HIDDEN HOMETOWN HEROES of History
Who: Becky Barnes, Clint Boyd, and Jeff Person What: Paleontologist and Lab Manager, Senior Paleontologist and Curator, and Paleontologist and Collections Manager for the ND Geological Survey Why: Imagine uncovering a species no human has ever laid eyes on before. For Becky, Clint, and Jeff, this is not simply a wish, but something they have all done multiple times. “That’s got to be the most exciting thing, when you find something no one has ever seen before, especially the realization that no human has ever seen or touched this type of animal before, and you get to be the first person to do it,” describes Clint. Passion for what they study and the history they are preserving underlies all the work these three do, from working in the field uncovering new fossils, to restoring and preserving them in the lab, to giving tours and educating others on North Dakota’s pre-history. “I feel like I’m a very small part of history,” explains Becky. “I enjoy the aspect of being a care-taker of that history as well as sharing that knowledge and history and pre-history with other people. A lot of people have no idea what went on millions of years ago below our feet in ND, and it’s so fun being able to share some of that and seeing people’s eyes light up and understand all the things that they never knew and all the things that could be." Clint and Jeff share Becky’s passion. “We enjoy the job that we do, it’s fun for us, but when you do think about the impact that you’re having, that’s what we’re trying to do, to make sure that these non-replaceable aspects of all of our shared history don’t get lost to time and that we can recover as many of them as possible,” explains Clint. Ensuring the history of ND can be shared with everyone is one of the most important aspects of their jobs. “I have my job because I believe these specimens, these fossils belong to all of us,” says Jeff. “It’s not a private collection. That’s why I work for the state. I do the things that I do for that exact reason. They belong to all of us, and I do the things I do to preserve these things for future generations."
Want More? www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs
Vote for the Scheels Hidden Hometown Heroes at www.northwoodsleague.com/bismarck-larks from May 2-20.
24 BISMARCK MAGAZINE | MAY-JUNE 2022
