IDAHO FALLS — The annual membership sale for the Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society (IFG&MS) will be held next Saturday, October 5, at the Bonneville County Fairgrounds. This will be the third sale held just south of Sandy Downs Racetrack on Woodruff Avenue with the door opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. There will be a $3 admission fee with children 12 and under getting in free.
Members of the IFG&MS have been collecting, cutting, polishing stones, handcrafting items, and finishing jewelry items to sell to the public next Saturday. Idaho is known as the “gem” state and some of the finest gemstones in the world are found in the state. Many of these items come from several claims filed by the IFG&MS and are made from rocks picked up on field trips sponsored by the society.
Agate, opal and jasper are some of the coveted rocks which make some of the most beautiful items. The society has artisans that are talented silversmiths that make their own settings for these beautiful stones. There is also a group of members that knap knives, arrowheads and spear points from obsidian and glass.
Two members of the IFG&MS with two pieces of tube agate found on a field trip this summer. Both will have tables at the 2024 sale. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com
At the sale, rock collections from all over the world will be displayed, as some of the members own or have access to gems from across the planet. Many of the members spend the winters in Utah and Arizona, where they buy or trade for materials from other locals, and will bring some of their collections to the sale.
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If you have any interest in rocks of any kind, the sale will be a good place to visit as each rockhound has a specialty. Spencer fire opal is always a popular item for discussion, and there will be several members with their special creations to look at.
Terry Ryan, a member that will be at the sale, with her handmade knapped knives. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com
Recent discoveries of seam agate, plume agate and black agate have drawn a lot of attention to Central Idaho. Several members will bring specimens and jewelry made from those collections. For non-members of the society looking for rough stones or slabs, there will be plenty of those specimens to buy at the sale. If you have an interest in minerals, fossils and odd specimens, or you have a rock that you would like to be identified, there will be plenty of knowledgeable rock enthusiasts to visit with. There will also be a tool company specializing in jewelry manufacturing tools at the sale.
At the Bonneville County Fairgrounds, there will also be a gun show next weekend as well as food available for visitors to enjoy. It may be a great place to start your shopping for that person on your list that is hard to find the perfect gift. Or it may inspire a new hobby for your future.
JACKSON, Wyo. — Springtime conjures images of adorable baby animals. Unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning humans feel compelled to interfere with Mother Nature by “rescuing” baby animals who appear to be alone.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) issued a spring reminder discouraging people from intervening when they assume a wild animal is lost, abandoned or orphaned.
“While these folks typically mean well, the sad reality is they are often doing more damage than good when they intervene — and typically, mom was not far away to begin with,” IDFG shared in a press release.
“Here’s the hard truth,” the agency wrote. “Animal parents will periodically leave their young for an extended period of time for a myriad of reasons, whether it’s to search for food, to rest or to divert attention from their vulnerable offspring, especially if they sense danger. When it comes to wildlife babies, wildlife mothers know best.”
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In short, in an encounter with a lone duckling, gosling, deer fawn, baby bird, red dog or moose calf, do not disturb it. Instead, contact the state’s wildlife agency to report it. In Jackson, call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department at (307) 733-2321. In Idaho, reach IDFG at (208) 525-7290.
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I remember watching a documentary about Idaho’s wildlands. A narrator said there were probably many parts of the state where no human being has ever set foot. I believe that, but I stay relatively close to the highways. If I were 30 years younger, I would probably enjoy exploring the back country, but today, unless a plane takes me in and out, it’s not happening. I can’t say definitively that there is one spot that I find better than others. We’re surrounded by beautiful terrain, however. One place keeps calling me back.
Like a Scene from a Legendary Movie
When I go over the mountain between Gooding and Fairfield, I take time to stop at the overlook above the Camas Prairie. It reminds me of a scene in Exodus, where the Paul Newman character takes an American woman to look across a flat plain leading to Mount Tabor. He explains that’s the site where Deborah gathered her armies. It makes me feel there is something godly about the Camas Prairie. I keep going back to this spot. Sometimes I take along a folding chair and sit and look at the world below.
Slow Down and See the Work of the Creator
Fairfield may be nothing more than a blip as people speed down Route 20, but it’s their loss. On the other side of the highway is some of the prettiest country in Idaho. It’s going to be a lot less lush this spring, but drought conditions haven’t been nearly as severe in the central highlands. But if I’m granted a few more years by the Almighty, I plan to see the prairie for many more springs.
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