field trips
Field trips focus on collecting and history of Southeastern Ontario and the surrounding areas. Check out the bottom of our page to read about some of the materials we have collected, places we have been and the history about each area.
Field trips are usually held every month from April through October.
Field trips are usually held every month from April through October.
Please read the following file if you plan on attending any upcoming field trips.
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Upcoming field trips will be posted as they are planned both locally and for other lapidary clubs. For our field trips, mark your calendars and be sure to contact the field trip leaders if you plan to attend. If you need a membership card, please email me and I will email one back.
All the best
Eileen
Ongoing Opportunities
Beryl Pit (Quadeville, Ontario)
Minerals: key minerals are beryl, amazonite, peristerite, other feldspars and quartz. For a full list of minerals check out: https://www.mindat.org/loc-6641.html
Purchase Collecting Pass: MacEwen Gast Station in Quadeville (~$10)
Collecting Style: Breaking Rock / Digging in Rock
Collecting Equipment: 3/5lb sledgehammer, chisels and shovels.
Herkimer Diamonds (New York, U.S.A.)
Minerals: Herkimer Diamonds (double terminated quartz crystals)
Fossils: Cambrian aged stromatolites
Purchase Collecting Pass: several locations (~$10 day)
Herkimer Diamond Mines: http://www.herkimerdiamond.com/
Ace of Diamonds: https://www.herkimerdiamonds.com/
Crystal Gove: http://www.crystalgrove.com/ (working on website, check out Facebook)
Collecting Style: Breaking Rock / Scavenging
Collecting Equipment: 3/5/10/25lb sledgehammers, chisels, wedges, pry bars and shovels.
Schickler Fluorite Mine (Wilberforce, Ontario)
Minerals: Apatite, Fluorite, Scapolite and others.
Obtain Collecting Pass (free): Municipal office (Loop Road, Wilberforce) or Agnew’s General Store (Wilberforce).
Collecting Style: Digging in Soil
Collecting Equipment: Shovels, Root Clippers, Small hand saw and other stuff you think is good.
Meeting: 9:00 a.m. Thursday to Sunday during the Gemboree, at the North Hastings community Centre (103 Newkirk Blvd). Participants must provide their own transportation to each site following a lead vehicle. Mineral Tours average 5 hours but you may leave earlier or stay longer.
Admission $15 Ages 17+, $10 ages 16 and under, $40 families (up to 5 people)/ Additional fees are required for specific sites.
Required Equipment: safety glasses, closed -in footwear are mandatory equipment for these tours. Rockhounding equipment such as rock hammers, shovels, chisels, buckets, garden claws etc. for collecting are necessary. Recommended equipped for the weather, includes hats, bug spray, raincoats. Bring snacks, lunch, drinks since the locations of sites will not have water or food available
KLMC FIELD TRIPS - 2023
Please review the Field Trip Code of Ethics and Safety Rules on the CCFMS website http://www.ccfms.ca
1. Saturday, May 27th meet time 10 am – Former Stoklosar II Pink Marble Quarries, Eldorado
Our May 27 field trip will be led by member McLean Trott to the former Stoklosar II Pink Marble Quarries located at 169 Barker Road, Eldorado, ON with a meet time of 10 am at the site. At the request of the owner of the site, please etransfer the collecting fee directly to Eileen at kingstonmineral@gmail.com in advance of the trip. Collecting fee is $20 for adults and $10 for children. This field trip is open to directly supervised children, old enough to be interested vs tagging along. No toddlers and no dogs allowed. Site staff will be available to check people in and offer a quick tour to familiarize everyone with the site. They will remain on site for the entire day. Participants will be required to sign a waiver and collecting policy provided by the site owner. Hiking boots and protective eye wear is required. Suggested equipment includes collecting buckets, shovel, and rock hammer and chisel. No sledge hammers or power tools are allowed. This is an easy site to get around on with hard packed level trails and there is lots of loose rock to pick through/dig out of tailings hill! You will be able to collect quartz, crystalline marble, cubic pyrite, and magnetite crystals, plus whatever else is yet to be discovered. Mainly crystalline marble, notably in a variety of colors, and containing silver mica flecks makes it quite sparkly!
2. Saturday, June 3rd meet time 11am – Beryl Pit in Quadeville
Our June field trip will be led by Tom Kaddits to the Beryl Pit in Quadeville. The meet time is 11am at the Kauffieldt's Corner Store, 3469 Highway 515 in Quadeville, ON (613-758-2851). There you will pay a collecting fee prior to proceeding to the mine. Last year's prices were $10 per adult and $9 per child. Quadeville, is approximately 2.5 hours from Kingston, so please plan your trip accordingly to arrive on time. Parking is at the roadside with a walk into the site. Please bring lunch, beverages, water, bug spray, protective glasses, hat and gloves with you as well as collecting buckets and tools. Recommended tools include a 5lb sledge hammer, chisel, small garden rake or trowel, brush, small shovel and rock hammer. At this site, you can find beryl, amazonite, peristerite, other feldspars and quartz. For more information the website is https://bancroftontario.com/rock-collecting-sites/beryl-pit/
For your information: The Beryl Pit is located approximately 2.1 km north of Quadeville. The site is made up of two mines, Quadeville East Mine (Beryl Pit) and the Quadeville West Mine (Rose Quartz Quarry). The Beryl Pit is currently owned by the company Aquarose, and there is a fee for collecting. As mentioned previously, you can purchase mineral collecting permits for the Beryl Pit at Kauffeldt’s Corner Store, where they will also give you directions to the mine. Beryl was first discovered in 1897 by Miller, and it was first opened by T.B. Caldwell of Perth in 1926. The Beryl Pit is made up of an open cut 76m long, 15m wide, and 2-11m deep. There are a variety of minerals that can be found here including beryl, pyrite, columbite, exenite, tourmaline, fluorite, quartz, aquamarine, and many more.
3. Friday to Monday June 30th to July 3rd – Blue Points Mine & Diamond Willow Mine, Thunder Bay
The Brantford club have invited the KLMC to join them on an amethyst collecting trip to two mines that are closest to Pearl, ON. It takes at least 14 hours to get to Pearl, ON by car. So plan on 2-3 day travel each way unless you are flying in.
The days in the mines will be June 30th and July 1st in the Blue Points Mine and July 2nd and 3rd at the Diamond Willow mine. Participants will have the option of returning to the Blue Points Mine on the 3rd and 4th after seeing Diamond Willow. You WILL find amethyst.
Participants must reserve a spot on the Brantford Club’s online booking system at https://theblms.as.me/?appointmentType=46626229. If you have any issues registering, or booking online please email the club at TheBrantfordLapandMin@gmail.com. The booking will cost $10. You will be required to confirm by checking a box that you have read, understood and agree to the field trip risk and liability form on the website in order to book the trip. The link will take you to the booking for Friday July 30th. If you will not be joining until Saturday July 1st, please click the arrow on the calendar to see the month of July and make your booking by clicking on July 1st.
Both mines have tailing piles to rockhound in. Tailings is the stuff brought up from the mine itself. There is tons of great stuff in the tailings. This is a great option for those under 18, of limited abilities as well as anyone who does not have full safety gear. Closed toed shoes are a must for the tailings as well as safety glasses if you are hammering. Better would be hiking boots, glasses, vest, gloves and a whistle, as well as bug stuff and sun stuff. Bring tons of water. It gets hot and you need to stay hydrated.
For the Blue Points Mine, participants will be going into the actual pit mine. Only those over 18 will be allowed to do this. You must have and wear safety gear in the mine. You will need your own steel toe boots and hard hat.
There is a cost of $10 to book your spot. At Blue Points Tailings are $25 a bucket and mined material is $50 a bucket. Garden rocks (aka the really big stuff) will be priced by the mine owner individually. At Diamond Willow there are tailings only and it is $30 a bucket but they do prorate.
You will be required to sign a liability waiver onsite for each mine. You MUST attend the safety meeting on either the Friday or the Saturday at 9:00 am
Since this is the Canada Day long weekend, it is recommended that you arrange accommodation as soon as possible. The closest accommodation is the Mirror Lake Campground in Pearl. It has full services but is an aging campground. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is about 45 minutes away and Thunder Bay is an hour away. There are numerous hotels, motels and B&Bs in Thunder Bay
Happy Hounding!
Christine Chapman
Brantford Lapidary and Mineral Society
Field Trip Coordinator
All the best
Eileen
Ongoing Opportunities
Beryl Pit (Quadeville, Ontario)
Minerals: key minerals are beryl, amazonite, peristerite, other feldspars and quartz. For a full list of minerals check out: https://www.mindat.org/loc-6641.html
Purchase Collecting Pass: MacEwen Gast Station in Quadeville (~$10)
Collecting Style: Breaking Rock / Digging in Rock
Collecting Equipment: 3/5lb sledgehammer, chisels and shovels.
Herkimer Diamonds (New York, U.S.A.)
Minerals: Herkimer Diamonds (double terminated quartz crystals)
Fossils: Cambrian aged stromatolites
Purchase Collecting Pass: several locations (~$10 day)
Herkimer Diamond Mines: http://www.herkimerdiamond.com/
Ace of Diamonds: https://www.herkimerdiamonds.com/
Crystal Gove: http://www.crystalgrove.com/ (working on website, check out Facebook)
Collecting Style: Breaking Rock / Scavenging
Collecting Equipment: 3/5/10/25lb sledgehammers, chisels, wedges, pry bars and shovels.
Schickler Fluorite Mine (Wilberforce, Ontario)
Minerals: Apatite, Fluorite, Scapolite and others.
Obtain Collecting Pass (free): Municipal office (Loop Road, Wilberforce) or Agnew’s General Store (Wilberforce).
Collecting Style: Digging in Soil
Collecting Equipment: Shovels, Root Clippers, Small hand saw and other stuff you think is good.
Meeting: 9:00 a.m. Thursday to Sunday during the Gemboree, at the North Hastings community Centre (103 Newkirk Blvd). Participants must provide their own transportation to each site following a lead vehicle. Mineral Tours average 5 hours but you may leave earlier or stay longer.
Admission $15 Ages 17+, $10 ages 16 and under, $40 families (up to 5 people)/ Additional fees are required for specific sites.
Required Equipment: safety glasses, closed -in footwear are mandatory equipment for these tours. Rockhounding equipment such as rock hammers, shovels, chisels, buckets, garden claws etc. for collecting are necessary. Recommended equipped for the weather, includes hats, bug spray, raincoats. Bring snacks, lunch, drinks since the locations of sites will not have water or food available
KLMC FIELD TRIPS - 2023
Please review the Field Trip Code of Ethics and Safety Rules on the CCFMS website http://www.ccfms.ca
1. Saturday, May 27th meet time 10 am – Former Stoklosar II Pink Marble Quarries, Eldorado
Our May 27 field trip will be led by member McLean Trott to the former Stoklosar II Pink Marble Quarries located at 169 Barker Road, Eldorado, ON with a meet time of 10 am at the site. At the request of the owner of the site, please etransfer the collecting fee directly to Eileen at kingstonmineral@gmail.com in advance of the trip. Collecting fee is $20 for adults and $10 for children. This field trip is open to directly supervised children, old enough to be interested vs tagging along. No toddlers and no dogs allowed. Site staff will be available to check people in and offer a quick tour to familiarize everyone with the site. They will remain on site for the entire day. Participants will be required to sign a waiver and collecting policy provided by the site owner. Hiking boots and protective eye wear is required. Suggested equipment includes collecting buckets, shovel, and rock hammer and chisel. No sledge hammers or power tools are allowed. This is an easy site to get around on with hard packed level trails and there is lots of loose rock to pick through/dig out of tailings hill! You will be able to collect quartz, crystalline marble, cubic pyrite, and magnetite crystals, plus whatever else is yet to be discovered. Mainly crystalline marble, notably in a variety of colors, and containing silver mica flecks makes it quite sparkly!
2. Saturday, June 3rd meet time 11am – Beryl Pit in Quadeville
Our June field trip will be led by Tom Kaddits to the Beryl Pit in Quadeville. The meet time is 11am at the Kauffieldt's Corner Store, 3469 Highway 515 in Quadeville, ON (613-758-2851). There you will pay a collecting fee prior to proceeding to the mine. Last year's prices were $10 per adult and $9 per child. Quadeville, is approximately 2.5 hours from Kingston, so please plan your trip accordingly to arrive on time. Parking is at the roadside with a walk into the site. Please bring lunch, beverages, water, bug spray, protective glasses, hat and gloves with you as well as collecting buckets and tools. Recommended tools include a 5lb sledge hammer, chisel, small garden rake or trowel, brush, small shovel and rock hammer. At this site, you can find beryl, amazonite, peristerite, other feldspars and quartz. For more information the website is https://bancroftontario.com/rock-collecting-sites/beryl-pit/
For your information: The Beryl Pit is located approximately 2.1 km north of Quadeville. The site is made up of two mines, Quadeville East Mine (Beryl Pit) and the Quadeville West Mine (Rose Quartz Quarry). The Beryl Pit is currently owned by the company Aquarose, and there is a fee for collecting. As mentioned previously, you can purchase mineral collecting permits for the Beryl Pit at Kauffeldt’s Corner Store, where they will also give you directions to the mine. Beryl was first discovered in 1897 by Miller, and it was first opened by T.B. Caldwell of Perth in 1926. The Beryl Pit is made up of an open cut 76m long, 15m wide, and 2-11m deep. There are a variety of minerals that can be found here including beryl, pyrite, columbite, exenite, tourmaline, fluorite, quartz, aquamarine, and many more.
3. Friday to Monday June 30th to July 3rd – Blue Points Mine & Diamond Willow Mine, Thunder Bay
The Brantford club have invited the KLMC to join them on an amethyst collecting trip to two mines that are closest to Pearl, ON. It takes at least 14 hours to get to Pearl, ON by car. So plan on 2-3 day travel each way unless you are flying in.
The days in the mines will be June 30th and July 1st in the Blue Points Mine and July 2nd and 3rd at the Diamond Willow mine. Participants will have the option of returning to the Blue Points Mine on the 3rd and 4th after seeing Diamond Willow. You WILL find amethyst.
Participants must reserve a spot on the Brantford Club’s online booking system at https://theblms.as.me/?appointmentType=46626229. If you have any issues registering, or booking online please email the club at TheBrantfordLapandMin@gmail.com. The booking will cost $10. You will be required to confirm by checking a box that you have read, understood and agree to the field trip risk and liability form on the website in order to book the trip. The link will take you to the booking for Friday July 30th. If you will not be joining until Saturday July 1st, please click the arrow on the calendar to see the month of July and make your booking by clicking on July 1st.
Both mines have tailing piles to rockhound in. Tailings is the stuff brought up from the mine itself. There is tons of great stuff in the tailings. This is a great option for those under 18, of limited abilities as well as anyone who does not have full safety gear. Closed toed shoes are a must for the tailings as well as safety glasses if you are hammering. Better would be hiking boots, glasses, vest, gloves and a whistle, as well as bug stuff and sun stuff. Bring tons of water. It gets hot and you need to stay hydrated.
For the Blue Points Mine, participants will be going into the actual pit mine. Only those over 18 will be allowed to do this. You must have and wear safety gear in the mine. You will need your own steel toe boots and hard hat.
There is a cost of $10 to book your spot. At Blue Points Tailings are $25 a bucket and mined material is $50 a bucket. Garden rocks (aka the really big stuff) will be priced by the mine owner individually. At Diamond Willow there are tailings only and it is $30 a bucket but they do prorate.
You will be required to sign a liability waiver onsite for each mine. You MUST attend the safety meeting on either the Friday or the Saturday at 9:00 am
Since this is the Canada Day long weekend, it is recommended that you arrange accommodation as soon as possible. The closest accommodation is the Mirror Lake Campground in Pearl. It has full services but is an aging campground. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is about 45 minutes away and Thunder Bay is an hour away. There are numerous hotels, motels and B&Bs in Thunder Bay
Happy Hounding!
Christine Chapman
Brantford Lapidary and Mineral Society
Field Trip Coordinator
History
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Locations
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Collecting
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