This year's annual meeting and fieldtrip will begin in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Airport Holiday Inn. The Inn will serve as our lodging and base of operations for two separate trips. The excursions will lead us, first, to the Florida Plant, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company's heavy mineral sand mine near Starke, Florida. The second day will be spent in and near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Our initial destination will be the Airport Holiday Inn. It is conveniently located at the junction of Airport Road and Interstate 95. It is very hard to miss if you arrive on I-95. Should you be flying to JAX, complimentary shuttle service is provided from the airport, which is just 3 minutes away. Friday night at 8:00 the society will host a Smoker for getting acquainted. At 9:00 there will be a brief orientation talk to acquaint everyone with the forthcoming tours and the geologic history of the area.

On Saturday we will leave the Inn at 8:00 AM via motor coach and university vans. We will go directly to the Trail Ridge plant where we will be the guests of DuPont. Geologists and engineers will take us on tours of the dredge pit, and the wet and dry mills. You will be able to see first-hand how heavy mineral sands are mined and beneficiated. Lunch will be provided by DuPont. Saturday evening you will be on your own.

Field Trip Attendees Take Note! Because of OSHA regulations members must wear long pants and boots during the visit to the Stark Mine (no shorts or sneakers). Hard hats and safety glasses will be available.

Sunday morning we leave by coach/van at 7:00 SHARP and will drive to Camp Cornelia, the headquarters of the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, near Folkston, Georgia. We will board john boats (with lunches, if you elect to purchase one) and motor out along the Suwannee Canal. We will visit Chesser Prairie and proceed as far as Coffee Bay Shelter.

While in the swamp you will become acquainted with its natural history as well as the status of the proposed heavy mineral sand mine that DuPont wants to site on Trail Ridge, just east of Camp Cornelia. We anticipate being out of the swamp by 2:00 so that people will have time to drive back to the Atlanta area before it gets too late (estimated travel time 5-6 hours from Folkston via 95 and 16). 

ACCOMMODATIONS 

We have reserved a block of 25 rooms for the nights of October 9 and 10. The rooms will accommodate 1-4 persons, they are all non-smoking, and are available for $65.00 + 12.5% tax. You are responsible for making your own reservations, and you should refer to the Georgia Geological Society when booking your room. Motel reservations may be made by calling 1-800-HOLIDAY. You will need a credit card for making the reservations, and must be willing to make a one-night deposit if you arrive after 6:00 PM. The rooms will be held until September 25; after that they will be provided on a space available basis. 

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