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Member of the Month - January 2024 - RetiredLawyer

FossilDAWG

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FossilDAWG Regular Member

FossilDAWG

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Back around 240 million years ago, in the middle Triassic, an impressive menagerie of reptiles (and millipedes too!) walked, ran, or otherwise meandered across mudflats in what is, today, Arizona.  Fortuitous circumstances led to their tracks being buried and lithified into rock.  Even more fortuitous circumstances led to that site coming into the possession of a newly retired individual of exceptional curiosity and industry, launching him and (to our great fortune) us into a great adventure.  If you haven't guessed by now, by unanimous consensus of the staff the Member of the Month for January 2024 is:

 

:yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1: RetiredLawyer :yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

 

Since joining the Fossil Forum in 2019, @RetiredLawyer (or James, as he is known in real life) has educated the Forum community with a parade of trackways he has discovered and excavated on his Arizona property.  He put in a great effort to excavate a huge layer of rock containing many diverse tracks, and move and reassemble it in his back yard.  He shared the result of this effort with us online, with groups such as the Western Interior Paleontological Society in person, and most importantly with Dr Spencer Lucas as staff (including @PFOOLEY) at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.  This set of tracks, and other fossils, were generously donated to the NMMNH.  Most recently, this work has resulted in a publication, adding to our documented knowledge of the paleontological history of the American South-West.

 

Congratulations James! :tiphat:

Perhaps you could tell us your story of how you found your way to our community of paleontological aficionados?

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Fin Lover Regular Member

Fin Lover

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Congratulations!

Fin Lover

image.png.e69a5608098eeb4cd7d1fc5feb4dad1e.png image.png.e6c66193c1b85b1b775526eb958f72df.png image.png.65903ff624a908a6c80f4d36d6ff8260.png

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My favorite things about fossil hunting: getting out of my own head, getting into nature and, if I’m lucky, finding some cool souvenirs.

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Tidgy's Dad Regular Member

Tidgy's Dad

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Very important work.

Congrats.gif.d02ed6859e420a48e1b624febcb71db4.gif

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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Top Trilo Regular Member

Top Trilo

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Congratulations! I always love reading the trackway updates!

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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Darktooth Regular Member

Darktooth

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Congratulations!:thumbsu:

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg          MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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FossilNerd Regular Member

FossilNerd

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Congratulations! I always enjoy seeing your trackways. 
 

Kudos for working with professionals and donating some of your finds to the NMMNH. You are a fine ambassador for helping to bridge the gap between amateur and professional paleontologists! :tiphat:

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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JohnJ Regular Member

JohnJ

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@RetiredLawyer

 

James, your discoveries and paleontological journey have been a pleasure to follow.  Thank you for sharing both with us.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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RetiredLawyer Regular Member

RetiredLawyer

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Wow! This is so awesome! I’ve been sitting on my tractor doing roadwork and haven’t checked in. Thank you- it’s been a great time finding everything and sharing it with you. Check out PalZ - https://link.springer.com/journal/12542 for the article by Drs Klein and Spencer due out any day. 
 

Things are looking good for the new year with this from today.

 

 IMG_8197.thumb.jpeg.936bf1a785bcb1b2fb30f9ae353498fa.jpegIMG_8196.thumb.jpeg.7dc61a2f302f6af1382506fc9822794d.jpeg

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DPS Ammonite Regular Member

DPS Ammonite

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Congratulations James. You certainly made your own luck with hard work. I know a lot of amazed people after they left your fossil site. Thanks for sharing.

 

John

Edited by DPS Ammonite

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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Coco Regular Member

Coco

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Congratulations James ! I followed your discoveries as we follow a saga !

 

Coco

----------------------
OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici

Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici
Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici
Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici
Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici
Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici
Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici

Un Greg...

Badges-IPFOTH.jpg.f4a8635cda47a3cc506743a8aabce700.jpg Badges-MOTM.jpg.461001e1a9db5dc29ca1c07a041a1a86.jpg

 

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patelinho7 Regular Member

patelinho7

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Congrats! I’ve enjoyed hearing about your discoveries every step of the way. Here’s to more from the New Year :fistbump:

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Mark Kmiecik Regular Member

Mark Kmiecik

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Congratulations!!

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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ThePhysicist Regular Member

ThePhysicist

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Congrats!:yay-smiley-1:

"Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman

 

Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone

Instagram: @thephysicist_tff

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Andúril Flame of the West Regular Member

Andúril Flame of the West

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Congratulations! 

 

You have some great trackways there. Congratulations on having your finds in a publication and I look forward to seeing what the future brings!

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Pagurus Regular Member

Pagurus

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Congratulations-Well-Deserved.gif.5d5f0869ed01f7ceabd5656cbda88888.gif

 

 

Thank you for sharing your journey with us, step by informative step, leaving your own tracks here on our forum and in the upcoming journal. Congratulations.

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Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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Brandy Cole Regular Member

Brandy Cole

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Thank you so much for sharing your finds with the forum and the scientific community.  You've made a great contribution that will stand the test of time, and we're happy to have you here on the forum.

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