored were either chosen by a Regional Bulletin Chairman or Regional Bulletin Editor or Past-Editor. Many are well known beyond their clubs and Regional Federations from exchanging with other Editors. As such, their clubs are also well represented. An Editor or club can not nominate an Editor. A nomination must be run through the Regional Bulletin Editor/Bulletin Publication Chairman - depending who oversees that particular region.

Regional people who have made the nominations were/are:

Eastern - Carolyn Weinberger
Northwest - Esther Davis, Bill & Betty Luke
Midwest - Kitty Starbuck, Walt Vogtmann (new this year)
Rocky Mt - Pauline Price, Ruby Lingelbach
California - Shirley Leeson
South Central - Jean Wallace, Paul Good (new this year)
Southeast - Leo Morris

AFMS Past-Publications Chairman, Diane Dare, is also a "roving representative", knowing many Editors throughout the U.S. from her years as Publications Chairman and Editor.

There have been several people honored because of their work on behalf of Editors - such as Bulletin Publication Chairmen, or someone like Ken Zahn, who published all that important stuff from Washington, DC. on environmental issues, or Fred Labahn, of Rocky Mountain, who contributed wonderful fossil articles for years to the Rocky Mountain Newsletter.

(See the list at -----)

AMERICAN LANDS ACCESS ASSOCIATION, Inc.
NEWS BULLETIN FOR JANUARY, 1999 VOL.2, No.1
To receive this Newsletter contact:
BOB CRANSTON e-mail: cranston@gj.net
FOR BOOKS OR OTHER ALAA NEWS SEE:
http://www.collectors-mall.com/ALAA/
This will be the first of several issues that will deal with
Wilderness, United Nations Biospshere’s, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Natural Landmarks.
We are sure that you will find these items of interest and you may be surprised to find some of them in your own backyard.

Wilderness in the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System? Wilderness in the National Park System

UN Biosphere Reserves
Although it has been around for twenty-five years, few people have heard of the United Nation's Biosphere Reserve Program. The program's strategic plan states: "As the number of participating sites grows, so will the opportunities for the sites to coordinate their authorities and capabilities for applying ecological principles to regional conservation and development. The Plan is intended to be substantially implemented during the next decade with support from US MAB's [Man and the Biosphere, a related UN program] member agencies, private organizations and an expanding community of BR [Biosphere Reserve] stakeholders at the local level."