Richie
has a long history of obtaining fossils the old fashioned
way, by hunting then. This now (these old timers are fading
away in the post genomic world) odd behavior began when he
was a young boy growing up in suburban, Northern New Jersey
There he collected fossils from the open, cleared fields of
weathered rocks dropped off by retreating Pleistocene glaciers.
Thus began his lifetime fascination with fossils and paleontology.
Over the subsequent decades, he has hunted fossils in over
20 American states and in different provinces of Canada. He
was out there whenever possible.
Richie
describes the Internet as having opened a new frontier of
discovery, where he could easily and readily interact with
like-minded people. First he started "Richie's Rocks,"
a paleo-trading site. Through this vehicle, he made many new
acquaintances, and expanded his parochial collection to a
world wide one. This led shortly to Pangaea Fossils in 2001,
a commercial on-line fossil boutique. Here he was able to
share with the world some of the rarities and hard to find
fossils he had accumulated.
Having
both commercial and academic interests in fossils led him
to initiate an educational and informational organization,
The Western
Trilobite Association in 2003. One of the primary goals
of this association was to find common ground / synergy between
the often conflicting interests of amateur and commercial
collectors and the academic community. In this endeavor, he
expresses finding considerable success. The WTA has now generated
a flow of shared discoveries, field research and even co-authorship
in research papers.
In
2006, Pangaea joined the Fossil Mall. Richie says, “It's
a pleasure to work with these other enthusiasts with such
rich scientific knowledge, and with whom I share so many common
values and interests. This is a first class organization with
science and integrity as common shared values. The collection
of worldwide and world class fossils found at the Fossil Mall
website is truly astonishing.”
|
