Confessions

I've got my own small mountain of rocks from here it in my backyard.

How?

After reading these adventures, you'll recall how Wyoming rock collecting has changed during my lifetime. What I'm sharing are my personal musings and aren't intended to offend or accuse anyone. They are my own confessions and convictions. You might find them interesting, so here goes.

I was out by my fence the other day. Along it, there's a pile of rocks about 20 foot long, 3 feet wide and 2 foot high. I stand by this rock pile in amazement! How did all those rocks get by my fence? I've hauled them there, a few at a time, over the last several years.

Remember reading about my Casper Mountain experience? Well, I've been back a few more times since then. In fact, I've been back many times. It's a short drive from home. And I enjoy collecting fluorescent minerals. So, I'd grab a five gallon pail and head up the mountain. I'd spend an hour wondering around and fill the pail with the best specimens I could find. The next day I'd sort the specimens. Photograph the best ones. And they'd end up on the pile.

It was just so easy. Just so convenient. Just so much fun!

Sometimes, the same rocks I rejected and left behind on a previous trip, were often prized during the next one. :>)))

Now, most of the best specimens, from that outcrop, are along my fence. And few are left on the mountain. I confess, I'm the guy that did it. And I did it one bucket at a time, through an extended period of time.

Why?

I'm not sure why. Did I need them? Am I a compulsive gatherer? Am I greedy? Do I love to hoard? Is it the power of possession that drives me? I'll leave the character evaluation to others, but I think not.

One day, my wife asked what I was going to do with the rock pile? I hadn't thought about it, but told her I might sell them. Actually that was just a quick excuse. And I knew I wouldn't, as that possibility conjures up unpleasant memories selling raffle tickets, fruit cakes, etc. during my youth.

Thinking about it, I love the adventure of the hunt. The thrill of the discovery. I enjoy photographing my finds and sharing them with others. But even the most spectacular rocks I collect, end up sitting on a shelf for a few years. Then there wrapped up and put in a box, making more room for additional specimens. And most eventually end up on the pile. I find myself looking more at the pictures of those specimens, after a time, than the specimens themselves.

Consequences

While walking around my little town, I notice many rock piles just like mine. Some contain good specimens of jade, petrified wood, chalcedony, etc. Some reflect the efforts of a knowledgable collector. Others have obviously been gathered by someone who found an appealing or unique looking rock and brought it home. Some are used to build rock gardens, fountains or patios. But most are found in long neglected heaps, half buried with the detritus accumulated through time.

It's obvious that when property changes hands, most new owners of those piles know little of the value or effort those rocks reflect. What value would my fluorescent pile have to someone else? Not much, as those rocks, in daylight, are drab and unappealing. They would probably be sent off as trash.

What troubles me the most, is knowing that someone in the future, might get interested in fluorescent minerals. Buy a lamp. Then go prospecting on one of the few public places left on the mountain. But the adventure, the thrill and the joy that I've found, might not occur. Because I've got most of those minerals setting in my backyard. I think, what if someone before me had scooped it all up. Would I be looking for a few drab uninteresting specimens? Would my sense of value be degraded to the point where almost anything would be acceptable as a specimen? Or would any interest even exist? If I had to purchase all my specimens, I might find value and beauty but not much hunting thrill and certainly no sense of adventure.

Some will say that all should be got while the getting's good. Many good locations have been reclaimed, urbanization, used as road fill or in other ways lost forever. And it's a good point, but I can't guarantee that my rock pile is any more secure. It's hard to believe that the population in the US will top the 300 million mark. Man, that's a bunch of people. The impacts of an increased population on a fixed resource necessitates some basic changes.

Action

It's no longer prudent to pump all the water, collect all the shells, catch all the fish, shoot all the game, collect all the wild bees, pick all the wild flowers, or cut all the timber one may want or is allowed to. I think bag all the rocks should be included in the list. Sportsmen have long realized the impacts that taking can have on their sport. Many areas mandate catch and release programs for fishermen. And many fishermen practice catch and release for all their fishing regardless of the law. Many hunters have abandoned the gun for the camera. These sportsmen realized their enjoyment isn't based on the taking. But rather, the animal itself is the vehicle for a broader experience upon which their enjoyment is based. Taking serves no positive purpose if you don't need it.

And if that's the case for a renewable resource like those of the sportsman, how much more important could these concepts be for the rock hound with a non-renewable resource? How could a rock hound implement these concepts? I've got a few ideas.

First, I'm going to limit my take. No more five gallon buckets and multiple trips to the truck. I'll spend lots of time looking and only take the few best specimens that I can carry in my hand.

And I'm going to become more narrowly focused on the kind of specimens I want to collect. Maybe rather than collecting all fluorescent rocks, I'll just focus on fluorescent crystal specimens, etc. I'll go looking and photographing the rest but will leave them for someone else to bag.

Second, I'll limit the collecting damage. If extracting an excellent specimen requires tearing up the environment or demolishing an outcrop of perfectly good specimens, I'll take a picture and leave it intact. This is especially important on natural outcrops and imperative on public land.

When collecting in an active quarry or mine, I'll limit damage in another way. I'll collect all that can be shared with others before it goes to the crusher. I'll photograph the rest.

Third, I'll remember there are many ways a mineral specimen can be lost. And one way involves much personal effort. Takes up storage space. Complicates moving. And deprives others of the joys of collecting. If I can't display it. It stays where it's at.

Finally, this is a really short list. I'll bet there's much that I haven't considered. What do you think?

Follow Up

I started drafting this page about two years ago while living in Wyoming. So, what's become of my rock pile? Well, I didn't sell it. Events now have me living in Florida. I thought about returning those rocks to their source before moving, but just didn't have the time. And it was an impossibility as the mountain was covered by snow.

So, the rock pile is now a rock mulch for a hedge. Will the new home owner value the specimen value of those fluorescent rocks? Not a chance.

Have I learned more about rocks through this process? For sure! For me, the most important aspects of mineral collecting involve much more than just mineralogy.