Recent Happenings

BY JOSH BONDE

Hi everyone,

      I know it has been a long time since I have wrote a Recent Happenings.  Given the great start to this year’s NFOP activities I figured it was time to get the good word out.  For our February meeting we set out nice and early for Fossil Ridge on the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.  We started out with about a dozen folks ready to go check out a famous Ordovician (488.3-443.7 Million Years Old) invertebrate site.  Along the way member Tylor Birthesel was tempted away to a Nascar race.  But the rest of us got to go see a great exposure of the gastropod (snail) Maclurites or “Big Mac” for short.  Also at this site was a bizarre organism with no living analog, called Receptaculites.  We also lucked out and found a rare cephalopod (a group which includes squid, ammonites, and octopi) shell.  After checking out fossil ridge we went to the refuge visitor center and took a relaxing hike around the grounds.  Located there are several spring mounds, the same feature which produced the Gilcrease Paleontological Site.  It was interesting to hike around some modern mounds which have not been dug out by a back hoe!  We also got to see some wildlife around the visitor center and member Denise Ruzika found some archeological pottery shards laying in the middle of a road.  Of course we didn’t collect any of it, but it was still interesting to see.

     For our March event we arranged a joint outing with the Utah Friends of Paleontology.  A group of us (myself, Aubrey, Vicki Meyers, Cap’n Dave, Shana Baker and her brother Matt, and Aniko and her son Adam)  met out at Cathedral Gorge State Park, just outside of Panaca, NV.  We had a great time chatting and stargazing, although it got a bit chilly overnight.  The next day we met up with UFOP and other NFOP members at the gas station in Panaca.  From there we headed out into the hills west of Panaca up near Pioche.  City of St. George Paleontologist Andrew R.C. Milner was kind enough to show both groups to some great trilobite sites within the Cambrian Pioche (Bright Angel) Shale.  Just about everyone who participated got to collect some great trilobite specimens.  At the second site, in addition to trilobites we also found hyolithids (an extinct group).  At the third site we found trilobites, brachiopods, and some eocrinoids (ancestors of sea lilies).  Andrew led a fantastic field trip and everyone came away with some great specimens.  I think I say on behalf of everyone who went: THANK YOU ANDREW!

     So aside from our two great outings some more great news on the paleontology front, the Paleontological Resource Protection Act recently passed both houses of congress.  This legislation affords vertebrate and rare invertebrate fossils protection from illegal collection and gives some fossils the same protection as archeological specimens.  This legislation also ensures amateur paleontologists rights to collect invertebrate fossils on BLM and Forest Service land for personal use, this right was not as explicit before.

     Lots of things are happening in the paleo world and we hope that you are able to participate in an upcoming NFOP events.  Until next time,  Josh

October 2007

Recent Happenings by Josh Bonde

This past month, October 21^st, we went back out to Gilcrease Ranch for another day of digging.  Thanks to member Cap’n Dave for spreading the word, we had a very large turn out!  Because of this we were able to work in more grids than in digs past.  We had new and old families join us and allowed all of the kids to excavate in their own two square meters.  First off, it had been a while since we had been in the quarry so while I was teaching all of the first timers some basic excavation techniques the veterans of the quarry set to uncover and clean up the grids.

      Looking out over the quarry while everyone is set to work.  Photo by Aubrey Shirk

            After everyone was appropriately oriented to the quarry, the veterans continued excavating the square meter grids they had been digging in before, while we assigned the unexcavated grids to the newcoming adults and children.  Everyone was in a great mood because we had very nice weather and we ended up moving a whole lot of dirt!  We even had some students from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Geology 302: Paleontology class come out to get in on the action.

            About half way through the day the junior paleontologists made the first discovery, finding a piece of a mammoth tooth.  Great job guys!!!  After a quick photo op they set back to work.

The children working together in their grids, and them excitedly posing with their mammoth tooth fragment! (small frag on ground).  Photos by Aubrey Shirk.

            The highlight of the day was when veteran members Cap’n Dave, Gerry Hageman, and Mary Bridge uncovered three big pieces of a mammoth tooth.  The tooth fragments were found at the corner of the three grids they were working on.  We have been busy in the UNLV paleontology lab, but have not yet had a chance to get those teeth cleaned up to see if they fit together.  Great job to our Vets!!!

Two large mammoth teeth being excavated.  Photo by Aubrey Shirk

            Toward the end of the day the group of Geology students, Laura, Rhonda, Shereena, and Andrew, accompanied by Laura’s dad, uncovered a large area of a mud surface.  The mud was similar to that in which we found the bird during the last dig so I asked them to be careful.  We weren’t fortunate enough to find another articulated animal but they did find some small beetle or other invertebrate trace fossil.  Trace fossils are not actual bones or remains of past living beings; rather they are the trace that there was a living organism there.  Trace fossils include footprints, burrows, skin impressions, leaf impressions, coprolites (fossil poop) and other traces that an organism was living/walking/burrowing at that spot.  They can tell us many things about the environment and assemblage of animals.  In this case, the trace fossil was a small trail but it was made by an insect (possibly) that we wouldn’t find the remains of in these soft sediments.  Sorry no picture is available for the very small traces.

            So, awesome job to everyone who showed up, we had a really great time.  This was the final dig at the Gilcrease Ranch for awhile.  We hope that the excitement of this past dig will carry over to when we can re-open the quarry.  Again thank you to everyone who participated and thank you to Bill Gilcrease and his staff at the bird sanctuary for their hospitality and enthusiasm for this project.