Member of the Month - August 2021 - Mainefossils

[Kane]

'Tis August in earnest. Hay has been baled, crickets chirp the nights away, the corn is getting higher, and children pack in as much fun as they can knowing that a new school year is but weeks away. It is also a reminder to those fossil hounds in the northern hemisphere to make proverbial hay while the sun still shines.

 

With the dog days of summer upon us, we are also pleased to announce our newest member of the month:

 

 

  Mainefossils  

 

It is not often that such a new member so quickly rises to this distinction so soon, yet we have been treated to Mainefossil's dogged pursuit through the Silurian's Leighton Formation since February as his fascinating finds are certainly the reward for time and dedication. This is certainly matched with his willingness to learn, expand understanding through research, and liaising with experts with utmost decorum. His work in the Leighton Fm adds to scientific knowledge, and we are just so happy to be taken along as he makes find after find. 

 

Congratulations!

Thank you for your contributions to our forum!

 

Care to share a few words with us about your journey to fossils and the Forum?

[Coco]

Hi,

 

Congrats !

 

Coco

[fossilhunter21]

Congratulations! 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Jolly well deserved, old chap, I've really enjoyed reading and learning from your thorough explorations through the fauna of the Leighton Formation of which I had previously known nothing at all. 

Those brachiopod ids are brilliant and the brachs absolutely stunning. 

More please! 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Tidgy's Dad

[Misha]

Wow! Congratulations!

I agree with @Tidgy's Dad I've known nothing about the amazing Silurian world hiding in Maine and have really enjoyed learning about it through your beautifully preserved fossils and informative posts

[Top Trilo]

Congratulations! I too enjoy seeing your Silurian finds

[JohnJ]

Thank you for your excellent participation on The Forum!

[ChristineR]

Congratulations! Not only are your finds fascinating, but your posts are catalysts for substantial discussions on the forum. As a newbie, I’ve enjoyed learning from your discoveries. 
 

The recognition is well deserved. 

 

 

 

[Mainefossils]

Wow, thanks so much everyone! This is completely unexpected. Really, though, I have learned so much more from this forum than I could ever expect to repay. Thanks for having me! 

 

I guess that it really began with my parents - they always enjoyed the outdoors, and taught me reading, writing, and logical reasoning early on. Because of this, I had an interest in nature: watching, drawing, and learning about what I saw. From then on, it has not really stopped. I have continued to learn about everything that is concerned with nature: biology, chemistry, physics, etc. I still enjoy learning more about nature, and fossils are just part of it.  

 

My first fossil was from when I lived in Washington state. They were a few leaves, found by my father, on one of our many hikes. Paleontology, though, didn't really latch on, as I was pretty young (8), but still, it started a new interest that would grow years later. 

 

In Maine, I have been scouring beaches, hiking, and learning about this amazing state through books, literature, and personal experience. My first fossil here was a brachiopod I found washed up on the coast. I originally thought that because of glaciers, fossils were mostly carried down from Canada, and that there were not many good localities. Lately I read through some old geological papers in an effort to identify the brachiopod, and found that my original assumption was wrong. Since then I have been hunting through the formations that were near me, and reading about those I hope to visit. 

 

Thanks so much to the people who participate and maintain this forum, a wealth of knowledge to those who visit! I look forward to continuing to work with you all, and helping other members with their finds. 

 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

Salutations and Congrats !

 

Cheers,

Brett

[ThePhysicist]

Congratulations! 

[Praefectus]

Congratulations! 

 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Congratulations! And thank you for bringing so much knowledge to our forum!

[Mike from North Queensland]

Congratulations from down under

 

Mike

[Mainefossils]

Thanks everyone for the kind words! 

 

[digit]

Congrats! Thanks for the backstory. Always interesting to hear the varied (and often similar) paths that led to a fascination with fossils.

 

There is lots to learn from the information archived here in the forum's conversations. We often find our knowledge base augmented by things we read here and can be quite surprised when we in turn become the source of knowledge to others. Knowledge is best when shared and we do a whole lot of that here. Thanks for being part of that process.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[DE&i]

Congratulations 

[Fossildude19]

I will continue to follow your journey here on the Forum.

It is wonderful to have such curious members who really go full bore to find what is hiding in their areas.  

Thanks for all of your contributions, past, present, and future.   

[Carl]

Big big big CONGRATS!!

[Pagurus]

 

Thanks for opening my eyes to some of the fossil-hunting possibilities in Maine, and sharing your finds and your hard-won knowledge. I've been summering here for the past 70 years and still find the occasional Silurian brachiopod in beach cobbles. Found one yesterday. I'm so glad you joined us here.

 

Mike

[Mainefossils]

Thanks everyone! I do hope to continue learning and posting my finds here - and I am glad that they have proven more helpful than I thought. Thanks for the encouragement! 

[Ludwigia]

Congrats!!

[JamieLynn]

Congratulations!! 

[old bones]

Congratulations!

[Troodon]

Congratulations