The BLMS is an incorporated non-profit organization, led by a volunteer-based board of directors. The Society was founded in 1964 by Gary Bechtel, first starting out as a small group of individuals going on field trips and learning how to collect, preserve, & display specimens.

Today, we have grown to almost 200 members, and now have a dedicated Clubhouse for members to socialize, learn from resource materials, and process their own finds!

We also run the annual Paris Gem & Mineral Show - an exciting showcase of vendors with a huge selection of crystals, gems, fossil specimens, lapidary & jewelry-making supplies, and much more!

The BLMS features 4 pillars:

Monthly meetings are usually held on the third Friday of the month, September through June.