ANCIENT FOSSILS

Welcome back my friends. This one is stacked! We got fossils, we got snail mail, we got poetry, we got it all! So come on in, take your time, and enjoy. I’ll see ya out there.

THE CATSKILLS tell a great geological story of a vanished world, a story that is written into the rocks themselves.

If we traveled back 419 to 358 million years ago, we would find ourselves in an unrecognizable landscape. A time known as the Devonian Period or “Age of Fishes,” a pivotal chapter in our planet’s history.

Our rugged mountains had yet to emerge, for much of the land was beneath shallow tropical waters, known as the Catskill Sea and the Catskill Delta. This was a diverse landscape of vast coral reefs, swamps, murky deltas, floodplains, and even early forests.

Over millions of years, the storms and sea-level rises would bury organic remains, compressing them into the sandstone, shale, and limestone strata.

Today, if you know how and where to look, and with a little luck, you can find the remnants of this distant past. Often when the fly fishing gets slow, I walk the river banks, eyes down, scanning the shores. I became half decent at spotting the “odd rock” that sticks out and more often than not, I find one specific type of fossil.

Dominating the Catskills’ fossil records are brachiopods — small resilient marine invertebrates that covered the Devonian seafloor. Often mistaken for clams, they featured two asymmetric shells, typically both convex and concave, that hinged at the rear. These creatures would anchor down, and extend a lophophore (kinda like a coiled tentacle) to strain plankton and nutrients from the currents.

Some of the more notable species included Mucrospirifer mucronatus, with its distinctive winged shape and prominent growth lines; Spinocyrtia granulosa, adorned with granular spines for camouflage or defense; and Megakozlowskiella perlamellosa, exhibiting finely layered shells up to 3 centimeters long. Their fossils are now often found in clusters which reflect thriving communities in the once nutrient-rich waters.

However, the Devonian layers also reveal a rich tapestry beyond brachiopods, showcasing an interconnected ecosystem. A world where armor-scaled Placoderms prowled the waters and Trilobites scavenged the seafloor — where early tetrapods began to migrate from water to land, where the world’s earliest true woodlands emerged.

You can see this history on display at the renowned Gilboa Fossil Forest, which exposes 387 million-year-old stumps of Eospermatopteris trees and fern-like Gilboaphyton, evidence of the dawn of wooded landscapes.

These remnants not only reconstruct the vanished world to inform contemporary science, but also transform everyday life into journeys through time — offering a deeper appreciation for our shared heritage, and a reminder to look down and to remember, because you never know what you may find.

The Winter Quarterlies continues to ship out and are making their way to your mailboxes. If you want one, you can get it here.

CONTRIBUTED BY BRUCE BENNETT

The mountains once again remember
Their cold and frigid friend
Ice and snow blow with the name
Of winter past the river’s bend
Across the peaks and through the pines
The cold and dark have come
Coyotes howl through the night
Winter’s return has come

Reservations close in a few hours for the Catskill Crew Dinner Club in Hudson.

Then, the matchmaking process begins, and you’ll find out where you’re dining and where the afterparty will be happening. So take the quiz, get matched, and come out to meet some new friends. You can book your seat here!

Stop by the PROVISIONS SHOP and pick up your Catskill-opoly, Catskill Puzzles, merch, and more. OPEN 24/7

Keep print alive with the Crew Quarterly, a seasonal snail mail club. I’ll plant a tree for each letter sent. Winter Edition Shipping Now

WANT TO PARTNER WITH CATSKILL CREW? LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE.

Last week’s Scramble: SNOWSHOE

PROPERTY: Lighthouse Bluff

PETS: Onyx the pup, Sabrina the cat, and Big Boy — another sugar glider!

SKY: With the New Moon approaching, there is a good opportunity to spot Orion’s Sword. Look for the vertical line of three stars: 42 Orionis, Theta Orionis, and Iota Orionis. Together, they make an asterism known as Orion’s Sword.

SIGHTINGS: Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)

Catskill Crew is 100% free to read, independently owned, and locally operated (heck, it’s just me).

Your contributions go toward keeping the Crew going so we can have more fun, build more community, and not have each edition filled with ads. I appreciate any and all support my friends! - Michael

ADD AN EVENT

Why is it so quiet, come on people, let’s do something.

Avalon Lounge, Catskill – StretchMetal presents: Drone Rodeo ft. Errant Space & Grayson in the Mirror at 8pm explore

Brunette, Kingston – Justin Taylor Paperback Launch at 7pm take a look

Colony, Woodstock – Jay Collins & The Northern Resistance at 7pm donations are welcome

Rough Draft, Kingston – Game Night at 5:30pm

The Pines, Mt. Tremper – Music Night with Big Red Flag at 7pm enjoy

Tubby’s, Kingston – Jackson and the Janks, Willis Ross and Chloe Swantner at 7pm get tix

The Half Moon, Hudson – Karaoke at 8pm

Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre, Hurleyville – Wooden Canvas Stencil Painting at 6pm tickets

Left Bank Cider, Catskill – Community Soup Night at 5pm see more

Return Brewing, Hudson – Ric’s Rodeo Line Dance Night at 7pm giddy up

Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown – Trivia Thursdays at 6pm

Rough Draft, Kingston – Trivia at 6pm

Belvedere Inn, Stamford –  Karaoke at the Bell at 6pm join in 

Wire, Coxsackie – Booked on the Hudson: Readers Retreat & Book Fair at 12pm hell yeah more books

Full Moon, Big Indian – Psychedelic Apres-Ski not exactly sure whats going on here

Tinker Street Cinema, Woodstock – The Librarians at 7pm see more

Ashokan Center, Olivebridge – Jam-uary Weekend see schedule

Avalon Lounge, Catskill – Mercury In Gemini at 8pm discover

Keegan Ales, Kingston – Live tunes with Easy Money at 8pm

Skate Time, Accord – Tot Time at Night at 4pm kiddos

Tubby’s, Kingston – Myriam Gendron + Lucy Sante at 7pm get tix

Laugh It Up Comedy Club, Poughkeepsie – Tammy Pescatelli at 7pm tickets

Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre – MLK Day Tribute Free Community Film: Selma at 11am reserve your spot

Agroforestry Resource Center, Acra – New and Beginning Farmer Seminar at 9:30am discover

Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center, Oneonta – Catskills Energy Future at 2pm explore

Basilica Hudson, Hudson – Cate Le Bon at 8pm tickets

Community Theater, Catskill – Frankenhooker (with live drag horror host Glam Stroker) at 7pm tickets

Orpheum Performing Arts Center, Tannersville – Aquila Theatre presents The Hound of the Baskervilles at 7pm see show dates

G Spot, Cairo – Good Ole Country Music at 6pm check it out

Bearsville Theater, Woodstock – Housepitality: House Music on the Hudson at 7pm get tickets

Woodstock School of Art – This Is America Artist Talk: Destiny Arianna at 2pm details

Story Screen Cinema, Hudson – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Fundraiser for AnimalKind) at 2pm enjoy

Bovina Montessori – 2026 KidSkill Fund Winter Gala at 4pm take a look

Catskill Art Space, Livingston Manor – Richard Barlow, Lisa Crafts, Ellen Driscoll: Artists Talk and Opening Reception at 3pm check it out

Story Screen Cinema, Hudson – Jumanji OPEN CAPTION Screening & Fundraiser at 3pm tickets

West Kill Brewing, Kingston – DJ Tolten at 4pm

Divine Flow Boutique, East Durnham – Sound Bath at 5:15pm discover

C. Cassis, Rhinebeck – Book Swap at 1pm join around 

Brunette Wine Bar, Kingston – Shattered Wine Fair take a look

Rough Draft, Kingston – Mission Monday: Ulster County Immigrant Defense Network see more