Our Mission

Charter

The Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, organized under the laws of the Secretary of State of the state of California, devoted to the study of the earth sciences and the practice of lapidary arts and crafts. CCM&GS was chartered in 1950 by a small group of rockhound families who shared those ideals. For over sixty years, it has grown and expandced its outreach. See the Club History of those early years in the Members & Friends section.

Purpose

Our Purpose is to promote popular interest and education in the earth sciences, including geology, mineralogy, paleontology, the lapidary arts, and related subjects; to sponsor and provide means of coordinating the work and efforts of persons and groups with similar interests; and by and through such means to strive toward greater community and international good will and fellowship.

We also support promoting and ensuring the right of amateur hobby collecting, recreational prospecting and mining, and the use of public and private lands for educational and recreational purposes related to the earth sciences.

Affiliations & Accreditations

CCM&GS is affiliated with the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. (CFMS), the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS), and the American Lands Access Association (ALAA).

Community Support

CCM&GS promotes a greater understanding of geology and the earth sciences through scholarships and donations to community educational institutions and interpretive societies. The club supports the Diedrick Memorial Scholarship Fund and is a supporting member of the California State Mining and Mineral Museum (MMM) in Mariposa, California. CCM&GS also provides educational outreach to classrooms throughout the Bay Area through speakers and program material.

Website

CCM&GS.ORG is acrdeditied by SafeSurf, a voluntary rating standard devevoted to building a safe Internet for families and children, and the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), an organization of internet leaders working to develop a safer internet protecting children from potentially harmful material. We are approved by dmoz, The Open Directory Project, the most comprehensive directory of human-edited and classified content on the web.