FIELD TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT

Devonian Fossils of Central New York

Saturday May 24, 2008
Meeting up time between 10:00 and 11:00 A.M

This Spring, I would like to try something that I originally had tried to do last year - coordinate a fossil collecting adventure on a day when a nearby museum is open. Why? Because there happens to be a really nice museum complex, right near an incredibly good Devonian fossil site. Additionally, there are several other good fossil sites in the immediate area.

Our Trip Leader and Coordinator will be Chris Marotta.

Stop Number One: (And Meeting Place)
An old favorite - the Schoharie Site. This site offers diverse and well preserved marine fossils from the end of the Lower Devonian. During the morning we will also make excursions to a nearby site (from the beginning of the Lower Devonian) for the classic fossil Tentaculites.

Stop Number Two: (Optional Museum Visit, about noon)
For those who are interested, we can picnic at the Old Stone Fort Museum Complex. The primary focus of this museum is its Revolutionary War and Mohawk Valley history. However, they also have some local fossils and minerals on display on the second floor of the main building. Notable items include a Devonian Gilboa Tree trunk and a Trilobite that a prehistoric Native American wore.

Stop Number Three: (about 2:00 P.M.)
(In Progress… I am working on getting us permission to a new site.)

Final Stop Number Four: (about 4:30 P.M.)
For those who like to max-out the day; a stop at the Kalkberg Formation at Leesville. A good variety of Devonian fossils are found here. Occasionally nice Favosites coral colonies are collected. The last time we visited, a few trilobites surfaced.

NOTES: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society, and all must sign “hold harmless agreements”. Safety Goggles MUST be worn at all times at the collecting sites!

For more information, please contact Chris Marotta at chrismarotta@nyps.org

Again, all those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

DINOSAURS OF CONNECTICUT &
THE EARLY MESOZOIC OF
THE EASTERN U.S.

DINOSAUR STATE PARK
Rocky Hill, Connecticut

SATURDAY MAY 31, 2008
Meeting up at about 10:45 A.M.

The east coast of the United States possesses geology that preserves a record of the formation and breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Periods.

And in one place in the Connecticut Valley near Hartford, CT are preserved the finest dinosaur trackways (and those of other creatures) on display in the U.S. - Dinosaur State Park - all nestled under a geodesic dome. As well as dinosaur tracks, the museum houses displays of plant, invertebrate and fish fossils found in the area, as well as magnificent murals and dioramas of life there in the Triassic and Early Jurassic.

Our journey back in time will center around a visit to the museum. There will be a special tour arranged for our group, along with a viewing of the museum’s own film about the park.

In the afternoon, for those interested, we are planning a further event, either visiting sites of geological interest in the area associated with the breakup of Pangaea or a tour of the museum’s arboretum containing descendants of plants that dominated the land here back in the Mesozoic. We will inform registrants as to which plan we’ll follow (any preferences?).

Note, due to land clearance difficulties and the extreme difficulty of removing footprints from bedrock, there will be no collecting on this trip. However, you can make your own cast of dinosaur tracks at a special site outside the museum if you’d like.

Our Field Trip Coordinator will be Donald Phillips.

Our Trip Tour Leaders will be Daniel O’Dea and Donald Phillips.

A special field guide to the dinosaurs of the Connecticut Valley will be available to members attending. There will also be copies of our February 2008 issue of the Newsletter containing Alan Zdinak’s review of the museum.

COSTS: The Society charges no fee for this trip. However, it will be necessary to pay admission to the museum. The cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children between ages 6-12.

INFORMATION: For more information, contact Don Phillips at president@nyps.org .

All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

-RECENT FIELD TRIPS-

BIG BROOK:
A TRIP TO THE CRETACEOUS
OF NEW JERSEY

SATURDAY APRIL 26, 2008

Meeting up at about 10:30 A.M.

Near the end of the Cretaceous Period, parts of east central New Jersey were covered by the sea, and a varied fauna of marine creatures flourished. Fish, squid, shrimp, ammonites and many forms of shellfish made this area home. The largest marine animals included the extinct sea reptiles, the mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, as well as huge crocodiles and sea turtles. Also, since the area was near the coast, some terrestrial animal remains, including dinosaur, were washed into the sea.

Big Brook is one of the classic fossil localities in the Eastern U.S., and continues to produce a wide variety of fossils for first time collectors and veterans alike. Geologically and paleontologically, the site represents a marine environment from the Late Cretaceous. The fossils date from a few million years before the great extinction that ended the age of the dinosaurs. For those not familiar with the site, collecting here is different than at most fossil sites. Instead of hammers and chisels to free fossils from rock, here one sifts the stream sediments for fossils - as if panning for gold. And as with placer gold, the stream acts to concentrate the fossils that are gradually eroding from the banks.

The site produces a wide range of fossils. Invertebrate specimens commonly found include fossil snails, ammonites and belemnites (extinct, nautilus-like and squid-like creatures), and bivalves such as Exogyra and the brachiopod Choristothyris. One can also find parts of crustaceans like crabs, lobsters (Hoploparia) and the burrows of Ghost Shrimp (sometimes with the shrimp inside). There are also vertebrate fossils. Most common (and popular) among these are fossil shark teeth and vertebrae, and the teeth and bones of a wide variety of Cretaceous fish. Rarer vertebrate fossils include parts of bone from huge sea turtles, teeth and bone from crocodiles and periodically the teeth and bone of the extinct marine reptiles - plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. Finally, but very rarely, bones of dinosaur are found. Although most fossils here come from the Cretaceous Period, fossils of much more recent Ice Age fossils are not uncommon.

The field trip leader and coordinator is Donald Phillips.

He can be contacted at president@nyps.org

For those new to the geology and fossils of the area, Don will give a brief talk on the history, geology, stratigraphy and fossils of the site at about 11:00 A.M. There will also be a demonstration on how and where to sift for the fossils.

Copies of our comprehensive, award winning field guide to Big Brook will be available for those who’d like a copy. The price is $7.20 for members.

THOSE REGISTERED WILL BE GIVEN COMPLETE INFORMATION ON TOOLS, CLOTHING, DRIVING DIRECTIONS, ETC. BY EMAIL OR POSTAL MAIL.

All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

Note: For those going on this trip, see the related talk under “meetings” by Dr. J Bret Bennington on April 13th entitled "When Dinosaurs Ruled New York: the Significance of the Tristate Region to Dinosaur Paleontology."

-RECENT FIELD TRIPS-

FOSSILS BY SUBWAY !
Rockaway, N.Y.C.

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Meeting up at about 10:30 A.M.

The rocks beneath New York City are largely metamorphic and igneous in origin, and, as most fossil buffs know, these types of rock do not contain fossils. It’s been said that the only fossils in the city are either at the Museum of Natural History or in the rocks used in constructing the buildings.

But this is not so! Periodically, fossils are found in nature - some are “float” fossils - rocks brought down by glaciers from further north and then deposited here - but there are some Pleistocene (Ice Age) fossils to be found also. These include rare bits of fossil vertebrates, usually marine mammals, but also even more rarely some terrestrial ones. But most surprising are the invertebrate fossils in concretions sometimes found along the beaches of Long Island, and especially in Brooklyn and Queens. These contain beautifully preserved shellfish, crabs and other invertebrates. Even a starfish and sea cucumber have been found. Most paleontologists believe that these are eroded from the Gardeners Clay, dating from the Sagamon interval between the Illinoisan and Wisconsin Glacial advances (about 100,000 years ago).

And this fossil locality can be reached by subway and buses as well as by cars!

Join us on a collecting trip for fossils to the beaches of Rockaway. Some brief field notes will be provided.

Our Guest Field Trip Leader will be Philip Tates

The Field Trip Coordinator is Donald Phillips

OF WIND AND TIDES: As in all beach collecting, the wind and tides can greatly effect what’s found. This date was selected for the trip because the favorable low tide occurs at around 2:00 P.M. However, note that the fossils are relatively rare. Some days, a person may find none. Phil has reported, however, that on one day he found 30 - so be prepared for good or bad luck. Phil will teach us what to look for and how to find them.

NOTE ALSO: The trip may be cancelled due to continuous rain - this combined with wind and surf are particularly uncomfortable.

For more information and to register, contact the trip coordinator, Don Phillips.

Family Friendly Field Trip

Central New York State

Saturday, September 1 & Sunday, September 2, 2007

Meeting up at 10:00 A.M. Saturday and 9:00 A.M. Sunday

The trip will be led and coordinated by Chris Marotta

This trip is designed to be accommodating to our friends, family members and children who are less inclined to spend the day breaking rocks on a remote mountainside or in a distant quarry. It is a family friendly field trip to two locations. Both allow collecting and they also each provide a museum, gift shops and even a play ground at one location. These are the Petrified Creatures Museum of Natural History and Herkimer Diamond Mines. Both are located about 25 miles apart in central New York. The trip will run rain or shine.

The Petrified Creatures Museum is an original road side attraction on Route 20. They have a museum, a trail of dinosaur statues, and a well stocked fossil shop. In addition, they have a fossil pit in the back, where you can collect and keep Devonian fossils. I believe this exposure may be the Becraft formation, however, unlike other Becraft exposures, trilobites are frequent. Admission is $8 for adults & $4 for children. However, we will get a reduced price if 25 or more attend.

Sunday will be the Herkimer Diamond Mines. What is the Paleontological connection? There are several. First the quarry, where beautiful quartz crystals can be found, is made of Pre-Cambrian / Cambrian limestone. Within this quarry you may also gather the oldest fossils in New York State - stromatolites. If you do find some Herkimer Diamonds, look closely for trapped air pockets or oil droplets that were trapped within these crystals during the Paleozoic. Finally, don’t miss their wonderful museum featuring fossils, minerals, jewelry and a short film. See Andy the genuine dinosaur skull from Madagascar (which bears an striking resemblance to Barney) and try to find the Green River fish that has been mislabeled as a trilobite. They also have a large fossil and mineral shop, anning for fossils sold by the bag) and the aforementioned play ground. A group discount may also be possible at this stop.

REGISTRATION : To register for this trip, please contact Chris at cmmarott@ic.sunysb.edu

Saturday Meeting Time and Place : 10:00 A.M. at the Petrified Creatures Museum of Natural History (P.C.M.) in Warren, N.Y. (Near Richfield Springs).

Sunday Meeting Time and Place : 9:00 A.M. at the Herkimer Diamond Mine (H.D.M.) in Herkimer, NY.

TOOLS : All collectors must wear goggles !!!
For the P.C.M., some tools are provided. Goggles are required. Small hammers (up to 3 pounders) are best. Also bring a chisel and a bucket to carry things in.
For the H. D. M., sledge hammers are needed for this very strong limestone (They allow up to 10 pounders). Goggles are required and must be worn at all times (!), even if you are not hammering! Chisels and buckets or strong sacks are also good. Parking is close enough to the sites so little carrying is necessary.

NOTE TO DRIVERS : When in Central New York avoid driving through the nearby town of Cobleskill, NY. In Cobleskill, NY it is said that they have created an industry of ticketing out-of-towners who drive through the town.

WAIVER : All attending must sign a waiver.

Note also, all those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society

AND, OUR SECOND FALL TRIP TO :

REDHILL, PENNSYLVANIA

Saturday & Sunday, October 6 & 7, 2007

Once again, we’ve been invited for a visit to the Research Station and collecting at the famous Red Hill Site in Hyner, Pennsylvania

We have been given the dates of October 6th and 7th - make a note in your calendar!

More information to follow.

BIG BROOK, NEW JERSEY

SATURDAY APRIL 21, 2007

Big Brook is one of the classic fossil localities in the Eastern U.S., and continues to produce a wide variety of fossils for first time collectors and veterans alike. Geologically and paleontologically, the site represents a marine environment from the Late Cretaceous. The fossils date from a few million years before the great extinction that ended the age of the dinosaurs. For those not familiar with the site, collecting here is different than at most fossil sites. Instead of hammers and chisels to free fossils from rock, here one sifts the stream sediments for fossils - as if panning for gold. The site produces a wide range of fossils. Invertebrate specimens commonly found include fossil snails, ammonites and belemnites (extinct, nautilus-like and squid-like creatures), and bivalves such as Exogyra and the brachiopod Choristothyris. One can also find parts of crustaceans like crabs, lobsters (Hoploparia) and the burrows of Ghost Shrimp (sometimes with the shrimp inside). There are also vertebrate fossils. Most common (and popular) among these are fossil shark teeth and vertebrae, and the teeth and bones of a wide variety of Cretaceous fish. Rarer vertebrate fossils include parts of bone from huge sea turtles, teeth and bone from crocodiles and periodically the teeth and bone of the extinct marine reptiles - plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. Finally, but very rarely, bones of dinosaur are found. Although most fossils here come from the Cretaceous Period, fossils of much more recent Ice Age mammals are not uncommon.

Copies of our comprehensive, award winning field guide to Big Brook will be available.

In previous years, we found that, despite our best efforts, many people who wished to go on our trips couldn't make it due to lack of transportation. So, once again this year we're providing a full coach bus with a rest room on board. All you need is a subway token and you're off! However, members may also attend by car.

There will be an on-bus lecture on the geologic and life history of the areas we'll be passing through on the way to the brook.

COST: There is no attendance fee. For those going on the bus, there is a $27 per person fee to cover the cost of the bus.

Contact the field trip leader,Donald Phillips at president@nyps.org for more information.

Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

RETURN TO "RED HILL"
NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7 & 8, 2006
Meeting up at 11:00 A.M. SATURDAY
Meeting up at 10:00 A.M. SUNDAY

We have been offered a return trip to Red Hill on October 7 & 8. This site is known for the early tetrapod finds of Paleontologist Ted Daeschler and N. Douglas Rowe. At this site we may find Devonian fish remains, plants and a variety of other phyla from the Famennian (365m.a.+,-2).

On the second day, we will visit other collecting sites. One in Pennsylvania will be a Devonian site to collect fossil invertebrates. More information about these will be provided to those who register.

This happens to be Columbus Day Weekend giving many of us an extra day off for more collecting or recuperating.

The Field Trip Leader and Coordinator will be Chris Marotta.

Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society. Memberships may be purchased or renewed at the site or by mailing in the online form at www.nyps.org beforehand.

Note also, that the Red Hill site is a VERY steep outcrop, and footing can be somewhat precarious. Because of this, young children are not allowed to collect there. Also, hardhats and safety glasses / goggles are required for working at this site. The other sites are easy to work with no restrictions. Complete information will be forwarded to those registered.

For more information, contact Chris Marotta at: fieldtrips@nyps.org

All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

MARK TWAIN
AND DEVONIAN FOSSILS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

Saturday and Sunday, October 28 & 29, 2006
MEET AT ABOUT 12:00 NOON ON SATURDAY
MEET AT ABOUT 11:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY

Mark Twain (Sam Clemens), author of such American classics as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, was world renowned in his day. But did you know that he also collected fossils and read and wrote about them and their ancient worlds?

Our second fall field trip will be a two day affair, the first day to Elmira, N.Y. and the second to collecting sites south of Syracuse.

Saturday will provide a unique opportunity to learn about and see where Mark Twain lived and worked during one of the most productive periods of his life. For those who attended our May meeting remember, Dr. Michael Pratt spoke on Twain and his experiences with fossils and paleontology, with specific reference to his “Was the World made for Man” letter - a thoughtful yet satirical (a la Twain) essay on mankind’s relationship to past geological ages and life. Since many of those members who mostly attend only our field trips may have missed his well received talk, he has offered to repeat it. A meeting room is available on campus.

We’ll meet up at Elmira College and then walk to Twain's study and then to an exhibit about his life in Elmira. I'll will try to make arrangements so we can also visit the Twain archive room in the college library to see some of the books he read and wrote, including first editions! From campus, it's a short drive to where Twain and his family are buried (Woodlawn Cemetery). From there, Quarry Farm, where Twain and friends did some fossil collecting, is just a few miles away, where restroom facilities and refreshments (cider, coffee, pastries, etc.) will await. Those who bring their lunches will enjoy chowing down while gazing over a large, beautiful vista that includes a big chunk of the Catskill Delta. We would then walk around the farm property (and maybe go on a guided tour inside of the house if it can be arranged) and collect a few fossils in the quarry where Twain's study originally stood. Note, since the quarry is an active Paleontological and Archaeological research site, members can only keep “souvenir” fossils - any of scientific importance must be donated to the college.

Throughout the day, Michael will include information about Twain’s life, works and fossil experiences. All the above will take about three hours or so. For those who’d like to know more about the College and Twain, here's a link to Elmira College's website: http://www.elmira.edu/, which has a campus map and travel directions, and also The Center for Mark Twain Studies: http://www.elmira.edu/academics/distinctive_programs/twain_center.

NOTE: many of these premises are not open to the public ever - Michael and Linda have arranged special entry for our members on this day!

On Sunday, we will visit a number of collecting sites south of Syracuse, N.Y., about 1 to 2 hours drive from Elmira. Will be collecting many beautiful (and sometimes rare) Middle Devonian marine fossils including brachiopods, cephalopods (Michelinoceras, Tornoceras), bryozoans, bivalves, gastropods, Tentaculites and trilobites (Greenops boothi (Green), Basidechenella rowi (Green) & Dipleura). One site contains some rocks with beautiful pyrite microcrystals on them. At these Sunday sites, you can keep all the fossils that you collect.

Complete information with directions, lodging, tools, clothing, etc. will be sent to those who register (see below).

The Field Trip Leaders on Saturday will be Michael & Linda Pratt
The Field Trip Leader on Sunday will be James Conway
The Field Trip Coordinator for both days will be Donald Phillips

A collecting field guide will be available for a nominal fee to those attending.

For more information, contact Donald Phillips at : president@nyps.org

Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

RECENT FIELD TRIPS

EVOLUTION OF PLANTS
A Tour at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2006
MEET AT ABOUT 12:50 P.M.

Most paleontologists focus on animals - invertebrate and vertebrate - and frequently view plants as incidental material in the rock matrix. Although some well known fossil localities such as St. Clair, Pennsylvania or Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona focus on plant fossils, these are the exceptions. But to ecologists and paleobotanists, plants are the very base of almost all food chains on earth, wresting biomass and energy from the sun itself and feeding itself and all other life - animal and otherwise.

Join us on a tour through the evolution of plants, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is probably the best place in the greater New York City area to do this. The Garden is unique in having an exhibit called the Trail of Evolution, where the important steps in the evolution of plants are noted with fossils as well as their living descendants nearby. The trail was the idea of the late Dr. Stephen Tim, who was very interested in the role played by plants throughout geologic history.

We will begin with a tour of this trail and will discuss some of the problems with identifying plant species in the fossil record, and discuss Darwin’s “abominable mystery”. From there, we’ll continue through the greenhouses, emphasizing species adaptations to different environments in an evolutionary context, and those species characteristic of continents separated by continental drift.

Finally, we’ll continue into the gardens and woods, noting many “living” fossils and their paleontological pedigree - especially trees.

The tour / lecture lasts from about 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. However, the Garden is open from 10:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M.

The Field Trip Leader and coordinator will be Donald Phillips

A handout highlighting major changes in flora and corresponding fauna through geologic time will be provided.

If you arrive early or stay after the tour, the Garden is world renowned for its Japanese Garden.
Because of the unusually warm winter weather this year, the flowers around the city have been blooming at unusual times. However, during May, azaleas and tulips should be in bloom at the Garden. For more information about the Garden, visit their website at www.bbg.org .

REGISTRATION: Since the Garden needs to know about how many will be attending, you must register for this trip. To register, contact Don Phillips at president@nyps.org. Be sure to mention how many people are coming with you.

COST: The tour is free to members. However, you must gain admission to the Garden. If you arrive between 10:00 A.M. and Noon, admission is free. If you arrive after noon, the admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors over 65 and for students with I.D.s. Young people under 16 are free. Of course, admission is free to all members of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Also, there may be discounts or free admission to members of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx (as well as other botanic(al) gardens around the tristate area) through “reciprocal privileges”.

TRANSPORTATION: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is located adjacent to Prospect Park, and is right next to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
By Subway : Take the 2 or 3 trains to the Eastern Parkway / Brooklyn Museum Station. After exiting, enter the Garden to th right of the Museum. Or, take the “Q” train to Prospect Park Station. After exiting at the rear of the station (coming from Manhattan), the entrance to the Garden is diagonally across the intersection, and across the street from the Prospect Park entrance. Either way, once in the Garden, go to the Steinhardt Conservatory.
By Train : Take the L.I.R.R. to Flatbush Ave., and then the 2 or Q subways.
By Car : Eastern Parkway or Flatbush Ave. run along the sides of the Garden. There is parking on Washington Ave. off of Eastern Parkway near the Brooklyn Museum. It is $3 for the first hour, $9 up to four hours and $12 all day. It is free to Brooklyn Museum members or certain levels of Brooklyn Botanic Garden membership.

CLOTHING: It will probably be warm, but bring a light jacket or sweater anyway. Also, bring an umbrella or rain gear just in case. Note, although most of the tour will be indoors, if sunny, a hat might be a good idea.

FOOD: The Terrace Café is located right in front of the entrance to the Steinhardt Conservatory - a good place to catch a bite if you arrive early and are waiting to meet us.

Note again: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

PENN DIXIE QUARRY AND ENVIRONS
Near Hamburg, New York

SATURDAY, June 10, 2006
MEET AT ABOUT 10:00 A.M.

Our June field trip is to a classic Mid to Upper Devonian fossil locality not far from Buffalo, New York. Once called Bay View Quarry, this site exposes formations from the Hamilton Group (about 380 million years ago), including the Ludlowville, Moscow and Genesee Formations - all rich in marine invertebrate fossils. There is a varied fauna ranging from brachiopods, mollusks, bryozoans, etc., but the site is best known for its fairly common trilobites Phacops rana and Greenops boothi - found both as flat and enrolled specimens. The quarry is a large open area, with easy access to collecting, and the quarry curators will be bulldozing new diggings with fresh exposures, so there should be plenty to find.

We’ll also be visiting a second site not far from Penn Dixie - an intimate site along a small creek exposing the Wanakah Shale Member of the Ludlowville Formation. This site produces many fossils, including some fine brachiopods.

Note: As of this writing, we are attempting to arrange entrance to another site about 50 miles away from Buffalo, but we won’t know for sure if we can gain access until the end of April. If the site is open to us, then we’ll visit on Sunday, June 11th. There will be more information on this in the next issue of the Newsletter and also to all that register for Penn Dixie (see below).

The Field Trip Leader will be James Conway

The coordinators will be James Conway & Donald Phillips

A field guide will be available for a nominal fee to those attending.

REGISTRATION: You must register for this trip. To register please contact Don Phillips at president@nyps.org. Please include information as to 1) how many will be attending in your group, 2) if you need a ride and 3) if you would be willing to offer a ride to one of your fellow members.

Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

LOWER DEVONIAN FOSSILS OF SCHOHARIE, NEW YORK

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006
MEET BETWEEN 11:00 & 11:15 A.M.

Hello, N.Y.P.S. members. This April, we would like to bring our members to a familiar and highly fossiliferous site located in Schoharie, NY. We will be making a field guide for this site available along with possible additional information.

This site is loaded with fossils with a nearly every phyla represented. Some of the more notable items found are the Hindia sp. sponges that look like golf balls and Platyceras gastropods that come in a wide variety of morphologies. Crinoid "hold fasts" are also common in several layers. This site has an enormous variety of brachiopods and some trilobites have been found. Recently, vertebrate (fish) coprolites have also been reported.

The limestone formations found at this site are Early Devonian, ranging around 400 million years. Most literature describes it as part of the Heiderberg Group, however, the N.Y. Geological Society appears to be calling this part of the Tristates Group with "Schoharie" and "Rickard Hill" Formations named (Educational Leaflet 33, Rogers et al.).

The Field Trip Leader and coordinator will be Chris Marotta.

A field guide by Erich Rose will be available for those attending.

DEVONIAN FOSSILS OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY

Leesville, New York

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Meeting at 11 :OOA.M.

Our second Fall collecting trip will be to an old favorite of the Society that has not been visited for a while in the Mohawk Valley area west of Albany. We will be visiting at least two sites from the Devonian Period. The first will be at Leesville. The rocks we will be searching for fossils in belong to the lower Devonian Kalkberg Formation (Helderberg Group). A variety of marine fossils can be found in this limestone including colonial and horn corals, various species of brachiopods, bryozoans, bivalves, gastropods, crinoids, and the occasional trilobite. We will also be visiting other Devonian sites in the area including a Zoophycus (feeding patterns) site.

The trip will be led by James Conway

A SPECIAL TOUR OF DINOSAURS: ANCIENT FOSSILS, NEW DISCOVERIES

Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 2:00

The Division of Paleontology at the American Museum has put together its first special exhibit on dinosaurs in many years. Entitled Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, this exhibit will tour the country following its premier here at the museum. All of the displays are either new or modified for this special exhibit. The displays consist of many fossil specimens and new art and sculpture depicting the most current understandings about dinosaurs and their relationships. A central exhibit is a diorama depicting the Cretaceous forest of Liaoning, China - an area that today is producing some of the finest and most exciting vertebrate fossils anywhere in the world - and the American Museum is in the forefront of work on its fossils. These fossils include a great variety of small carnivorous dinosaurs, some of which have led to modern birds, while others to strange variants including a flying 'dinosaur' with four wings and a highly modified carnivore which apparently evolved into a herbivore. There is also a specimen of a mammal from Liaoning whose remains include its last meal - a juvenile dinosaur! Other exhibits include a model of T. Rex which illustrates current research on the biomechanics of how these animals actually moved. There is also a large model of a sauropod skeleton generated by computer modeling to study motion and dynamics in these huge beasts. The general theme of the exhibit is not only what is known currently about dinosaurs, but also leaves open questions that have yet to be answered.

Information not available in the exhibit itself will also be provided on this tour.

The tour will be led by Donald Phillips.

Don teaches courses in paleontology and related biology / geology topics at Hofstra and New York Universities. He also teaches a matriculated course at Polytechnic University entitled Dinosaurs: Resurrecting an Extinct Species, which focuses on how paleontologists' understanding of dinosaurs has changed over time and how this is related to concurrent ideas in other sciences, philosophy and to the world view of society at a particular time. This approach is also part of the theme of this special exhibit.

The tour will last about an hour and a half to two hours, after which attendees will have time to study more closely those exhibits of particular interest to themselves. Don will be available for questions throughout our time there.

Those interested can also attend our early dinner after the tour at a restaurant near the museum, over which we can discuss the exhibit, dinosaurs or simply shmooze.

For more information, contact the tour leader at this website.

ORDOVICIAN FOSSILS OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY

Amsterdam, New York

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Meeting up at about 10:00 A.M.

The Valley is a region of deeply cut sedimentary rock in New York State that extends along the Mohawk River roughly between the Catskill and Adirondack Mountain ranges. It is a scenic region that has been important in early American history, as well as Geologic history. (Think "Drums along the Mohawk" or "Last of the Mohegans"). Later, New York's Erie Canal had passed through with some stone structures still remaining along the Mohawk River. Over vast time, this river and its tributaries have cut below the Devonian bedrock of central New York into Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian Sediments. We will be collecting at several exposures of the Ordovician.

Our first site will be east of Amsterdam along route 5 N. This and other sites were scouted by a member, Jim Philipps and myself, last summer. Here, we will find an exposure of the Wolf Hollow Limestone and Palatine Bridge Members of the Tribes Hill Formation (Lower Ordovician). A portion of the Palatine member is very rich in pieces of Asaphellus and Symphysurina trilobites. Articulated specimens are possible but infrequent.

The next stop is a site that the N.Y.P.S. had scouted a number of years ago, known as "Manny Corners". It is an abandoned quarry with five members of the Mohawkian Series exposed (Middle Ordovician). Various species are found there. Fine Isotelus trilobites have been found but are rare and take a lot of work removing them from the rock matrix.

A final Ordovician stop will be made on the south side of the Mohawk River near Fultonville. Here, a contact between lower and Middle Ordovician sediments is located. There is a particular layer of coquina that is highly fossiliferous. Last year's "scouting mission" revealed a nice nearly complete trilobite.

Finally, we will take a ride up a hill that illustrates about 50 million years of sedimentation into the Lower Devonian. Afterwards, we can hit a "bonus" site of Devonian age. Attendees will get to vote on a favorite local bonus site.

Note: All sites chosen for this trip have not been visited before by our Society.

The Field Trip Leader and Coordinator will be Chris Marotta.

Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.

For more information, contact Chris Marotta at this website.

DEVONIAN SEAS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

SYRACUSE AREA, NEW YORK

SATURDAY &/OR SUNDAY, APRIL 9 & 10, 2005

Our first collecting trip of the season will be to Devonian sites in New York not before visited by our Society. It can be either a one or two day collecting trip for members. The sites are centered about 25 miles south / east of Syracuse, N.Y. For those members who can attend for only one day, the trip leaders' consensus is that the sites on Saturday are richer and the fauna more varied.

Over the course of the weekend, we'll be visiting four sites from the Middle Devonian in central New York. These are all marine sites from the Middle Devonian, containing fossils such as brachiopods, cephalopods, bryozoans, crinoids, corals, bivalves, gastropods, trilobites, trace fossils, sometimes plants, etc. However, the four sites represent three different stratigraphic formations, and each site has specific features and specimens for which it is known.

On the first day, we'll be visiting a site from the Skaneateles Formation. This site has a varied fauna, including common, exquisitely preserved specimens of gastropods, bivalves & brachiopods - found 'in the round' and easily removed from matrix. Next, we'll visit a site in the Windom Shale (uppermost member of the Moscow Formation). This site is known for unexpected surprise finds and beautiful, glittering specimens of tiny pyrite crystals and pyritized fossils.

On Sunday, we'll begin with a visit to a site from the Marcellus Formation; the lowest portion of Hamilton Group. Among the varied fauna found are specimens of the huge brachiopod Spinocyrtia. And finally, a stop at another site from of the Delphi Station Member of the Skaneateles Formation. Unlike Saturday's site, however, this site is well known for its trilobite Dipleura dekayi, which can be huge by New York standards. Although there are no guarantees, in 10 minutes, Jim and I (Phillips) found a head, a pygidium, some pleurons and a small, completely enrolled specimen!

Some literature containing field information about the sites will be available for those attending.

The Field Trip Leader will be Jim Conway.

The Trip Coordinator will be Donald Phillips.

FOSSIL FORESTS OF PENNSYLVANIA

SAINT CLAIR AREA, PENNSYLVANIA

& MARINE DEVONIAN FOSSILS

DEER LAKE AREA

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2005

Our April 30th collecting trip will be to two sites near Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

We'll begin the day with a brief stop at a marine Devonian site (Hamilton Gp., Mahantango Fm.). Fossils include brachiopods, gastropods (snails), cephalopods (nautilus-like creatures) and pelecypods ("clams"), and trilobites.

The next site is the world famous quarry at St. Clair, a site that our Society has not visited for many years. The fossils here are renowned for their beauty. Fossils representing the ancestors of almost all living plants are found in the Llewellyn Formation of Eastern Pennsylvania. The gray shales of this site produce some of the finest specimens of fossil plants from the Mid to Upper Pennsylvanian Period in the world, during which time this area was covered by coastal swamps periodically inundated by marine incursions. Many fossils are coated with pyrophyllite - a whitish mineral that makes the fossil stand out in contrast to the dark gray matrix - a phenomena basically found only in this quarry, making them so sought after.

The fossil flora consists of extinct water loving plants and trees, some of which grew to over a hundred feet in height. Included are leaflets and fronds of ferns, including the now extinct seed ferns, believed by most paleobotanists to be ancestral to all modern seed plants. Also found are the whorled leaves of sphenopsid plants - represented today by the scouring rushes - including the leaves and parts of the trunk of the giant Calamites. Also found are the bark and leaves of the tree-like Lepidodendron, and parts of one of the earliest conifers Cordaites. Preservation is usually excellent, and fine specimens are very common.

The Field Trip Leader will be Donald Phillips.

A field guide by Erich Rose and Donald Phillips will be provided for those attending.

Past Field Trips

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