Each CCFMS club decides if it runs its own local field trips. Many do. If you are interested in field tripping, you should contact your local club or a club that is active in field tripping. Many of our members belong to multiple clubs specifically because they enjoy field tripping so much.
The Federation runs a couple of field trips each year that are open to all Affiliate Member Clubs in good standing. The dates of these trips can be found in the Field Trips Button.
Recurring Field Trips
Beamsville Quarry Nelson Aggregates Quarry, Beamsville Ontario - Saturday - 2nd weekend in May, 4th weekend in September
Bowmanville Quarry St. Marys Cement Inc. (Canada), Bowmanville - Fall & Spring
Printed below is the Code of Ethics adopted by CCFMS to which all its members are expected to abide by:
I will respect both private and public property and will do no collecting on privately owned land without the owner's permission.
I will keep informed on all laws, regulations or rules governing collecting on public lands and will observe them.
I will, to the best of my ability, ascertain the boundary lines of property on which I plan to collect.
I will use no firearms or blasting material in collecting areas.
I will cause no willful damage to property of any kind - fences, signs, buildings etc.
I will leave all gates as found.
I will build fires in designated or safe places only, and will be certain they are completely extinguished before leaving the area.
I will discard no burning material - matches, cigarettes, etc.
I will fill all excavation holes which may be dangerous to livestock. I will not contaminate wells, creeks or other water supply.
I will cause no willful damage to collecting material, and will take home only what I can reasonably use.
I will leave all collecting areas devoid of litter, regardless of how found.
I will co-operate with field trip leaders, and those designated in authority in all collecting areas.
I will report to my Club or Federation Officers, or other proper authorities, any deposit of material on public lands which should be protected for the enjoyment of future generations for public educational and scientific purposes.
I will appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources.
I will observe the "Golden Rule" and will use "Good Outdoor Manners" and will at all times conduct myself in a manner which will add to the stature and "Public Image" of rockhounds everywhere.
Past Field Trips
Your Field Trip Committee is very proud of its record in planning and executing successful summer trips. Just to jog your memory, we would like to review some of the geography and mineralogy we have experienced:
1979 ~ Ottawa Valley etc. (Basil Halhed)
1980 ~ Sudbury, Cobalt, Gowganda, North Bay (Court Saunders)
1981 ~ Circle Superior (Court Saunders)
Iron mines of Upper Michigan, copper mines of the Keewanaw
Thomsonite in Minnesota, amethyst, fluorite at Rossport
Iron mines in Wawa, smoky quartz
1982 ~ Two trips (Court Saunders)
Maine and New Hampshire
Tourmaline, beryl, radioactives, fluorapatite, other exotics
learned our lesson to do research and scouting beforehand
Court earned his "Up-Hill: nickname here
Northern Ontario and Quebec
Moly, bismutinite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, gold, soapstone, asbestos, silver, beryl, spodumene
1983 ~ Upper Ottawa Valley (Court Saunders)
Spinel, amazonite, Greeley quartz, diopside, apatite, Yates mine
1984 ~ Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Upper State New York (Court Saunders)
byssolite (actinolite), pyrite, magnetite
zeolites from Gettysburg (and history lesson from Don Hyland)
Franklinite, and other zinc minerals in Franklin, N.J.
Williamsite from Maryland (along with poison ivy)
Hematite roses, uvite tourmaline, dravite tourmaline, albite and others from the Pitcairn skarn zone in New York
1985 ~ Polar Bear Trip to Northern Ontario (Court Saunders)
Vermilion mine for sperrylite
wet walk for cobalite near Espanola
bonanza at Rossport (fluorite)
amethyst, gold in Timmins (Dome), silver (Silver Crater)
1986 ~ Keewanaw and Wisconsin (Court Saunders, Dick Farmery)
Seaman Museum in Houghton/Hancock
Copper and copper/silver "half-breeds"
underground at the Caledonia mine, bears at Copper Harbour
Datolite and analcite at the Cliff Mine, chisel chips
wierd pegmatites in Wisconsin
1987 ~ Ottawa Valley and Eastern Townships of Quebec (Court Saunders)
Spinel (including mauve), Oka (pyrochlore), St. Eustache, (Dolomitic Calcite), St. Hilaire, Mt. Orford (Diopside and green garnet)
Sherbrooke (pyrite in slate), Asbestos (Vesuvianite, grossular garnet), - Thetford (Hydromagnesite, stillbite, apophyllite, calcite). Crean Hill mine (realgar)
1988 ~ Virginia (Dick Farmery)
Cassiterite, pyrolusite, prehnite, topaz, amazonite, turquoise crystals, stilbite, kyanite
1989 ~ Sunset Country (Bill Plavac)
Stanley, Rabbit Mountain, Silver Mountain for argentite, prehnite, sulphides, amethyst, quartz
Atikokan (Steep Rock and Caland mines) for calcite, quartz, pyrolusite, manganite, hematite, goethite
Amethyst, fluorite, barite, gold, galena, sphalerite
Labradorite, zircon
1990 ~ Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (Dave Paterson)
tourmaline, beryl, fluorapatite, plus some "small" aquamarines
Native antimony & stibnite
Cassiterite, wolframite, and topaz
Gold, andalusite, barite
Zeolites - stilbite, heulandite, laumontite, chabazite
1991 ~
1992 ~ Bluegrass: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana (Court Saunders)
calcite, millerite, barite, celestite, sphalerite
pyrite, dolomite, fluorite
galena, marcasite, quartz, chalcedony
flint, agate, fossils
1993 ~ Heritage Trail: Vermont, New Hampshire, Quebec (Court Saunders)
grossular, magnetite, serpentine
quartz, beryl, autinite, pyrite
diopside, chromite, vesuvianite
Mt. Orford Nickel Mine - diopside, millerite
1994 ~ Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana (Court Saunders)
1995 ~ Keweenaw: Northern Michigan (Court Saunders)
1995 ~ Superior II: Northern Ontario (Court Saunders)
1996 ~ Bluenose II: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick (Bill & Roni Plavac)
zeolites, jasper, fossils
gypsum, manganite, barite
wolframite, cassiterite, molybdenite
stibnite, antimony, kermesite
1997 ~ Western Ho: Manitoba and Northwest Ontario (Court Saunders)
1998 ~ Tristate: Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Iowa (Court Saunders)
1999 ~ The Final Frontier: Newfoundland (Bill & Roni Plavac)
2000 ~
2001 ~ Ottawa to Quebec (Nicholas Gere)
2002 ~ Bancroft Area & Fall Colours trip to Ohio (Don Lapham)
2003 ~ Summer 2003 Trip to Haliburton/Minden (Nicholas Gere)
2004 ~ Yates Uranium Mine Otter Lake, Quebec (Gerry & Hugeuette Schmidt)
2005 ~ Yates Uranium Mine Otter Lake, Quebec (Bill Plavac)
2013 ~ St. Marys Cement, Bowmanville, Ontario (Randy Ernst)