Welcome to the Dallas Paleo Website
The Dallas Paleontological Society was founded in 1984 for the purpose of promoting interest in and knowledge of the science of paleontology. It was intended by the founding members that the Society would be a network for the exchange of data between professionals and serious amateurs in this field.
Regular Meeting Held on JULY 11, 7:00 PM
Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming of the Past
The DPS met at 7:00 PM (30 minutes earlier than the old days) on Wednesday, July 11, at the Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute (Building H) of Brookhaven College (3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch). The main program was "A New(ish) Approach to Understanding Global Warming in the Past - Does CO2 play a role as it does today?". This is the work of Tekie Tesfamichael, one of our DPS scholarship recipients. Unfortunately, Tekie had to return home to Ethiopia in May before we could schedule him to speak. So, the research was presented by Dr. Bonnie Jacobs, his dissertation advisor at SMU (and recently elected Fellow of the Paleontological Society).
Earth has had a highly variable climate over its history, due to major changes in paleogeography, volcanism, mountain building, sea level, and the composition of the atmosphere, as well as the evolution of life itself. Because of the importance that CO2 emissions from fossil fuel consumption are playing in global warming, much research today focuses on the effect of CO2 on past climate change. Tekie's work is on using features of fossil leaves as a measure of the past concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Use these links to view types of fossil leaves: spearpoint and legume.
DPS meetings are free and open to the public. In celebration of summer and picnics, DPS provided hot dogs, chili, and all the fixings. Members were asked to bring salads (could be potato or macaroni salad, to go with the picnic theme), chips, veggie trays, deserts, and other sides to share. Everyone was welcome to bring their own fossils for identification.
Perot Volunteer Opportunity
The Perot Museum is starting to recruit volunteers for a huge event they will be hosting at the museum during Labor Day weekend (Sept 1st and 2nd). This will be a new event called Dino Fest: https://www.perotmuseum.org/programs-and-events/special-events/dino-fest.html. They are hoping that some of the members of the Dallas Paleontological Society might be interested in participating. There will be tons of dinosaur/fossil themed activities and they are going to need quite a few volunteers to help man them all. If interested, please contact:
Marcie Keller
Manager of Volunteer Services
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
P 214.756.5844 | marcie.keller@perotmuseum.org
Field Trip Sign-Up Changes!! Please Read!The DPS has implemented a new, more modern, efficient, procedure for field trips’ sign-up and other special event registrations. All sign-ups will be done through the DPS website (https://www.dallaspaleo.org) for future DPS trips/Events. The date for the trips/Events will be announced on the website and a sign-up date will also be posted. Some trips are for Members Only, some are Open to anyone, some are Adults Only, some allow kids and some are limited in number of attendees because of site location requirements. To Register for a trip or Event, go to the Event List and click on the blue underlined name of the Event OR you can also go to the Calendar, find the name of the trip/Event, click on the blue underlined name for the Event, and click on the button that says REGISTER. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page with your personal information on it and click on the button that says NEXT. At the bottom of the next page is a blue button on the right side that says CONFIRM. When you click on that button, a new page with the trip/Event basic information comes up and your name. Then you have completed the Registration process. If a field trip is FULL a waiting list will be started. A confirmation email will be sent to Members to remind them of the NEW field trip date. If there are cancellations, names from the wait-list will be used in the order they were received, to fill the empty slots. Phone calls, texts and/or emails will not be accepted any longer for field trips (or events asking for registrations). If emergencies arise and members who have signed up, find they cannot attend, please go to your Profile on the DPS website. There you will see the Events you are registered for and then remove your name. If you cannot attend, please cancel your Registration as soon as possible, so that someone else might attend. Thanks and happy fossil hunting! DPS Officers for 2018The results of the election of officers for 2018 are: President: Tom Dill Vice President: Judi Altstatt Secretary: Ming and Jordan Lee Treasurer: Pam Lowers Fossil Record Editor: Estee Easley Questions For DPS?If You have any questions about the Dallas Paleo Society feel free to: Contact Us Hot Line 817-355-4693 About Us and Our Monthly MeetingsThe Dallas Paleontological Society normally meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM at Brookhaven College, unless we have something special happening that month. Please check our Calendar for exact dates. Come meet with us, hear a speaker, learn about paleontology, and bring your unidentified fossils and unique finds to share with the group. You will be welcome, and we will enjoy meeting you. Beware of big words! For a map of our meeting location Click Here. | Upcoming Events
Martin Marrietta Quarry Field Trip Held June 23
25 Adult Members attended the field trip to Martin Marietta Quarry on June 23.
Because of the 25 person limit, there was another group of 30 Members who wanted to attend and were placed on the wait-list. We asked that if you could not attend, to please go to your Profile on this website and remove your name from the field trip list, so that another Member could have attended. Cancellations after Registration were filled with the Wait-List names in the order that they were received. It was a hot humid day but there were some really good fossils found. We hope to see you on our field trips next time. A list of future field trips is listed above on this website as Events and on website Calendar. The PIT Crew
For more information, Click the link here or click the link under the home page called "For Kids - The Pit Crew" , to see policies, upcoming events, announcements, and how to sign up to take advantage of this new program. Join us nowCome and join us for a great time at our next meeting, and click below to become a member. Individual and Family memberships are available, and kids can participate in the PIT Crew (Paleontogists In Training). |
The Paleontologists In Training is a program of the DPS that is open to kids from age 7 to 15. If you are interested in fossils, want to have fun on field trips, and like learning about our beautiful world, come join us at one of our meetings, or field trips. You will find it educational, and fun at the same time!Who we areThe DPS is a group of professional and amateur paleontologists that want to exchange information, interact, and continue their education in paleontology. We meet once a month on the second Wednesday evening of the month at Brookhaven College, Building H.
| What we do
Contact Us at 817-355-4693.
| Why join usWe have fun. We learn stuff. We go cool places. We find interesting things. We make new friends.
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If you have a question, if you have a fossil that you cannot identify, or need a site investigation, contact the Fossil Bureau of Investigation for help.