October 16-18, 2026
Ellensburg, Washington
“Mines and Minerals of the Great Basin”
- We have *eight* great speakers already lined up to talk on various mines, minerals, and geology topics centered on our theme of the Great Basin area.
- We will also have a session on PNW Mineral updates and a CWU student poster session.
- We are bringing back the option of ordering a boxed lunch, and ALSO bringing back the Saturday evening dinner banquet and live auction! The banquet will be held also on the CWU campus, close after the close of the Saturday talks, so folks will still have plenty of time for everyone’s favorite evening dealers at the hotel.
- Even more exciting, symposium registration pricing is $15 lower than last year! We are pleased we have been able to lower costs and hope this will allow for even more of our members to join us.
More details and registration information below!
Symposium Talks by:
- Mike Wise: Nevada pegmatites
- Scott Werschky: Round Mountain gold
- Brent Thorne: North Star Mine
- Dan Evanich: Culver Antimony Mine
- Rick Kennedy: Virginia Valley opals
- Jeremy Fuller: Thomas Range
- Graham Sutton: Specimen Mining Adventures
- Simon Kocher: Sulfosalt minerals
Plus: NW Mineral Updates session
ALL daytime events on Saturday and Sunday will be held at Discovery Hall on the Central Washington University campus, including:
- 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
- Catered boxed lunch! 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 for lunch break to our CWU Discovery Hall location .
Saturday banquet dinner and live auction–returning for 2026!
- Catered buffet on the CWU campus
Saturday Evening vendor hall at SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg
- 1500 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA. (Same hotel as last year!)
- You will need to call the hotel directly at 509-962-6888 and reference Friends of Mineralogy to make your reservation for October 17 and 18. Club rate prices are $160/night plus tax.
- The cutoff date for club rate pricing is September 19.
- It is very important that all room dealers have a reservation by September 19 and have communicated with Thea Stender (theasmineralworld@hotmail.com),
- Continental breakfast is included.
Pricing:
We are pleased to announce that tickets to our 2026 symposium are $15 less than last year! Additionally, the meal pricing is a ‘pass through’ cost based only on what we are charged per meal by the catering company.
Base ticket options:
• Symposium + Membership: $90 (most common)
• ‘Symposium only’ for members pre-paid through 2027: $70 – this is a by request item only. Contact Bruce Kelley – bruce.kelley@gmail.com for this option.
• Full time Student symposium ticket only (membership separate): free
Add on options:
• Saturday Box Lunch: $20
• Saturday Banquet: $30
• Membership only: $20
• Room dealer fee: $25 (contact Thea Stender to confirm after purchase)
Please complete a separate registration for each attendee. Register today at https://pnwfm.square.site/
