Birmingham Paleontological Society

Our speaker for July is Dr. George Phillips, Curator of Paleontology at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. He will be speaking on "Fossil Crustaceans from Mississippi & Alabama".

Hoover Public Library, Downstairs, Fitzgerald Room. Business meeting starts at 7:00, program at 7:30pm. Free and open to the public.

On Saturday, June 15, 2019, a group of BPS members and guests met at a pre-determined meeting spot for a visit/pit stop/supply gather before heading to the field trip destination.  The weather was warm but with slightly lower humidity which was much appreciated.  After a short drive to the site and a short hike to the gullies, James gathered everyone for an informative talk about the age, formation and fossils in the gullies, as well as some collecting etiquette. 

Weekend trip to a creek in Butler county, Alabama, with several members camping out for the long holiday.

Our speakers for June are Jeff Newman and Josh Box, founding members of Underground Birmingham, who will share the forgotten history of the Red Mountain ore mines.

Business meeting starts at 7pm, program at 7:30pm.
Hoover Public Library, Downstairs, Fitzgerald Room. Free and open to the public.

Our speaker for May is Kaydee West, third year PhD student in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama, who will speak on “Listening to Sea Shells: What Fossils Can Tell Us about the Past.”

NOTE - WE ARE MEETING AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION IN MAY
Homewood Public Library - Round Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

On a very pretty March 30, 2019, a great group of BPS members and guests met at a predetermined spot in Chilton County before a much-needed field trip.  On a scouting outing several weeks before, the scouting party ran in to a very chatty and generous landowner.  During a pleasant conversation, permission was granted for the group to access his lovely, winding, gravelly creek.  On the day of the field trip, the temperature had gone up and the water level had gone down, making creek access not only possible but nearly enjoyable. 

Our speaker for April is Leah Travis Taylor, graduate student in Geology at The University of Alabama, who will speak on “New Evidence for Complex Mosasaur Paleobiology: Oxygen Isotopes in Enamel Reveal Habitat Variation of Clidastes from the Mooreville Chalk of Alabama.”
Hoover Public Library, Fitzgerald Room. Free and open to the public.

On Saturday, March 2, 2019, numerous BPS members and guests traveled through the pouring rain to a fairly close limestone quarry to look for fossils.  The rain stopped by the time we reached the rendezvous location but the temperature began to rapidly drop.  That did not deter any of the fossil enthusiasts nor did it deter our hosts, thankfully!

Our speaker for March is David Kopaska-Merkel of the Geological Survey of Alabama, who will speak on “Fossil Reefs of Alabama”
Hoover Public Library, Fitzgerald Room. Free and open to the public.

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science will be hosting their annual Fossil Road Show on Saturday March 9, 2019 from 10am until 3pm.