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I have been in contact with the head of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Museum for a couple years showing some of my better plant fossils from my area. Miocene age, Beluga Formation, This last week I had a Masters Degree student come and visit my collection and my local site. She is going to do her thesis on the local miocene flora. There are papers on plants presumed to be older and younger but none from this section of the formation. I donated approximately 100 lbs of specimens to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North to be used by her then put in the Museum's collection. Based off the papers from other Alaska sites, it appears to be a mix of Salix, Betula, Alnus, Ficus, Populous, Metasequioa, Glyptostrobus, Taxodium and probably others. I know there are at least a few that are not described from this formation based off looking through the papers. Included in the specimens are leaves, twigs, branches, aments (cones and catkins) and other inflorescences. I know there are cones from 3 different families based on shapes and sizes. The student and her professor were quite thrilled and impressed by specimens they were able to take back. I will be donating a lot more from my previous trips after high grading them. And, now I am helping as an offical on-site field agent for this now official University project. So all my digging here for the next 3 years (expected length of project) will be for the university museum. Fine by me as plants are not my #1 fossil to collect.

Ok, tired of AK Hiker getting all the glory for Alaska finds hehe Made a run to my local fossil spot yesterday (which includes about 3 miles driving down the beach). Try to only go down when the tide is falling to 1, give more time to explore, and 2, more time to escape when the tides rolls back in. We can have between 8 - 28 feet of tide change! During big high tides the water is to the bluff. Some of the driving is loose sand / gravel so want to make sure if accidentally get stuck have time to get the car dug out before it takes a salt bath! We're searching through the Kenai group, Beluga formation, mid-late Miocene age plants. Most of it is splitting slabs that have been weathered out sitting at bottom of bluff along beach. Most slabs have exposed fossils but they are quickly worn down so it's rock breaking time to find sharper fossils. Most I have not ID'd yet (some I have a very hard time seeing / understanding the differences) First photos are of the area searched (bluff) and the view across Cook Inlet. In 1st one you can see Mt Illiamna across the Inlet which is one of our local dormant volcanoes (3 within 100 miles have erupted in last 30 years or so. Last in 2009)