100 years of AASG

The Association of American State Geologists (AASG) is 100 years old. The anniversary of this organization is cause to recall the impacts state geologists have had in the geosciences in the past century and to discuss our roles in the next.

Two dozen state geologists met in Washington DC in May 1908 with the Director of the USGS, one day before a Conference on Conservation called by President Theodore Roosevelt with 44 state governors. Two state geologists, Richard Hice, of PA, & Israel White, of WV, were speakers at the conference and four others were there as part of their governor’s teams.

The first resolution passed by the AASG that day was to call for a national program to map the topography of the nation. It was hand carried to the White House so as to be addressed by the Conservation Conference.

I’m in Shepherdstown, West Virginia at the Centennial Annual Meeting of AASG. Over the next few days, I hope to be blogging about the roles of geological surveys in science, society, and policy.