Rock on!
Local club looking to expand
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DOLLAR BAY -- Meeting every third Thursday of the month, the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club offers self-proclaimed "rock hounds" a space to learn more about the geology of the Keweenaw. As the club membership -- over 100 strong -- slowly ages out of leadership roles, club officials hope to garner support from the local rock hounds at Michigan Tech.
Club President Elizabeth Whelan said many different kinds of people are a part of the RMC. Anyone from the geologically clueless to rock experts. "Those are anywhere from rock enthusiasts, geologists, anthropologists, to just people who think rocks are neat," she said. "They're from all over the country too."
Whelan said as RMC members, they have special privilege from landowners to collect and dig up old minerals from deposits all around the area.
RMC Vice President David Genter added the club is allowed to do these types of mini-excavations due to having an insurance policy. "The club not only has access to special mine piles in the Keweenaw, but we do because we have insurance and a scrutinized membership to make sure we do things ethically," he said.
The club also has two scholarships it offers. One of them being the Nathan DeCleene scholarship. "We fund that every year with the money we made during our summer Keweenaw Week" Club Treasurer Steve Whelan said.
"Then, two years ago, we had the opportunity to participate in an endowment scholarship fund," Whelan added. "One of our members donated a large sum to it. We had to come up with the rest of it over a two-year period, which we did."
Keweenaw Week is another activity the club puts on. Typically, during the first week of August, club members will trek out to different sites to collect minerals, including copper.
"We get a lot of people from out of state who don't know anything about collecting copper," Elizabeth Whelan said. "They may be rock hounds, but they come up here with no knowledge of the area. It's so much fun to watch because they're so excited."
At the tail end of the week, a live rock auction is held, where Elizabeth Whelan said the money from the scholarships comes from.
Although according to Elizabeth, the club needs to function with new members present. "We're getting older," she said. "That sometimes eliminates what we can accomplish."
Genter said a membership drive, targeting Tech students, is coming.
"We want to rejuvenate the club with some young members," he said. "I don't think people realize they can find around the Keweenaw some incredible things."
The club meets every third Thursday of the month at the Dollar Bay Fire Department building. For more information about the Rock and Mineral Club, visit ccrmc.info. Or email pres@ccrmc.info.