[Rockhounds] Field Collecting Journals and My 2008 Year End Collecting Statistics

[John Cornish]

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year! I've very much enjoyed many of the recent posts here and just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time. 



The Snowbird presentation was great Nathan! 



All the very best, take care



John



PS, here is my most recent paper, I hope you all enjoy!









1/3/2009

Field Collecting Journals and My 2008 Year End Collecting Statistics

 

By John Cornish
cornish at tfon.com






Hi All,



For over sixteen years now I've written a Field Collecting Journal which documents all of my mineral and fossil collecting trips during this period. Currently these adventures span four separate volumes with over 1000 pages of text, drawings, maps, etc. I've compiled my statistics for this last years collecting, 2008, and have included them following if you've an interest. For me, my journals are constant sources for reference and smiles and for this reason more then any other I hope that you'll consider starting a Field Collecting Journal of your own. 



As the days pass and our grasp of information becomes more encumbered, we risk losing the details of some of our most extraordinary collecting moments. For me, this was unacceptable. With this decision made, next followed several rounds of internal debate as to how to proceed, after all, I'd been collecting for some time now and what of those trips made prior to my beginning journaling? And so I pondered and all the while other collecting trips memories were lost. In frustration I decided I had to act. No more being wishy-washy, half here and half there, if I was going to start it was time to start. So that's exactly what I did, I started. I went out and purchased a nice looking, inexpensive Shaws Account Book from our local Stationary store which has 300 lined pages and is hard bound. To clarify my thoughts, my first entry introduced myself and explained my reasons for starting the Journal (some of which I've mentioned above). Following this I summed up some of the highlights from past collecting trips and then I was ready for new adventures and new entries. So, armed with all the excuse I needed, I headed out to collect! 

 

As I sit here in momentary reflection, a half smile flickering across my lips, that's exactly what I did too, I hit the hills and with a vengeance! As an example, as documented in 1996, that year I hit 113 localities! Just try remembering all of your trips from 1996 and you'll see the obvious benefit of starting your own Collecting Journal! But, for those of you who need additional reasons, I've come prepared with more positive arguments and the best of these is simply curation. We should all strive to curate our collections to some extent or another if we hope to have our collections attain any lasting relevancy. The documentation and histories of our specimens is of utmost import and we should strive for perfection and grace in this regard. Of course if your like me, perfection and grace are often replaced by incompetence and bumbling, still, I aspire!  



These are just some thoughts, which ever way you go and wherever your path may take you, I wish you fare adventuring each and all!



Happy New Year,



John



2008 Collecting Statistics 



30 Trips/Localities visited total



12 different Localities ---- 9 Minerals, 3 Fossils



Most Frequented Locality ----- (a fossil locality)  5 trips

New Mineral Localities ---- 1 (in Nevada)



Shows I participated in --- 5 


Territory Covered ---- Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah



Longest Trip ---- 48 days



Journal pages recorded --- 81



Papers written --- 14



Have a great year everyone and all the very best,

John



--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/alternative
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
  text/html
---