Our program this month will be presented by Dry Dredgers Vice President Rich Fuchs. Rich will be presenting a program entitled, Beginnings. The talk will be of interest to all as it illustrates the origins of the Dry Dredgers. The program will be shorter than normal to allow more time for our silent auction.
Rich is living the dream as a retired teacher from LaSalle High School. He is best known to Dredgers as our in-house expert on Graptolites and Scolecodonts – none of which will be mentioned in his talk. Rich is a long time volunteer working in the collections at the Geier Collections and Research Center where he curates incoming collections. This is a never ending job.
DATE: Friday, March 24th, 2023
PLACE:
Room 201 Braunstein Hall
University of Cincinnati Clifton Campus
NOTE:
DUE TO THE SILENT AUCTION, THIS MEETING WILL BE IN-PERSON ONLY
We are asking that members attending in person wear a mask. Most people have complied but we still see people ignoring our request. Remember that masks are primarily to protect others from you, not you from others. Even if you think you are immune for whatever reason, we still strongly suggest that you wear a mask to protect others. Some of our members who attend these meetings are in high risk groups (including me) so please be courteous and sensitive to their situation. Vaccination is also highly recommended. If you forgot your mask we have a limited number of free ones at the front of the room.
Auction rules reminder: This is a silent auction. Once we have the auction set-up in Room 300, members can start bidding before the meeting. No bidding will take place during the meeting and program although the program will be brief to allow more auction time and for an earlier meeting conclusion. At the end of the program, members can again bid on auction items. We will try to end the bidding by 9:30. Bids are in whole dollar amounts only. Some items have minimum bid requirements. These will be noted with a yellow highlight and a dollar amount on the form. If the bid increment is more than one dollar that will be highlighted as well. At the end of the auction gather your items and pay our Treasurer, Jessica, at the back of the room (Jessica will double check that minimum bids are met before taking payment). Payment is by cash or check made out to Dry Dredgers (no credit cards or IOUs).
If you need to leave before the auction ends and you happen to be a bid winner, we will bring your items to the April meeting where you can then pay for them. Unless other arrangements are made, items not claimed at the April meeting will be forfeited and go into next year’s auction.
Items may be donated for the auction on this night but may be retained for next year’s auction at our discretion.
We have a bounty of excellent books, including rare and hard to find books, thanks to donations from Steve Brown, Jon Branstrator, and Nancy Swartz. The books will include a wide range of topics on a broad spectrum that will appeal to the beginning collector and the professional. We have added interesting fossils and other non-book items including a stereo microscope from Steve Felton and a modern shell collection donated by Ron Fine.
Thank you to those who have sent in suggestions for new field trip sites (and please keep those emails coming!) The good news is that several sites show promise for future exploration. Unfortunately, I have not been able to check them out due to a rather nasty cold which ran its course through our family. For that reason, we will be returning to a guaranteed fossiliferous location – a big roadcut in Northeastern Kentucky. This exposure of the Latonia (Kope) and Fairview formations contains a variety of specimens, and is famous for some of the edrioasteroid slabs found there. The location has also produced a number of crinoid calyx fossils; the only thing you need to make your special discovery is patience.
On Saturday, March 25th at 10:00 am, we will gather on the slopes just south of the Ohio River. There is plenty of room to park roadside; however, please use caution when crossing this busy roadway. There are a number of terraced levels which are too steep to climb from one to another; however, as the road rises from North to South, you can gain access to each by going to the southern end and then proceeding north. Fossils can be found in the lower levels, so those with limited mobility and/or young children will be happy with the site.
Tradition is a wonderful thing – and the Dry Dredgers thoroughly embrace the one which states field trips are held “rain or shine.” As this outing will be on the last weekend of March, snow is unlikely but rain storms might be a possibility. Continuous radio monitoring of weather conditions will help alert everyone of changing conditions. Have a safe and enjoyable day at this great site.
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