Garret Romaine is an avid gold prospector, rockhound, and fossil collector with years of experience in the field. He is a longtime writer for Gold Prospectors magazine and is the author of Gold Panning the Pacific Northwest , Gold Panning Cailfornia , Rocks, Gems, and Minerals of the Southwest , Rocks, Gems, and Minerals of the Rocky Mountains , and Rockhounding Idaho , all from FalconGuides, as well as Geology Lab for Kids , Gem Trails of Washington , and Gem Trails of Oregon . Garret is a former executive director of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon, and served on the board of directors for the North America Research Group (NARG), a fossil-collecting organization.