Dispatched
Not a formal publication. A record of what's happening, what it means, and what comes next. Posted every Sunday.
Starting something new: every Sunday I'll post a quick roundup of what's been happening with Paleoheritage. Here's where things stand.
In March, I gave a talk at the Eastern Missouri Society for Paleontology meeting called "Before the Memory Fades - Missouri's Fossil Heritage" - four Missouri fossil sites, one origin story, and the question at the heart of this whole project: what happens to a fossil site when nobody's watching?
Since then: the website paleoheritage.org went live, built from scratch and kept intentionally spare. A print-ready specimen card tool for the Lake Neosho collection is in progress, with catalog numbers, taxonomy, geologic age, and QR codes linking back to lakeneosho.org. The goal is that attendees at the SLPLS event can scan a card next to a fossil specimen and learn more about the organism and the fossil's history.
Last weekend brought some field time at a site in St. Louis County - crinoids, gastropods, and possible plant material, with documentation ongoing. Returned to the site yesterday and will report on that next week.
Also volunteered at the EMSP table at the rock show in Bridgeton. Saw some great specimens and met some great people.
Submitted paperwork for 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS for Paleoheritage. Shoutout to Kristen and Asa for their support and serving on the board of directors.
A working bibliography went up on the site this week - open-access papers, key websites, and resources growing as the project grows. Paleoheritage as a formal field of study is younger than it looks. These are the papers that prove it exists.