History

A Brief History of the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club

For years amateur fossil collectors and the staff of the Calvert Marine Museum had been fossil collecting together or leading field trips for schools and other organizations. But it was not until 1981 that Norm Riker, a local collector, suggested that a fossil club be formed.

An organizational meeting was held on April 16, 1981, establishing the club. Initially all one needed to do to join the club was to stop by the Calvert Marine Museum and request to become a member of the fossil club. After a few years had past and a need for a newsletter was realized were club dues instituted. Annual dues of $10 per family, $3 for students, were initiated to cover expenses such as postage, printing, etc. The newsletter was named The ECPHORA, and published on a quarterly basis to keep members informed about club doings, scheduled events, and happenings of interest in the fossil world.

The club remained loosely organized for years with no set officers or elected positions. An informal Board of Directors comprised of David Bohaska, Dr. Ralph Eshelman, Norm Riker, and Calvin Taylor though would meet at Sandy Roberts’ and plan for the club’s upcoming events.

Monthly meetings were held at the museum. Lecturers from the Smithsonian, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Arizona, Howard University, University of Maryland, and St. Mary’s College made presentations. Special events included a three-session osteology class taught by Ralph Eshelman and an unusual class led by Paula Bohaska, which involved the cleaning and reconstruction of a modern fish skull. Popular social events were the meetings at Connie and Larry Smith’s Matoaka Cottages and at Pete Ferguson’s Calvert Beach home. Soon membership in the club became contingent on one first being a member of the Calvert Marine Museum.

Field trips are vital to the success of any fossil club. The Miocene fossils of Calvert Cliffs were the primary interest of the club, with trips along the entire 26-mile length of the cliffs. Similar aged deposits on the Potomac and St. Mary’s Rivers were also explored. In the interest of a well-rounded knowledge of paleontology, areas with fossils of other geological ages were visited, including Pennsylvania (Swatara Gap and St. Clair), New Jersey (Big Brook), Delaware (C&D Canal), Virginia (Westmoreland State Park), and North Carolina (Lee Creek). Fossil deposits of Ordovician, Pennsylvanian, Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene ages were examined.

Winter activities included visits to the Smithsonian Naturalist Center and Paleontology Laboratories. Trips were made to Baltimore to visit Malick’s Fossils and the National Aquarium, and to Philadelphia to participate in the Delaware Valley Paleontology Society Fossil Fair.

Participation in public service events was an important aspect of the club. Fossil fairs were held in 1982 and 1983; lectures, films, and field trips were presented at no cost to interested museum visitors. The club set up a fossil preparation and identification table, with free give-away fossils each year at both Patuxent River Appreciation Days (PRAD) and SharkFest. In addition to which, demonstrational exhibits were sent to fossil fairs and mineral shows.

In the summer of 1985 the first edition of the quarterly newsletter of the Fossil Club appeared. The editor, Sandy Roberts, named it The ECPHORA in addition to naming the museum news bulletin, the Bugeye Times. After five years, Donna Richardson became the editor, later followed by Bill Taylor, Skip Snelson, Mike Elwood, Paul and Hillary Murdoch, and today by Dr. Stephen Godfrey. The ECPHORA includes articles about current research being done at the museum, recent finds brought to the museum, book reviews, and references to on-line articles of interest to our members. Schedules of future field trips, meetings, and guest speakers also are included. The ECPHORA is sent to all members, six fossil clubs on the East Coast, and to five museums, including the U.S. National Museum (the Smithsonian), and to the British Museum. The ECPHORA has come a long way, since its inception!
Past Presidents of the CMM Fossil Club include:

The club now has a membership roll of over 80, mostly from the states whose geography makes up the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and counts in its membership people from a great variety of backgrounds and degrees of interest in the earth sciences. Meetings are held at the Calvert Marine Museum and usually a guest speaker will follow the meeting with a free public lecture in the museum’s Auditorium.

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