FOSSILS AND THE DEEP HISTORY OF THE EARTH    By JILL DAVIES

A self taught naturalist, Jill Davies, who is good at identifying birds (including birding by ear), native plants (including mushrooms) and is an organic vegetable farmer in Victor, has turned her attention to the ancient history of our earth by studying all about fossils.  When Jill delves into any topic, she is extremely thorough and enthusiastic. On Monday, February 17, she will be sharing an overview of the subject and the information she has gathered with members of Bitterroot Audubon and the Public. Most importantly she will help us learn some of the steps to go through to learn how to explore this fascinating topic. She will share resources and techniques to help in this endeavor.

Jill got her bachelors degree in mathematics intending to pursue a career in analytical science, but after a taste of graduate school, she changed course and went into more holistic studies. She studied Biodynamics at Emerson College in England in the early '70's; and worked in the gardens on a commune in France and on a Biodynamic truck farm in Switzerland before returning to the US. She went back to England in 1999 to attend a course at Schumacher College on biotechnology in agriculture and has been active in that issue ever since. She is currently the Director of Sustainable Living Systems in the Bitterroot Valley, which is working to build a local food system. ( www.sustainablelivingsystems.org)    

Using a hand out with a lot of condensed information, she will walk us through what the geologists and paleontologists are telling us about the changes the earth and the life upon it have gone through.  The story is written in the rocks and the life forms that have been preserved in rock.   We will first take a big walk through time from the formation of the earth 4 1/2 billion years ago to the appearance of humans to get the overall picture.   Then we will focus in on the Geologic Time Scale and the Periods that have been identified based primarily on the fossil record...in other words, the history of life.  It all got started with bacteria and it is thanks to the bacteria that life survived the very turbulent and wild changes that this very amazing earth has gone through.Montana, on the other side of the divide, is a great place to look for fossils.  There was an inland sea in which many kinds of marine animals lived.  Jill got hooked after going on a guided hike up to a ridge on the front range several years ago where she found specimens of ancient corals, ancient squids, clams and brachiopods, a piece of an ammonite and a section of a marine reptile.   Jill will share some of the resources that can help you join in the fun of looking for fossils.  There are geology maps that you can learn to read, once you have a handle on the Periods of the time scale, which can guide you to new discoveries.  There are also many useful books.     

Come join Bitterroot Audubon Monday, February 17, for this wonderful adventure into our greatest history, the History of the Earth. 7:00 P.M. at the Forest Service Building in Hamilton to learn about this wonderful adventure into our greatest history, the history of the Earth. The FS Building is at the north end of Hamilton, 1801 North 1st Street, west side of HWY 93. Enter the building on the west side. The Public is invited. Contact Kay Fulton, 360-8664, for more information.