Next APS Meeting:

Monday, February 6, 2012

TOPIC:   “Footprints in Stone:  The Story Behind the Book”

SPEAKER:  Ron Buta, PhD

DR. BUTA’S ABSTRACT:  The Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site in Walker County, Alabama, is a unique paleontological treasure.  Formerly known as the Union Chapel Mine, the site was once an active surface coal mine no different from most others in Walker County, until it was discovered to be rich in fossil tetrapod and invertebrate trackways in late 1999 by local high school science teacher Ashley Allen (currently the president of the APS).  The tracks were discovered less than a year before the mine was scheduled for reclamation, and the site would have been lost completely had it not been for the extraordinary effort of local amateurs and professionals (both in and outside Alabama) to salvage large numbers of trackway specimens, assess the scientific value of the fossils, and then to convince the State of Alabama to protect the site from reclamation in order to allow its full scientific and educational potential to be realized.

The story behind this remarkable effort is described in the new book "Footprints in Stone: Tracking Ancient Life in Alabama," by Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel and myself, set to be published by the University of Alabama Press in late 2012.  In my presentation, I will describe some of the "story behind the story" and highlight what is in the current version of the book and the things we had to do to write the book.  Also, I want to describe what we hope to accomplish with a book of this nature.

PRESENTATION TIME: 7:00 pm. 

LOCATION: Birmingham Zoo -- Auditorium
For directions to the Zoo, see the Zoo’s Website at http://www.birminghamzoo.com 
Prior to the meeting everyone is invited to the optional supper at Taziki's Greek Fare in Mountain Brook next to the Hampton Inn, 2737 Highway 280 S, Mountain Brook, AL. (*NOT* the location farther out Highway 280). We gather there about 5:30/5:45pm.

FIELD TRIPS: APS conducts monthly field trips to fossil localities in Alabama and surrounding states strictly with permission of landowners (please refer to our Ethical Statement for further details).  In accordance with our Statement of Purpose, we frequently make educational presentations to schools and public gatherings on subjects related to paleontology.   Field trip participation is generally limited to members but individuals interested in coming on a field trip as a guest with an eye towards membership should contact APS President Ashley Allen (ichnofossil@yahoo.com), Vice President Prescott Atkinson (patkinson@peds.uab.edu) or Field Trip Coordinator Milo Washington (themilum@yahoo.com).  We have also hosted classes ranging from upper elementary school grades to college geology groups and other groups with an interest in geology and paleontology on select field trips.

LINKS:

In Memoriam:  Frank David Lueth November 5, 1940-July 7, 2007.  For those of you who knew him, this youtube photographic tribute to David created by his daughter is a wonderful memory of one of our departed friends:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6euSPzoVLk

Steve Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site photographic index: an extensive assembly of trackway photos from the Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site maintained by APS member Dr. Ron Buta at the University of Alabama: http://bama.ua.edu/~rbuta/monograph/index.html

Minkin Track Site Monograph link:  This link contains PDF files for the multiauthor monograph on the tracks and plants from the Minkin Track Site including an extensive photographic atlas: http://bama.ua.edu/~rbuta/monograph/monofiles/monofiles.html

Alabama Museum of Natural History: The AMNH sponsors a great program of family friendly weekend field trips throughout the year to various sites focusing on geology, paleontology, ecology and other areas.  The AMNH has an immense paleo research collection accumulated over the past 100 years (including what may be the largest mosasaur collection in the world) and is always looking for volunteers to help with cleaning and cataloguing specimens.  In addition, for the past 30 years the AMNH has conducted a several week-long summer Expedition, usually focused on archaeology or paleontology in which participants  camp in the field and work with experts to uncover the remote history of human activities in Alabama or the much more ancient fossil inhabitants of the State:        http://amnh.ua.edu/

McWane Science Center:  In addition to its world class interactive exhibits on the other sciences and its eye-popping IMAX Theatre, the McWane Center has a spectacular fossil exhibit, with lifesize replicas of dinosaurs including several whose remains have been found in Alabama, as well as the actual fossil remains of other fossil creatures that once inhabited the State such as a virtually complete mosasaur (a giant marine Cretaceous lizard related to the Komodo dragon) and a giant ground sloth:  http://mcwane.org

Oceans of Kansas:  Mike Everhart’s spectacular website on the Cretaceous world, focusing on the western interior sea previously occupying present day Kansas, USA:  www.oceansofkansas.com

Winds of Kansas:   Roy Beckemeyer’s encyclopedic website on  recent and fossil insects, with particular emphasis on the Permian insect fauna of the Wellington Formation in Kansas and Oklahoma and numerous interesting links:  www.windsofkansas.com