Second Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium

I am currently in Casper, Wyoming, at the Tate Museum for the Second Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium. For a list of speakers and events click here [PDF here]. Hope to see many of you there!

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster, art © Russell Hawley

Off to the field!

This week and all of next I will be out in northwestern Nebraska doing fieldwork! During the summer, the Geology Department at Augustana College (where I worked last year) offers a 3-credit course entitled "Fossil Mammals of the Badlands." This 2-week course travels to the White River Badlands of South Dakota and Nebraska to learn about the paleontology and geology of the area. The group camps on Shalimar Ranch, outside of Harrison, Nebraska, and collects fossils on privately owned land. This trip has become a tradition, with the first trip in 1982. This will be my fourth trip and we have smaller group this year than last, so that may be a good thing (shorter lines for the shower at least!). I am looking forward to getting out and doing some field work, enjoying the sun (hopefully!) and peace that comes from being in the field. Hopefully this year I will not get sick (last year I got strep throat which ate up most of my field time). You can read about last years trip here, here and here. 

After the trip I will be heading to Casper, Wyoming to attend the Second Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium. Hope to see some of you there!

Post will resume reguarly the second week of June. Thanks for reading!

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

May your matrix be soft...

Several years ago my friend Dave Lovelace commissioned Russel Hawley (of the Tate Museum in Casper, Wyoming) to draft up their field creed for t-shirts, and the above image was the result. Dave suggested I use the image in my cafepress store, and I thought it was pretty funny so I have added it to several items there.

On a similar note, the Second Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium will be held this year at the Tate Museum on Friday, June 5th (2009). The first conference, held at Petrified Forest, Arizona in 2008, was a great success! "The symposium is devoted 100% to preparation, field techniques and collections care and management. A great opportunity to learn, teach, and enjoy our profession!" The combination of field trips, workshops and presented papers was a nice format and one familiar to many of us. They are also now looking for presenters, so if you have a neat idea of something preparation or collections related think about sending in an abstract for a talk!

For additional info, contact JP Cavigelli, the Tate Geological Museum, the facebook page for the meeting, or post your questions to the SVP PREPLIST.