Paleo and Geo must reads

My friend Jim is trying to come up with a seminar type class for sometime in the future and he was wondering - if you had to pick a set of books or journal articles that you felt all paleontologists should read, what would you include? Feel free to read his post here to leave any comments and suggestions you might have.


© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Fieldwork Friday #9

Yesterday John and I had a chance to visit with Dr. Jim Kirkland (Utah State Paleontologist). Jim worked in Fruita in the 1990's as the lead paleontologist for Dinomations International Society, in the same building where Dinosaur Journey is currently located. He found and participated in many important paleontological discoveries in the western Colorado area during this time. These include a Dryosaurus nesting site in the Morrison Formation, a bird skull from the Green River Formation, the first Jurassic Ankylosaur - Mymoorapelta maysi (below), along with numerous other dinosaurs from the Morrison Mygatt-Moore Quarry.

image from Gaston Design

While Jim was in town we took the opportunity to have him show us some of the classic sites he has worked, including the Dryosaurus nesting site. We hiked out the site and were happy to be able to find some additional bones.

(above) Jim and John at the site, (below) John and I at the site (picture by Jim Kirkland)

I was very excited to find a nice Dryosaurus coracoid, partial femur (pictured below) and two phalanges (toe bones). John found several small bone fragments and Jim found a nestling Dryosaurus vertebra (very small! I wish I had taken a picture of it).

Jim believes that this site was raided by mesosuchian crocodiles, which would eat the eggs/hatchlings and yearlings known from this site*. We also found a few pieces of egg shell at the site (pictured below).

This was only the second time I have seen egg shell in the Morrison Formation. The first time was at the Young Egg Site, also in Colorado (pictured below).

We continued on to prospect and locate another known site from the area (see below). We hope to be able to go out today to visit additional sites and have a chance to prospect some (if the rain will hold off).

Additional bone found in a Morrison Formation channel sandstone while prospecting.

* Kirkland, J. I. 1996. Predation of dinosaur nest by terrestrial crocodiles. Pages 124-133 in K. Carpenter, K. Hirsch, and J. Horner, editors. Dinosaur Eggs and Babies, Cambridge University Press. [free online here]

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster. Please see the "Field Work Friday Rules" about the work I do and collection practicies.

For the crafty paleontologist

That's right, its a trilobite hat! I have no idea how to follow a knitting pattern, but my friend Sarah who is a kitting wizard sent me this link. She is going to make a hat for John and I so I will have to post the pictures once she is finished. Hopefully one of you are talented in this realm, or know someone who is. Enjoy!

Focusing Our Efforts

Word has come down that it may be time to focus our efforts on the UW Board of Trusties (contact information below), to help keep the University of Wyoming Geological Museum open and the jobs associated with it. Hopefully there will be more information as to why soon. Please keep checking back for additional updates as they become available. Remember that is was only last week when Brent Breithaupt, director of the museum, got the university a ton of free press when he was featured in an article on MSNBC, which reached people around the globe! I guess globall free press is not important to the university.

I would love to thank those of you who have helped to spread the word: Julia, Sarah, PZ Myers, Brian, Rissa and MDR (and all of you I may have missed)!

The petition has gone from ~450 signatures yesterday to 801 as I write this. Awesome work folks! Please keep spreading the word!!

Board of Trusties Contact information:

Mr. Chuck Brown, President of the UW Board of Trustees
P.O. Box 789
1554 Cottonwood Ave.
Wheatland, WY 82201

Jim D. Neiman
P.O. Box 218
Hulett, WY 82720
(307) 467-5252
jimd@neiman.biz

Warren A. Lauer
512 Grand
Laramie, WY 82070
(307) 742-7288
warrenlauer@lauerlegal.com

Dave Bostrom
President, Mountain Benefit Associates, LLC
809 S. Railway Avenue
Worland, Wyoming
(307) 347-6151
mba-db@mbawyoming.com

Richard 'Dick'Davis
P.O. Box 728
40 South Main
Sheridan, WY 82801
(307) 672-7491
dick@davisandcannon.com

Betty Fear
P.O. Box 340
Big Piney, WY 83113
(307) 276-5331
bfear@centurytel.net

Taylor H. Haynes, M.D.
P.O. Box 904
Cheyenne, WY 82003
(307) 635-4241
rangebeef@aol.com

David F. "Dave" Palmerlee
11 North Main Street
Buffalo, WY 82834
(307) 684-1414
dpalmerlee@vcn.com

Bradford S. Mead
Attorney
Mead & Mead
185 E. Hansen
P.O. Box 1809
Jackson, WY 83001
(307) 733-0166
bradmead@wyoming.com

Ann Rochelle
152 N. Durbin Street, Suite 120
Casper, Wyoming 82601
(307) 266-5000
arochelle@casperlaw.net

James Trosper
P.O. Box 1111
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
(307) 332-6120
jltrosper@wyoming.com

Howard Willson, M.D.
P.O. Box 710
Thermopolis, WY 82443
(307) 864-5624

Tom Buchanan
University President
1000 E. University Avenue, Dept. 3434
Laramie, WY 82071
(307) 766-4121
tombuch@uwyo.edu

David Freudenthal
Governor of Wyoming
State Capitol Building, Room 124
200 W. 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
governor@state.wy.us

Jim McBride
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Cheyenne Office
2300 Capitol Avenue
Hathaway Building, 2nd Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050
(307) 777-6234
supt@educ.state.wy.us

Kelsey Day
asuwpres@uwyo.edu

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

How to be a healthy Paleontologist

I think this is something we could all do...(click on image for a larger view)

Thanks to Margaret and Georgia for the heads up!
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Cooperative Management of Paleontological Resources on Federal Lands in Mesa County, Colorado

The abstract John and I wrote for the 8CFR was trimmed for some reason, so here is our intended abstract in its original entirety:

Cooperative Management of Paleontological Resources on Federal Lands in Mesa County, Colorado

HUNT-FOSTER, ReBecca K., and FOSTER, John R., Museum of Western Colorado, Dinosaur Journey, 550 Jurassic Ct., Fruita, Colorado 81521

The Museum of Western Colorado has long had a history of working in cooperation with the local federal agencies (particularly the Bureau of Land Management) to help manage and preserve the unique and important paleontological finds of Mesa County, Colorado. Some of the most important areas on BLM land (most within McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area) have been designated as Museum/BLM cooperative management Research Natural Areas, set aside for their paleontological resources.

Museum projects with the Grand Junction Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management date back to at least 1976 with the excavation of the type specimen of Ceratosaurus magnicornis from the Fruita Paleontological Area (FPA). With the 1981 discovery of the Mygatt-Moore Quarry (MMQ) in Rabbit Valley, the museum began a 25 year working relationship with the local BLM field office to study this locality in the Morrison Formation, one of the largest dinosaur sites in the unit. Further work in the BLM lands of Rabbit Valley has included the excavation of the Averett Camptosaurus in 1982 and the Bollan Stegosaurus in 1986. Other activities in Rabbit Valley have included the construction of the Trail Through Time. This mile-and-a-half loop trail takes visitors through an interpreted hike along Jurassic-age river channels. An interpretive kiosk at the trail head describes the flora and fauna of the Morrison Formation as well as activities that take place at the Mygatt-Moore Quarry. Explanations of fossilized bones seen in situ are given on interpretive panels along the trail.

The Museum also worked with the local BLM field office to build a trail though the Split Rock area of Rabbit Valley. This developed trail leads the public though a Jurassic-age river channel that has produced a high abundance of dinosaur material, including a partial skeleton of the small ornithopod Othnielosaurus. In 2002-2003, with assistance from the BLM, the museum worked to salvage an Allosaurus skeleton that was being vandalized along the Split Rock trail. In 2004-2005 an articulated Apatosaurus was removed from maroon mudstone in the Twin Juniper Quarry in Rabbit Valley.

The Museum has worked with Colorado National Monument resource managers to inventory Jurassic tracksites in the Wingate Sandstone in the canyons of the monument (mostly Grallator trackways), and to collect, preserve and study only the second known set of turtle tracks from the Morrison Formation.

Elmer Riggs of the Field Columbian Museum excavated an Apatosaurus in Fruita, Colorado, at Dinosaur Hill, in 1901. This site is important because the specimen led to Riggs’s recognition that Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus represented the same animal. A trail was installed at this site in 2003 to interpret the unique history and paleontological resources of the area. A trail at the nearby FPA was installed in 2001 to interpret the globally significant mammal fauna of the Morrison Formation found there. The trails at Dinosaur Hill and at the FPA are cooperative efforts managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Museum of Western Colorado, and the City of Fruita.

The Late Jurassic-age Mygatt-Moore Quarry is located in the middle Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation. Excavations have taken place every year since 1984 (25 seasons) at the Mygatt-Moore Quarry. On this BLM-managed land the Museum leads public fossils digs for four months a year, with 250-350 public diggers per year participating under the supervision of staff paleontologists. This hands-on opportunity gives the museum the opportunity to convey important scientific information, while also education the public on the importance of stewardship and fossil resource protection on federal lands. Over 800+ cataloged specimens from seven species of dinosaur, including the type specimen of the first Jurassic ankylosaur Mymoorapelta, have been recovered from this bonebed. The most abundant taxon at the quarry is the theropod Allosaurus (29%), which is represented by 233 skeletal elements indicating a minimum of 6 individuals (5 adults, 1 juvenile); in addition, more than 190 mostly shed teeth of Allosaurus have been recovered from the site. The sauropod Apatosaurus is next most abundant (20%) with 160 elements representing 5 individuals (3 adults, 1 sub-adult, 1 juvenile). Approximately 19% of the sample consists of bones of the ankylosaur Mymoorapelta, mostly osteoderms and lateral spines (2 individuals). The three most abundant sauropods in the Morrison Formation (Camarasaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus) also are preserved at the Mygatt-Moore Quarry, but unlike within the formation as a whole, at the MMQ Apatosaurus accounts for 85% of the sauropod bones at the site; in the formation overall, Camarasaurus is the most abundant sauropod. Also preserved at the site are the carnivorous dinosaur Ceratosaurus (6 teeth) and the small ornithopod dinosaur Othnielosaurus (one jaw fragment), the latter first identified during the 2008 season. Non-dinosaurian taxa preserved at the site are very rare but include a turtle, a crocodilian, and a probable pterosaur.

Above the main bone layer at MMQ is a shallow lake deposit, which preserves some of the only articulated fish skeletons in the Morrison Formation, including “Hulettia” hawesi and the type and referred specimens of Morrolepis schaefferi. Also found in this unit have been the fish cf. Leptolepis and an as yet unnamed crayfish.

Museum of Western Colorado and the Grand Junction Field Office of the BLM are investigating the possible installation of a permanent protective building over the Mygatt-Moore Quarry. Given the abundance of large, well preserved dinosaur bones at this site, the building could serve as a permanent and educational exhibit that would help to interpret the quarry in the long term, while also providing year-round access and a secured, on-going excavation area.


© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster and John R. Foster

Cretaceous Confrence Program now avialable

The program for the Advances in Western Interior Late Cretaceous Paleontology and Geology Conference is now available! Check it out here. I know I am looking forward to seeing talks at 10:40 and 3 on May 23 (among many others)!

Looking forward to seeing many of you there! 

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Paleontologist in Pop Culture

Many of us who are in paleontology know that we deal with an odd assortment of people. Great people. Weird people. Narcissistic people. Down right crazy people. Border-line autistic people. Socially awkward people. Fun people. Drunk people. Smart people. Brilliant people. The guy that thinks he is a rock star. (this list could go on...and the more I think of it the more I realize there are these people in almost every venue)

But what about that one person...the one always depicted in the movies and in books. The person that represents paleontologist all over the world in popular culture. Who are they? What type of person are they commonly? 

Anna from the blog Damned Scribbling Women ask:

• "Why do archaeologists outnumber paleontologists on bookshelves and in movies? I'm trying to make a list of fictional paleontologists beyond Ross, Bringing up Baby, and Amanda Quick's Ravished (and I decline to include any of Michael Crichton's characters). I'm sure you and your readers know waaaaay more about this, so please clue us clueless writers in at Damned Scribbling Women."
  

What do you think folks? Feel free to leave her some comments here or over on her blog where they are having a "contestosaurus". She is going to pick a winner Sunday, May 10, so feel free to get those comments in soon!

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

8th Conference on Fossil Resources Program now available

The advanced program for the 8th Conference on Fossil Resources is now available for download online here (PDF). Check out the great line up of talks. I think this is really going to be a great meeting to attend. Looking forward to seeing many of you there! 

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

A few headlines

Paleontology making news this week:

Big Bone Scam at Newsweek

Uh-Oh: The Guy Who Found Houston's Most Famous Fossil Was A Con Man at the Houston Press

Dinosaur Wars at Smithsonian (check out the comments)

T. rex vs the feather duster at the Chicago Tribune

Thanks to Jim, Doug, Chris and Lee for the links. 
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Museum Blogs

I have noticed a few museums have started to blog. Some of these have been around for a while now, some are new. Several are pretty inactive. I am sure there are more out there that I do not know about, but for now I have pulled out the blogs from my Paleontology and Geology Blog Lists (found on the sidebar to the right) and made a new Museum Blog section. These are mostly blogs that deal with paleontology and geology subjects. If you know of any others I can add please let me know!

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Murphy guilty?

The International Herald Tribune reported Thursday that Nate Murphy is expected to accept a guilty charge and plea bargain on the federal charges of fossil theft, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Murphy faced up to ten years in prison if convicted.

snippet of story by The Associated Press:

"Murphy's case offers a rare glimpse into the illicit underside of paleontology, in which wealthy collectors are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for rare or unusual specimens. This weekend, a 150-million-year-old dryosaurus fossil taken from private land in Wyoming is expected to be auctioned for up to $500,000 in New York through the I.M. Chait Gallery.

Josh Chait, who runs the gallery, said the sales create financial incentives for exploration that can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.

Federal law generally prevents the removal of bones from public lands without a research permit. But the remoteness of many prime fossil grounds in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and other western states makes enforcement difficult.

"There's probably somebody out stealing fossils from federal land in Montana today, and we don't know about it because there's not enough law enforcement to patrol all of these sites," said Martin McAllister, a private archaeological investigator from Missoula.

A sweeping public lands bill approved Thursday by the U.S. Senate contains penalties that specifically target fossil theft from federal land, which paleontologists have sought for years. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for final action." [link]

Thanks to Rebecca for these recent updates on this story. You can read the progression of this story on the blog here.

International Herald Tribune story © the Associated Press, all else © ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Geologic Art?

Greg has asked me to pass this along. It sounds pretty cool! Let me know if any of you are thinking of submitting something. I would love to see what kinds of entry's they get. It can't get much better than geology + art!

Press Release: Two Wall Gallery, Vashon, WA
For further information, contact Greg Wessel at 206-250-2222 or email to SleepingDogCafe@aol.com

Announcement and Call for Artistic Geologists

Two Wall Gallery on Vashon Island, Washington, announces a call for artists for an upcoming exhibit entitled Geo sapiens, The Fusion of Geology and Art, to be shown during November, 2009.

The theme is centered on incorporating geologic principles or features in art, building upon the observation that earth scientists think in ways that are different from the general public but fundamental to our understanding of the universe. Works that incorporate geology to make statements regarding an issue of relevance to society are appropriate, as are works that simply celebrate geologic thought.

Works in all media are invited. Entry is open to degreed earth scientists and students studying earth science topics. You do not have to be a practicing or employed geologist to apply. All earth science professionals (geophysicists, geochemists, petrologists, paleontologists, etc) are included in our invitation.

Up to three works may be submitted as slides or on a CD. For a complete prospectus and submission directions, contact Greg Wessel at SleepingDogCafe@aol.com. Submissions will be accepted until August 1, 2009.

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Fieldwork Friday #2

I realize this is almost late. But it is still Friday where I am. I had hoped to post something earlier in the day for this new series, but unfortunately it didn't pan out that way. I was lucky enough to get out into the field twice this week! The first trip out was to a site that is not being worked by myself, but by a fellow paleontologist. The second trip was out today to prospect more of Rabbit Valley, like last week. I had held off on posting in hopes of finding something cool I could talk about today, but that was not to be. We did find quite a bit of fossilized wood, probably in the Dakota Formation (fall blocks), but was very scrappy.



The work we did earlier this week was visiting a track site in the Morrison Formation north of the Moab, Utah area on BLM land. It was very interesting to see and I look forward sharing a link to the research once it is published. It was nice to also get out and see some great geology. The area around Moab is always fun to see and think the geology is excellent! I always see something new on every trip. We were able to walk from the Morrison Formation to the Entrada Formation (also Jurassic in age) during our hiking that day, and had a great view of the La Sal Mountains in all their snowy wonder. I found two small, faint tracks in a sandstone covered in ripple marks from the lower Summerville Formation (picture on right). I also found an owl pellet (recent), full of tiny mouse bones, so that was a fun plus to poke that around. No fossilized bones on this trip.



On the ride home we drove though the canyon along Highway 128 (see map below). This is a great drive! If you have never driven this route I strongly encourage you to. It follows the Colorado River for quite a distance and you are surrounded by great cliffs of Moenkopi, Chinle, Wingate, Kayenta and Navajo. I know Silver Fox is familiar with this area, and she has many great post about it on her blog. I made sure to wave at Fisher Towers for her as we passed by. The sun was setting and it turned the Moenkopi and Chinle Formations turn an amazing deeper red. I hope to camp in the area some day so I can experience it again. Well worth it and a great way to send a fun day!

View Larger Map
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster. Please see the "Field Work Friday Rules" about the work I do and collection practicies.

Murphy pleads guilty

An article in todays Great Falls Tribune reports that Nate Murphy pleaded guilty Monday to the state charges of fossil theft. Sentancing will be held May 27th.  

"Murphy, 51, was set to go to trial on March 18 but instead pleaded guilty in Phillips County District Court in Malta to felony theft....Separate federal charges of stealing fossils from Bureau of Land Management property are pending....Kevin O'Brien, spokesman for the Attorney General's office, which is prosecuting the case, said Monday that for now the raptor remains in the state's custody as evidence."

Read the rest of the article here. 

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau: Canyons, Resources, and Hazards

The American Institute of Professional Geologists is hosting "Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau: Canyons, Resources, and Hazards" October 3-7 this year in Grand Junction, Colorado. The meeting is co-hosted by the Grand Junction Geological Society and Mesa State College and includes a variety of field trips. The meeting invites posters and talks on all aspects of geology and paleontology of the region and registration is open to all (it is not strictly an AIPG member meeting). Please consider submitting an abstract and feel free to forward this to others who may be interested. Abstracts are due May 1.

Murphy facing more charges

The Great Falls Tribune reports that Nate Murphy plead innocent Thursday to federal charges of stealing fossils from Bureau of Land Management land between August of 2006 and August of 2007. Details about what kind of fossils and how many are unknown at this time. Murphy faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, an additional three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for the federal charges of theft of government property, as reported by the Great Falls Tribune on Thursday. The federal trial date is set for February 25, 2009.

The federal charges are in addition to state charges that were filed in Phillips County in September of 2008. These charges stem from the claim of theft of fossils (a small theropod) from private land outside of Malta, Montana. The state trial is slated to begin on March 18, 2009 in Malta, as reported by the Great falls Tribune on Friday.

Please check out the full stories at the Great Falls Tribune (by By Kim Skornogoski, a Tribune Staff Writer)for Thursday and Friday for complete details. You can also find details as this situation has progressed here.

Original story © by the Great Falls Tribune. Dinochick Blogs © ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Amateur!!

Where does you mind go to when you hear someone, or yourself, called an amateur? Are you offended? Are you indifferent? Do you smile and say, "Yes I am, thank you!"?

A post tonight on the Perogative of Harlots blog got me thinking....For those of you who are members of the Vert Paleo Listserve you may have noticed the recent outburst of arguing (friendly debating?). For those of you who are not on the list, a bit of background: Post have been going back and forth recently about the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act [information at the SVP site can be found here]. Some members of the list are worried that this bill will take away the rights of "amateur" fossil collectors and/or think more trouble than good will come from it (rangers taking kids fossils away, rangers throwing people in jail/fining them for collecting fossils they will still be able to collect legally because the ranger is not properly trained on what can and can not be collected, peoples private property being seized if they are found to have illegally collected fossils in their possession, ect....).

I, personally, think some of these issues are making a mountain out of a molehill. They may spring from a misunderstanding of the bills wording, a misunderstanding or general lack of information/knowledge regarding current policies and practices, general suspicion of anyone who is a paid paleontologist, someone who may have had a bad (or many bad) experiences, others with (what appears to be) a very large chip on their shoulder.....this list could go on, and I just call it as I see it.

As much as you try to help them see the light or explain how things are now and what the bill will or will not change, it does not seem to mater. It is always something. And there are certain people you just cannot please, no mater what you say. They should, in my opinion, be sent the direct answers to their questions, without screwing with their head and creating a feeding their frenzy of back and forth emailing. Just answer them and let them go. If they keep pushing, hit delete. Let it go. Don't let it get to you. If people would stop pushing their 'buttons', they would stop pushing back. (Hopefully.)

My question is, WTF is the big deal with the whole "Amateur" vs. "Professional" crap anyway?

What defines a "Amateur?" What defines a "Professional?" Why do we even need to be classified? Why do people get so mad about being called one or the other!?

I am not going to refer to Wikipedia for my definitions. Why would you cite a source where you can go in and create the definition you want in the first place? Lets start with "Amateur," from Webster:

Amateur
One entry found.
Main Entry: am·a·teur
Pronunciation: \ˈa-mə-(ˌ)tər, -ˌtu̇r, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌchu̇r, -chər\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Latin amator lover, from amare to love
Date: 1784

1 : devotee , admirer
2 : one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession
3 : one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science


Two of the three definitions here are positive! What is wrong with being a devotee of fossils?! An admirer of fossils?! One who engages in the pursuit, study, science, or sport of paleontology as a pastime rather than as a profession!? Sounds pretty sweet and stress free to me! No need to worry about what school you are going to/went to. No need to worry about getting that one to five jobs that come up in a year, competing against the 500 students who are currently members of SVP and will be looking for jobs in the very near future (not to mention all the un/underemployed PhD paleontologist out there looking for jobs). You could go on digs, collect fossils, research, anything you love that has to do with fossils at your leisure! Sounds pretty nice! And to quote an amateur "I consider myself to be a kind of dedicated amateur. I am here for the love of it." ~ Priscilla McKenna. I think that sums it up and is what it should all be about. What is so wrong with that!?

So why do people get all offended about being called an amateur? Why do they immediately have to zone in on the negative definition of the word?

and the next...

Professional
Main Entry: pro·fes·sion·al
Pronunciation: \prə-ˈfesh-nəl, -ˈfe-shə-nəl\
Function: noun
Date: 1811

one that is professional ; especially : one that engages in a pursuit or activity professionally

So basically a "professional" paleontologist is one that engages in the pursuit or activity of the studying fossils professionally. But what does the act of being professional include:

Function: adjective
Date: 1606

1 a: of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b: engaged in one of the learned professions c (1): characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2): exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace

2 a: participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs b: having a particular profession as a permanent career c: engaged in by persons receiving financial return

3: following a line of conduct as though it were a profession

So a professional engages in their learned profession, that is characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (such as member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology agreeing to uphold the ethics statement of the organization). Or paleontologist exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Or "professional" paleontologist who make money being paleontologist and doing research/teaching/field work/pursuit/study...of paleontology. To me this does not imply that to be a "professional paleontologist" you need to be a professor or curator of a museum. Professional paleontologist, in my book, include those people, but also include the technicians, collections managers, preparators, grad students, post docs, researchers (federal, state and private), consultants -anyone who studies fossils and gets paid to do so.

I think this last definition is really what heats up the debate. From my perspective, some people are not happy that they either a) do not make money doing paleontology (they are possibly doing something they had not planned on doing/do not like/or are "just getting by" in order to make a livelihood?) or b) feel as though a individual or group of "professional" paleontologist are trying to keep them from making money doing paleontology. I do not understand where all the mean spiritedness and down right hatred comes out though, and why people feel the need to fight and argue about this. It is simple - if you feel the need to be defined as a "professional" paleontologist then get the training (though school, experience, whatever) and get a paying job doing paleontology. If it really bothers you that much. Otherwise, be cool with what you do and quite worrying what defines you (and you probably already know this).

When I look in the mirror, I do not know how to define myself. I am not even sure I need to be defined when it comes to being a paleontologist. I know that I am one, and that is all that should mater to me. I am not sure what others see when they look at me. A amateur paleontologist? I feel as though I am devoted to paleontology and admire fossils. I can fit that description. A professional paleontologist? I make my livelihood at the moment working with fossil. I hope to do this for the rest of my life. Do I have a Ph.D. No. Did I go to college to become trained and better educated in geology and paleontology. Yes. Do I have a degree. Yes. Does it mater? To some yes, to others no. I know several people in paleontology who have contributed greatly to the science and do not have advanced degrees. I look at the armies of volunteers that keep many museums afloat and contribute highly to the field. Without them paleontology would be years behind where we are now. They do not get enough recognition.

This is also not the first time, and sure to not be the last time, the "Amateur" vs. "Professional" debate will happen on the Vert Paleo List. Funny how these people will duke it out online, but get them together in a room and they do not talk about it. At the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meetings I have attended, while all have been great, I have noticed a voluntary separation that seems to occur. Mammal people hang out with Mammal people. Triassic people hang out with other Triassic people. The Chicago people hang out with other people who went to school in Chicago. The paleo art people group up. The Ornithischian people form herds. The groupies flock after their lords......(generalizations of course).
You get the picture. Some of this is understandable. They may be colleagues you only see once or twice a year, people who have similar interest, school mates.... It is not that it is really a big deal. But if you want people to consider you "part of the group" and not some outlier (or "evil amateur") who no one wants to talk to, you have to jump in there. I wish people would talk about this "Amateur" vs. "Professional" bullshit at the meetings. Maybe meeting face to face and working this crap out would help people. Or lead to some interesting fights. But hopefully it would help, talking face to face. Maybe SVP should have a round table on that!

Why did I not post this on the Vert Paleo list? Because I do not want to bother everyone with my rambling rants like some others there do. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!!

(Sorry for the long rant. Thanks to Ville at Dots in Deep Time for the link to the video - a proud amateur himself!
Sorry to the light post as of recently (and in the near future). I have my hands full with my sick cat who I am still feeding through a tube. Hopefully when she is better I will have more time to post. )

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

A few new blogs

I thought I would post a few links to blogs that have recently appeared on my radar -

This has already been mentioned on Chinleana, but I thought I would plug it here as well: The Theatrical Tanystropheus

I forget how I found out about this blog, but it is really great! Chris is the new vertebrate paleontology collections manager at Yale, and his post center on museum issues: Prerogative of Harlots

Fun paleo postings from Ville Sinkkonen, an amateur paleoartist and paleo enthusiast who is currently a geology/biology student at the University of Helsinki, Finland: Dots in Deep Time

Kyle is a self-proclaimed "wise-ass PhD geologist." I like him already. Check out his blog(s) where post on "...useful tips for integrating digital tools and techniques into your geologic workflow in the field and in the office..." Great blog title as well: Geologic Froth/Geologic Frothings

Cruise on over and see what is "shaking" at the blog organized by the Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismograph Network: Shaking Earth

All are awesome blogs and worth checking out! Also see my blog lists on the right for updates and many other wonderful blogs I enjoy reading (and I hope you might as well)!

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Misinformation regarding the Paleontological Resources Preservation bill

Sorry for the disappearing act. I have been pretty busy with work this week. A story in my local news paper is spreading some incorrect information that I wanted to point out really fast. The story that came out on Monday is entitled "Paleontology provisions threaten bill that includes Dominguez conservation area" - big mean paleontology is picking on the poor conservation area eh? No. Not really. The story is referring to S. 22, Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009; Title IV, Subtitle D - Paleontological Resources Preservation, Sec. 6301 - 6312. The author of the story states "Salazar [Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo, the brother of our new Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar] said language restricting the recovery of arrowheads, fossils and other historical materials from public lands has deeply divided the House committee entrusted with approving the public-lands bill....He said unless the House can muster up a supermajority to suspend House rules and remove the language, the bill’s passage could be delayed or the entire bill could be left in limbo.

“It could be put on the back burner for who knows how long,” Salazar said....The provisions would require a permit to remove any fossils from public lands or Indian reservations and could, Salazar said, bar members of the public from searching for arrowheads or other items."

This is where I get upset. Obviously John Salazar has either a) not read the legislation or b) does not understand the difference between fossils and arrowheads, paleontology and archaeology. Either way, it is just flat out NOT GOOD!! Contrary to what is implied in the article, "arrowheads" and "historical materials" are not mentioned anywhere in the paleo bill. Also, permits will not be required to collect fossils on Indian lands by this act; in fact, Indian lands are specifically exempt from the act. Despite what the article states, permits are already required to remove significant fossils and the bill calls for codification of existing rules that allow for hobby collection of fossils.

It would be nice if the author of the article first read the legislation and pointed out these things himself. Just as much as it would have been nice if Rep. Salazar had read it (or understood it)….or if the editor of the paper had checked the facts of the story. Is this to much to ask??

So, instead of just bitching about this here, I decided to try and do something. I wrote the author and pointed out the mistakes/misinformation/misrepresentations, sent him a copy of the legislation, and suggested several paleontologist who are very knowledgeable about the bill that he could speak to if he would like to pursue the story. His response was “Thanks” and a ‘my bad’ on the “…Indians lands provision in the bill.” I appreciate his acknowledgment of my letter. I hope he will take the time to address these issues in print. I will also be sending a letter to the editor (since my phone call was not returned). If you would like to do the same, you can find his contact information here. [edit - the managing editor contacted me this morning (Wednesday) and we had a nice conversation about the bill, the problems with the story, ect.. and she said they would make corrections]

A lot of hard work has gone into getting this bill where it is now. It would be sad to see bad press and misinterpretations of the facts keep this bill from passing though the House. I really want to encourage anyone interested in paleo to please read this bill!! If you can not reach it at this link, please let me know and I will email a PDF of the information to you. It will be so much better if we are all informed about the facts and can tell others the details.

I hope the work of anti-paleo-bill lobbyist does not pay off. My *sources* tell me that there is a large group of paleontology enthusiast and paleontologist who (for reasons incomprehensible to me) want to keep this bill from passing. As far as I can tell from public comments, it has to do with a lack of understanding for what the bill is going to do [see my previous post on this for the details]. Lets hope that having money for heavy duty lobbying also does not derail this bill. I encourage you to write your congressperson and ask them to support this bill!

Thanks for reading!


© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster