magma history

In the year 2000, a group of Rockhounds in the Asheville North Carolina area had the idea to form a small rockclub. They wanted it to be different from the other larger, established clubs in the area, get rid of the politics and get back to rocks, gems, minerals and field collecting. These were experienced individuals who wanted to share their knowledge and expertise with other rockhounds and those just getting started in the hobby. Steve Penley, Robert Creason, David Hillhouse and a few others formed the group which I joined a few weeks later. We held several monthly meetings, appointed positions, President, Treasurer, etc., we even had a name, the "Rockheads". For over a year our membership hovered at around 15 members. Unfortunately, the newer members lost interest and the club went into remission, no trips or meetings for about a year and a half. In 2003, I started a website to promote the hobby of Rockhounding in Western North Carolina. I had met several new friends, many new to rockhunting and very eager to learn more about the hobby. I decided to give the old club a jumpstart and see what would happen. One of our new members, Maitri, called me one evening with an idea for a name. "MAGMA", I said "thats interesting but I really don't like it that much", then she told me that MAGMA would stand for the "Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association". I was hooked, I built a club webpage, sent emails to the other local clubs and began to advertise M.A.G.M.A. every way I could. Steve, Maitri and I already belonged to a site called "Dirtyrockhounds" based in Virginia and owned by a man named Craig Allen. This site was already known to have the best Rockhound discussion board on the Internet. Craig made us moderators for the discussion board and soon the two sites began to intergrate. Today, eight years later, along with the help of Dirtyrockhounds and word of mouth from other members of local clubs, our membership has grown from the original 15 members to over 1,500 members throughout the world! With the help and participation of many dedicated members like John Deney, Jerry Fortenberry, Tena, Maitri, Lee Fleming and many more, we now have the largest, most active fieldtrip club in the Southeast and we are continuing to grow daily. Our club is very active in promoting Rockhounding, Mineralogy, Geology, and Earth Science in the community. We work hand in hand with the Forest Service to keep collecting sites in the National and State Forests open to all Rockhounds. We also work with private property owners to maintain collecting sites on their property. Volunteers are always welcome to help with policing collecting sites, removing trash, reporting violations, i.e., improper digging/collecting practices which violate Forest Service rules and regulations. While many clubs have monthly meetings and have much to offer, most conduct maybe one field trip per month. We are a very active club and spend as much time as possible in the field. Trips are planned throughout the month, every month, to various mines in the WNC area. We also conduct overnight trips, some up to several days to numerous collecting sites in the southeast. While all our members cannot attend all the trips, the opportunity is always there for them to participate when possible. Field experience is the best way for beginning rockhounds to gain firsthand knowledge of the hobby and advanced collectors to expand their collections. All our field trips are guided by an experienced collector who will help newcomers with questions and instruct them on how and where to find minerals in the field. M•A•G•M•A conducts itself in accordance with the rockhounds' code of ethics. There is no fee to join M•A•G•M•A.. Children of all ages are welcome to join with their parents or guardians. Very young children should always be monitored closely while in the field for safety reasons, e.g., in the vicinity of abandoned mine shafts, rock slides, high walls, etc. (See the section on "Safety in the Field" for more information). Today, M•A•G•M•A does not have figureheads such as, President, Field Trip Leader, etc. Instead we have club moderators, who work together to plan club events, picnics and fieldtrips. Field trips are planned as a group each week, several collecting sites are discussed, and one or all may be visited that month. By joining the club you will be put on our MAGMA members contact list, you will receive an email to be notified of upcoming fieldtrips and events.