May 2013 - Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

THANK YOU to Vince MatthewsBy Laura Wray and Matt SilvermanIn the coming months, theColorado Geological Survey (CGS) isscheduled to move to the ColoradoSchool of Mines campus, separatingit from the other Department ofNatural Resources’ agencies locatednear the State Capital. Though wedo not yet know all the details ofthe plan to downsize and move theCGS, it is high time to recognize thecontributions of the CGS staff andespecially of its previous director and former StateGeologist, Vince Matthews.Vince served as the State Geologist for almostnine years and was with the Survey three years beforethat. As the director of the Survey, he led the CGS infulfilling its primary mission of serving the citizensof Colorado. Vince and his staffconducted research and publishedresults in a great number of areasincluding petroleum resources, coaland mineral commodities, landuse issues, geological hazards,surface and groundwater studies,acid mine drainage testing andremediation, CO 2sequestrationresearch, avalanche monitoring andforecasting, geological mapping,and technical compilation of publications related to allthese topics.Among other awards made to Vince’s staff, we canall be particularly proud of three recognized by theGeological Society of America (GSA) in cooperation withthe Association of American State Geologists (AASG). TheJohn C. Frye national award in Environmental Geology hasbeen granted to the CGS an unprecedented three timesin the last decade for: the 2006 “Groundwater Atlas ofColorado,” the 2009 “Collapsible Soils in Colorado,”and the 2012 “Natural Acid Rock Drainage Associatedwith Hydrothermally Altered Terrain in Colorado.” Thelatter award, supported with letters from the Division ofReclamation, Mining and Safety, and the Departmentof Public Health and Environment, documents thatacid waters that enter Colorado streams in a number ofmining districts come from natural sources, rather thanor in addition to existing mine drainage.Vol. 62, No.5...it is high time to recognizethe contributions of the CGSstaff and especially of itsprevious director andformer State Geologist,Vince Matthews.36Many in the RMAG commu-nityheard Vince present a talk entitled“The Global Scramble form NaturalResources – Its Impact on Colorado.”This paper contrasted the historyof Colorado mineral commoditydiscoveries and price fluctuations withthe burgeoning worldwide demand forthese commodities. Vince’s primarymessage to the citizens of Coloradowas to recognize the value of thesecommodities for the future economic well-being of thestate and to develop environmentally sound protocols forthe documentation and extraction of these resources inthe face of foreign efforts to buy up these resources.Vicki Cowart, the State Geologist who precededVince, recognized Vince’s service to the state and hisextensive history of serving theprofession of geology. She and Vinceserved on the Association of WomenGeoscientists (AWG) Foundationdecades ago, “impressed that aman of his distinctive career, andfrankly success, would join AWGto work to improve the standingand opportunities for women in thefield.” In 2000, Vince agreed to jointhe staff of the CGS under Vicki’sleadership. “What a delight it was to be working sideby-sidewith him and the other talented leaders of theCGS to move it forward into the new century,” she wrote.When her career path eventually led her away from theCGS several years later, she was reassured by Vince’sappointment as her replacement that his experience inindustry and academia would give him the necessaryexperience to oversee the technical fields in which theCGS worked. “He truly took the CGS to its next level, andthe citizens of Colorado and the field of geology are thebetter for it,” Vicki said.Vince has established a consulting company,Leadville Geology, and will no doubt continue to be activein the Colorado geological community. We look forward tohis participation in future geologic endeavors while takingthis opportunity to thank Vince for his many significantcontributions to the state and its citizens during histenure as the State Geologist. Thank you Vince!May 2013»