Category Archives: Past Events

The pandemic is not done with us, but we will go back to in person Northwest Paleontological Association meetings if conditions stay stable.

Wow. That feels good to say! Still be prepared to wear masks and follow recommended health directives to keep yourself and the NPA Community safe.

We will be meeting at The Burke Museum. That feels good to say too. Much thanks to Ron Eng and Kelsie Abrams who put in the good word inside the Burke to secure our meeting room. Parking is free on the UW campus on Sunday, and the new Burke has a parking lot (where the old Burke used to be!). Hip Hip Hurray!

Everyone is welcome to attend, new faces and old. All ages too. We have members who are 5 years old and one treasure who is just turning 99 years old. I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Mark your calendars for our next three meetings:

It has been a strange 2 years, keeping safe by keeping apart. Zoom has been our meeting place and we have enjoyed talks by distant speakers who we would not otherwise have visit us.

If you would like to join the NPA, we will hold meetings in person soon. Check back in or submit your name and contact information to our web message center and we will add you to our contact list!

Cheers,
Tom Wolken
NPA President

Stay tuned for rescheduling and other club news.

Speaker: Jim Chatters

Since 2011, our own Jim Chatters has been the scientific lead on a most fascinating paleontological project in Mexico.  The site, called Hoyo Negro, is an immense pit in an underwater cave on the Yucatan Peninsula.  40,000 to 10,000 years ago, when much of the world’s water was bound up in glaciers, tunnels leading to Hoyo Negro were dry and the site was a natural trap.  An ephemeral pool in the bottom of the 100-foot deep pit drew at least 14 species of thirsty large mammals, including a human, to their deaths.  Seven of the species are now extinct, including a new form of ground sloth and carnivores never before documented north of Venezuela. The preservation of the bones is phenomenal and the crystal clear water makes for stunning photography. Jim will present the latest and greatest in this NPA Exclusive Update.

Jim Chatters is an archaeologist and paleontologist who owns the consulting firm Applied Paleoscience.  He formerly managed contract paleontological and cultural resources research for the University of Washington, Central Washington University, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Foster Wheeler Environmental, and AMEC. Officially “retired” he is actively involved in research and publishing on the Pacific Northwest and Mexico, and consults to the commercial radiocarbon dating laboratory DirectAMS. In 1996, Chatters recovered, and was the first scientist to study, the PaleoIndian skeleton now known as Kennewick Man.  He is the author of numerous scientific articles and monographs and the public-oriented book Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Speaker: Wendell Ricketts, Fossil News Magazine, The Journal of Avocational Paleontology

Come here about the joys and challenges of publishing a magazine about fossils. Wendell lives in Ballard, is a translator/writer/editor/publisher, and is interested in invertebrates and microfossils.

Fossil News

Was Mammalian Diversity Suppressed During the Age of Dinosaurs?

Our guest speaker will be Dave Grossnickle, who is a post doctoral researcher in Professor Greg Wilson’s UW lab.

About Dave: I received my PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Chicago in 2018, and my dissertation research examined broad macroevolutionary patterns of early mammals. I’ve continued similar work as a postdoctoral researcher in Greg Wilson’s lab at the U. of Washington. I utilize functional morphologies such as tooth shape, jaw shape, and limb proportions to infer the paleo-ecologies of fossil mammals. And from this data I assess the ecological diversity patterns of mammals and test hypotheses on the timing of the mammalian diversification, especially as it relates to the K-Pg mass extinction event.

Digging Dinos in Patagonia

Vince Bruscas

NPA’s own Vince Bruscas will fill us in on the Patagonia Expedition he joined in 2018. Perhaps you will be yearning to buy a plane ticket for next year when you see Vince’s photos and hear his description of the logistics of travel, the cultural differences, conditions in the desert, and of course some bit of talk about the dinosaurs they unearthed.