Published: May 25, 2009 06:29 am      

Salt Plains to host big ceremony

A grand re-opening ceremony of the Crystal Dig area at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge will be held at 10 a.m. May 30.

On the morning of the ceremony, several speakers will give presentations, including Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, State Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, and Col. Anthony Funkhouser of the Army Corp of Engineers.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. and a crystal digging contest will be held.

“Contest divisions will include the find of the smallest blade crystal, the biggest blade crystal, the smallest cluster and the biggest cluster and the best of show,” said Becky Wolff, outdoor recreation planner for the refuge.

The contest, which is for all ages, will begin at 10:30 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

In addition to prizes awarded for the winning crystals, door prizes will be given out throughout the day.

“The door prizes will consist of frizbees, vizors and water bottles,” Wolff said.

Administrators of the Crystal Dig are seeking volunteers to teach new visitors how to dig selenite crystals during the crystal contest. To help, they may call Wolff at (580) 626-4794 or e-mail her at rebecca_wolff@fws.gov.

The dig site actually re-opened about a month ago after being closed for two years to ensure the area was clear of any vials of gas used during World War II to train recruits and cadets for chemical warfare.

The site was originally closed in April 2007 after a Boy Scout unearthed a chemical vial while digging for crystals. Several additional vials and other military paraphernalia were then discovered and removed and the Army Corps of Engineers has declared the area safe for the public once again.

According to Becky Wolff, outdoor recreation planner for the refuge, people can to once again dig up crystals of gypsum and salt from the area. The crystals are also called selenite crystals.

Wolff said the crystal dig area is left over from the Interior Sea, a vast warm inland seaway as large as the Mediterranean Sea is today.

This salt water sea developed between more than 66 million years ago, when polar ice caps completely melted, resulting in elevated sea levels worldwide.

While the sea is now gone, the salt and gypsum crystals created by it remain.

The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is located 14 miles north of Jet and the Crystal Dig site is five miles east of Cherokee.

On Saturday, June 6, the refuge will host two more events -- National Trails Day and the 17th Annual Youth Fishing Derby.

The fishing derby will be held from 8:30 a.m. until noon. It is open to children 14 years old and younger and will be held at the Bonham Pond near the refuge headquarters.

The event is co-sponsored by the Byron State Fish Hatchery and the Great Salt Plains Association. It is free for all participants. Prizes will be given for the longest fish caught and total inches of fish caught. Door prizes will be presented throughout the morning. Children must be present to win.

Visitors are encouraged to pick up a Nature Trail Scavenger Hunt sheet, as well, and to take advantage of the nature trails.