Friday, March 27th, 2026 10:30 AM: Opening: A Legacy Welcome from Our President
We are pleased to welcome Jim Urbaniak, President of the Oregon Agate and Mineral Society, who will open the 2026 OAMS Annual Show with a special address. Jim’s remarks will kick off the show and highlight the Society’s shared passion for education, stewardship, and the enduring joy of rockhounding.
Event details
Date: Friday, February 27, 2026
Time: 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Format: Opening Address
Length: Approximately 10 minutes
About Jim Urbaniak
Jim Urbaniak is a passionate petrologist and lifelong rockhound who began collecting at the age of six. He is deeply involved in the rockhounding community and currently serves as President of the Oregon Agate and Mineral Society. Jim is dedicated to education and outreach, publishing Rockhound Jr., an Earth Science newsletter for kids, teaching Earth Sciences through OAMS and the Clackamette Mineral & Gem Club, leading geology field trips at Camp Hancock, and coordinating Earth Science lectures.
His collecting interests focus on petrological specimens and thumbnail-sized crystals, along with meteorites, ammonites, petrified pine cones, petrified wood (categorized by type), and thundereggs (categorized by location). While he does not primarily consider himself a fossil collector, Jim has assembled an impressive collection of Ice Age mammal fossils and fossilized vertebrae, with at least one-third of his collection self-collected.
Jim is especially passionate about advocating for responsible access to public lands, supporting strong junior rockhounding programs to ensure the future of the hobby, and keeping rockhounding affordable and accessible to everyone. He believes local, regional, and national clubs, along with inter-club trading partnerships, play a vital role in making the hobby inclusive.
His accomplishments include co-authoring Oregon SCR 14, which designated Oregonite and Josephinite as Oregon’s official twin minerals; receiving the 2011 OAMS President’s Award for Best Exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; earning national recognition through the AFMS and NFMS for his writing and educational contributions; and receiving first-place awards in 2024 for Rockhound Jr. in both the NFMS Small Bulletin and AFMS Junior Bulletin categories.
We’re honored to have Jim open the show and help set the stage for a weekend of learning, discovery, and shared enthusiasm for rocks and minerals.
