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By Lee McKay

Field paleontologist Phil Peck cleans a fossil from the Fairmead landfill dig site Thursday. Peck is hoping people interested in paleontology will volunteer to clean and catalog the more than 1,000 items at the library.

Photo by: Glenna Jarvis

Field Paleontologist Phil Peck, who has been working at the Fairmead landfill paleontology site since September, is asking for volunteers to help clean fossils and get them ready for exhibit.

Since the discovery of the Fossils in May l993, findings as tiny as a tooth and as large as a mammoth tusk have been unearthed, and are accumulating in areas all over California. Some have been moved to the University of Berkeley, more are still at the dig site, and still others are being stored at the Chowchilla fairgrounds. Several have been moved to the old library on Yosemite Avenue.

To protect the fossils, it is imperative that they be cleaned, identified and catalogued in preparation for exhibition in the museum, of which plans are underway.

Peck is looking for people who are detailed oriented, can use their hands working with a toothbrush and dental pick, and are patient enough to sit for long hours clearing dirt from the fossils and bones. Those who enjoy building models are excellent for this type of work, he said.

Peck also said that when the weather warms up, it's possible that volunteers may be trained to work at the actual dig site.

Computer operators are needed to help prepare a data base of the fossils and other important information, he said.

Peck will train and work with all volunteers who are willing to learn the process. Hours are flexible and any person of high school age or older is welcome to volunteer.

"This dig site is unique," Phil said. "We know the findings are older than those at LaBrae (tar pits). That's why we're looking for volunteers who have a real interest in the subject. (Tour guides) and staff will be needed when the museum is open, too."

Phil is employed by AMEC, an earth environmental company, and sub-contracted by the waste management company who runs the landfill. His job is to excavate the fossils as the waste management personnel dig the cells in which garbage will be buried.

When the weather is clear he is at the dig site searching for more fossils. During the rainy season, or when the area is to wet to walk, he is at the old library, where he removes the fossils from their jackets of burlap and plaster.

The Fairmead site is one of the largest in the country, and the only place with such a wide range of species, Peck said. So far, more than 30 species have been identified, including ground sloths, the Colombian Mammoth, pronghorn, Armbruster's Wolf, the Sabertooth Cat and the Scimitar Cat.

Peck said the fossils date back as far as 750,000 years.

Those interested in volunteering can call the Madera County Library and leave a message for Peck through Head Librarian Linda Sitterding. That number is 675-7873.