Some of you have noticed that the newsletter archive has been broken for some time. It has been restored and is up-to-date. If you find any broken links or missing issues, let me know!
— Bruce Kelley – bruce.kelley@gmail.com
Newsletter – December 2025
Download the December 2025 newsletter:
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/PNWFM_Newsletter_2025-12.pdf
Parking Map for Symposium – CWU
This map shows the free (weekend) parking lots closest to Discovery Hall on the CWU campus.
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CWU-parking-map.pdf
Symposium Schedule – 2025
Printable version here:
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-PNWFM-Symposium-Schedule.pdf
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FRIENDS OF MINERALOGY
2025 Symposium
Color in Minerals
October 10-12, 2025
Discovery Hall. Central Washington University (CWU)
Ellensburg, Washington
| FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2025 | ||
| 3:00 pm | DEALER SETUP: Sure Stay by Best Western EXHIBITOR DISPLAY SETUP: CWU | |
| 5:00 pm | DEALERS OPEN: Sure Stay by Best Western | |
| 9:00 pm | DEALERS CLOSE FOR DAY ONE | |
| SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2025 | ||
| 8:30 am | DISPLAYS OPEN – CWU | |
| 9:00 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks | Jessica Robertson Julian Gray |
| 9:10 am | Causes of Color in Minerals – Part 1 | John Rakovan |
| 10:00 am | BREAK | |
| 10:15 am | From Mine to Masterpiece: Using Minerals in Art | Angela Piller |
| 11:05 am | BREAK | |
| 11:20 am | Finding Art in Minerals: How an interest in color and form ignited my passion for minerals | Bruce Kelley |
| 12:10 pm | STUDENT POSTER SESSION LUNCH LIVE AUCTION STARTS AT 12:45 | |
| 2:00 pm | Color of Pegmatite Minerals and what they tell about Pegmatite Formation | Mike Wise |
| 2:50 pm | BREAK | |
| 3:05 pm | Mineral News from the the PNW Lasmanisite and other Sulfosalts from Bear Basin Sulfosalts from Pedro – More unknowns Caysichite-(Y) from Washington Pass – Now known | Frank Keutsch (virtual) John Lindell Markus Raschke |
| 4:30 pm | AFTERNOON SESSION ENDS | |
| 6:00 pm | Mineral Shopping at Sure Stay by Best Western | |
Dinner on your own – No Saturday evening Banquet!
| SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2025 | ||
| 8:30 am | DISPLAYS OPENS – CWU | |
| 9:00 am | Causes of Color in Minerals – Part 2 | John Rakovan |
| 9:50 am | BREAK | |
| 10:05 am | Color in Thin Section | Chris Mattinson |
| 10:55 am | Closing Remarks | Jessica Robertson |
| 11:00 am | SYMPOSIUM CLOSES | |
Newsletter – September 2025
Download the September 2025 newsletter:
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PNWFM_Newsletter_2025_09.pdf
Newsletter – June 2025
Download the June 2025 newsletter:
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PNWFM_Newsletter_2025_06.pdf
2025 Symposium Registration is open
The 2025
PNWFM Symposium
Color in Minerals

October 10-12, 2025
Ellensburg, Washington
Online registration is now ready to go!
https://pnwfm.square.site/
Daytime Events
ALL daytime events on Saturday and Sunday will be held at Discovery Hall on the Central Washington University campus. These events include:
- Saturday and Sunday talks in the large lecture hall
- Mineral displays and silent auctions in the Intro Geology Lab classroom
- CWU geology student poster session (NEW for 2025!)
- Catered boxed lunch and lunchtime auction! Lunches will include a sandwich/wrap, chips, cookie, and water. We will also have a selection of soda available. If you’d like a boxed lunch, choose either a Southwest Turkey Wrap or a Hummus and Quinoa wrap during registration. Boxed lunches will be delivered to our location in CWU and can be eaten as we enjoy our auction. (NEW for 2025!)
Saturday Evening vendor hall at the hotel
NEW HOTEL: SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg. See details below.
- PNWFM will have a dedicated “hospitality” room in the vendor hall for member check in and questions, and will have light refreshments available during the evening as well as other plans to be determined. (NEW for 2025!)
- No Saturday evening banquet this year due to logistical challenges. Attendees are invited to explore Ellensburg for dinner options that suit your own preferences. More time for visiting with our vendors! (NEW for 2025!)
SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg
Reservation Information:
We have a contract with the SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg – 1500 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA. You will need to call the hotel directly at 509-962-6888 and reference Friends of Mineralogy to make your reservation. Reservations are for October 10 and 11. Club rate prices are $149 for a single queen and $160 for a double queen room plus 10.6% tax. The cut off date is September 19.
- It is very important that all room dealers have a reservation by this date and have communicated with Thea Stendar (theasmineralworld@hotmail.com). On September 20, we must to provide a list of room dealers to the hotel so that they can assign rooms on the first floor. If you have not reserved your room by the 19th of September, we cannot guarantee that you will be on the ground floor.
- The hotel address is 1500 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA 98926. It is just a short distance past the Red Lion where we stayed last year.
- Continental breakfast is included.
Prices
| Symposium Registration | Price |
|---|---|
| Symposium + Membership + Lunch (Southwest Turkey Wrap) | $127 |
| Symposium + Membership + Lunch (Hummus & Quinoa Wrap) | $127 |
| Symposium + Membership – No Lunch | $105 |
| Full-Time Student Symposium – NO membership, NO Lunch | FREE |
| Add-Ons | Price |
|---|---|
| Room Dealer Add-On (Paid Symposium Required | $25 |
| Extra or Student Lunch (Southwest Turkey Wrap) | $22 |
| Extra or Student Lunch (Hummus & Quinoa Wrap) | $22 |
| Extra or Student membership (included in paid symposium) | $20 |
Notes on prices:
- All paid symposium registrations include 1 year of PNWFM membership.
- Room dealers: The $25 Add-On is in addition to paid registration.
- There is a $10 discount on paid symposium registration if you register by September 30.
Newsletter – April 2025
Download the April 2025 newsletter:
https://pnwfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PNWFM_Newsletter_2025_04.pdf
Spring Rendezvous at the Rice Museum
PNW Friends of Mineralogy hopes to see you at our Spring Rendezvous at the Rice Museum on Saturday, April 26, 2025!
Meet at noon at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals for a casual meet & greet and a “tailgate” rock swap. We will have two talks for members in the NW Gallery beginning at 2:00, followed by a business meeting at 3:30. Afterward we will have opportunities for dinner and socializing nearby.
Stay tuned for details!
Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals
26385 NW Groveland Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124
Click here for a map…
2025 Symposium Dates
Save the date for our 2025 Symposium
Color in Minerals
October 10-12, 2025
Ellensburg, Washington

