Colorado Scientific Society – Earth Sciences since 1882
The oldest scientific society in the Rocky Mountain region
Founded in 1882, the Colorado Scientific Society promotes knowledge, the understanding of science, and its application to human needs. We focus primarily on earth science, welcoming members with interests in all fields of science. Learn more.
Membership dues paid in November and December also apply to the following year.
Social Media accounts for Colorado Scientific Society
Instagram (@coloradoscientificsociety) Bluesky (@coloradoscientific) We will post announcements like meetings, talks, field trips, and student opportunities on these sites.Future Colorado Scientific Society Meetings and Field Trips
We normally hold monthly meetings from September through May. Our meetings are normally now both in-person and virtual.CSS March Meeting
Mitigation Paleontology in CDOT’s Environmental Program
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Dr. Nicole Peavey, Staff Paleontologist at the Colorado Department of Transportation
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden, enter off 14th Street
All are welcome – no admission charge
6:30 pm – Social time begins
6:45 pm – Join Zoom meeting, if attending remotely
7:00 PM – Meeting starts.
Please arrive early. Church doors are locked, and you must text someone to get in after 7:00 pm.
The details about attending the meeting in person at the Golden Calvary Church follow the details about the talk.
Mitigation Paleontology in CDOT’s Environmental Program
Mitigation paleontology entails the recovery and conservation of fossils that are threatened by human activities, including ground disturbance, vandalism, and poaching. Those activities have resulted in the recovery and preservation of countless scientifically significant fossils worldwide. The mission of the Paleontology Program at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is to collect, preserve and facilitate the scientific study of important fossils and associated geologic and paleontological data that might otherwise be damaged or destroyed by road construction and maintenance throughout Colorado. Dr. Peavey will describe her work with environmental policy related to paleontology, fossil resources preservation, and project impact mitigation.
Speaker Background:
Dr. Nicole Peavey is the staff paleontologist at the Colorado Department of Transportation, an unusual job made possible by a quirk of Colorado law and the rich fossil resources of the Centennial State. As part of the department’s Environmental Programs Branch, she works with other scientists and specialists to ensure that CDOT follows the rules that protect and manage our natural resources throughout the state of Colorado.
Education:
BA in Geology: Whitman College, Walla Walla WA
MS in Geosciences & Vertebrate Paleontology: Fort Hays State University of Kansas
Ph.D in Geosciences; Texas Tech University: Lubbock TX<
More information about Nicole at Nicole Peavey — Museum of the Earth
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church Golden
All are welcome – no admission charge
6:30 pm – Social time begins at Calvary Church Golden. Enter off 14th St.
6:45 pm – Join Zoom meeting, if attending remotely
7:00 PM – Meeting starts.
Please arrive early. Church doors are locked, and no one will be at the door to let you in after 7:00 pm./p>
1320 Arapahoe St, Golden, CO 80401
Click on link to open a Google map.
Enter off 14th St., going in via the main glass doors on 14th St.
Do not enter the old church above 13th St.
Go through building following the CSS signs to the Community Rooms 1 and 2, where we meet.
The church doors must stay locked, and we will have a person to let you in at the doors off 14th St.
They want to see the presentation too, so please arrive before 7:00 pm.
There will be a phone number that you can text to be let in if you arrive late.
Parking
On street parking is available close by, west of Washington Ave in downtown Golden. The “Public Parking” NE of the Church is free for registered church members but not for us. Lowest parking rate is $5.75 for three hours; one pays using a QR code shown on signs there. For that parking rate, it says one is supposed to park on the upper (roof top) level. When driving uphill (southwest) on 14th St, the rooftop entrance is the 2nd entrance to the parking structure, immediately before the church.
For free parking: 14th Street usually has parking within a block of the entrance to the Church. Coming from the north (CO 93) or northeast (CO 58, between North and South Table Mountains), come southeast on Washington Street, turn right (southwest) on 13th Street, Turn left on Cheyenne St. Go up the hill and turn right on 14th Street. Park on your right.
Coming from the east or or southeast on US 6 (6th Ave.), exit US 6 onto 19th St. going NE. Turn left on Illinois St. Go through the Mines campus and turn right on 14th St. If you can, park NE of Cheyenne St.
When 14th Street is full, Mines may have scheduled an event.
There is Golden city parking southwest of downtown Golden. This is downhill from (northwest of) the Church in the half block between 13th and 12th streets, between Arapahoe St. on the SW and Miners Alley on the NE. There is usually space here. The Foss Lot (SE half of the parking area) is private and says “Paid Parking”. The public Arapahoe Lot (NW half of the parking area) says “Paid Parking 7-5” and should be free.
To get to the meeting, go up the hill along the church by Arapahoe St.
You can also find parking in the streets below (north of) the Church and west of downtown Golden.
Copies of The Geology of Boulder County by Raymond Bridge (2004) will be available for $20.
CSS April Meeting
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Dr. Eric Roberts, Colorado School of Mines, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
All are welcome – no admission charge
6:30 pm – Social time begins
6:45 pm – Join Zoom meeting, if attending remotely
7:00 PM – Meeting starts.
Please arrive early. Church doors are locked, and you must text someone to get in after 7:00 pm.
The link to Join CSS April Meeting via Zoom will be added here
Dr. Eric Roberts
Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering
Director, Potential Gas Agency
I am a sedimentary geologist who works on Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins, and maintains close links with industry, as well as vertebrate paleontologists, to better place the continental sedimentary record into a robust stratigraphic and tectonic context.
Research Interests
- Basin analysis, energy exploration and sedimentary geology with a focus on Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins in Gondwana and North America
- U-Pb geochronology and sedimentary provenance analysis
- Critical minerals and resources, including Helium and Hydrogen exploration
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir and seal characterization
- Global energy transitions
- Continental ichnology
- Vertebrate paleontology/paleoanthropology with a focus on stratigraphy, dating, taphonomy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Skills and Expertise:
Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Palaeoecology, Tectonics, Sequence Stratigraphy, Geology, Sedimentary Basins, Sediments, Evolution, Field Geology
CSS Special Topical Session
Greenland:
A geocitizen’s introduction to its bedrock geology and glacial history
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Benson Hall, CU Boulder campus and via Zoom
Dr. Flemming Mengel, Geological Sciences, CU Boulder
Dr. Bradley Markle, Geological Sciences & INSTAAR, CU Boulder
Then click the + in the top menu bar to zoom in.
Thanks to Jim Paces for finding the map.
Lecture Highlights:
Greenland has recently been at the center of geopolitical discussions due to its strategic location and potential natural resources. Both natural and human resources of the world’s largest island will become increasingly important as warming climates allow greater habitation, increased mineral exploitation, new shipping routes, and heightened geopolitical relevance. Yet the geologic and glacial histories of Greenland remain underappreciated by many in the geoscience community. To achieve a better informed geocitizenry, Drs. Flemming Mengel and Bradley Markle will provide an overview of the 3.8 Ga geotectonic evolution of the crust underlying the world’s second largest continental ice sheet, the conditions that lead to its current glacial state, and what that ice can inform us about earth’s past and future climates.
Speakers
Dr. Flemming Mengel, Geological Sciences, CU Boulder
Dr. Flemming Mengel has worked extensively on the tectonic evolution of west Greenland and Labrador during and after receiving his PhD at Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1988. He has published widely on tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian orogen. He also has years of experience in conventional and unconventional oil and gas plays focused in Rocky Mtn basins. He is currently a lecturer at CU Boulder.
Dr. Bradley Markle, Geological Sciences & INSTAAR, CU Boulder
Dr. Bradley Markle studies Earth’s climate system, how it works, and how it changes through time. His research specialties include isotope biogeochemistry; paleoclimate and climate dynamics, particularly in the high latitudes. He uses those tools to investigate geochemical proxy records and models of paleoclimate and climate dynamics. He received his PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle, in 2017 and currently holds positions in the CU Boulder Geosciences department and the Institute for Arctic & Alpine Research.
Keywords Greenland; geologic evolution; mineral resources, ice sheet; paleoclimate
Flyer for Greenland Geology_and Glaciology (PDF)
CSS May Meeting
Thursday, May 26, 2026
Speaker TBD
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
CSS Past Presidents’ Dinner and September Meeting
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Karen Chin, University of Colorado, Boulder Geological Sciences and CU Museum of Natural History
Dinner and Talk at Mount Vernon Canyon Club
Dr Karen Chin
Research
My research investigates the structure and dynamics of ancient ecosystems–particularly those of the Mesozoic Era (about 65 to 250 million years ago). I am interested in how ancient communities of organisms differed from modern ecosystems in composition and organization. Much of my work focuses on tapping information available in permineralized coprolites (fossil feces), but I also examine other trace and body fossils. My work focuses on understanding interactions among ancient organisms, and deducing the environmental conditions in which these organisms lived and were fossilized. I use a multidisciplinary approach by examining geological, biological, and chemical characteristics of fossils and compare the fossil evidence with modern ecosystems to derive paleoecological interpretations.
Keywords
paleoecology, ichnology (trace fossils), petrographic and chemical analyses of fossils, coprolites, dinosaur diets
Research Interests
Primary: Paleontology and Paleobiology, Geobiology
Secondary: Geochemistry, Paleoclimate and Paleoceanography
Education & Training:
Ph.D., University of California at Santa Barbara 1996
CSS October Meeting
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Dr. Josh Lively, Curator of Paleontology
Utah State University Eastern, Prehistoric Museum
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
Speaker
Joshua Lively, Ph.D., is the Curator of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum in Price, Utah. His main research interest is the spatial and temporal change in ecosystems – both freshwater and marine – during the Late Cretaceous, or last 34 million years of the Age of Dinosaurs. Lively’s specialties include turtles and mosasaurs, as both groups are well represented in the fossil record. He has spent the last 15 years conducting fieldwork in Utah and beyond.
CSS November Meeting
Poster Night
Thursday, November 19, 2026
For Students and Early Career Earth Scientists
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
CSS December Pot Luck Dinner and Past President’s Address
December, 2026
Speaker Amy Atwater, Director of Paleontology, Friends of Dinosaur Ridge
and current President of the Colorado Scientific Society
More details coming
Please pay your CSS dues for 2026!
You may pay dues online or print out a PDF of the membership form and mail it to us with a check. Continuing your membership in CSS will enable us to continue all our ongoing programs, including our field trips, virtual meetings, Student Research Grants, and more. See Membership and Donations for the CSS membership PDF and our online membership payment form. Regular CSS Membership is $25; Student Membership, $5; Life Membership, $395. Send your membership payment, if not done through our online membership payment form, to Colorado Scientific Society P.O. Box 150495 Lakewood, CO 80215-0495. Thank you! New and renewal memberships in November and December are also good for the next year.Read past Colorado Scientific Society Newsletters
Archive of Past Colorado Scientific Society Meetings Including video recordings of most meetings
About the Colorado Scientific Society
The Colorado Scientific Society was founded in 1882 as a forum for the exchange of observations and ideas on the topics of earth science. Lecture topics largely focus on earth science, and are open to the public. In addition to our monthly lecture series, the society is also active in public service. We fund student research grants, construct and post signs that describe local geologic features, and organize and lead field trips. The Colorado Scientific Society normally meets on the third Thursday of the month from September through May. (In the summer months of June-August, too many members are out in the field.) 6:30 – Social time at in-person meetings 6:45 – Join Zoom meetings 7:00 – Meeting and Program begin
The Colorado Scientific Society is an Associated Society of the Geological Society of America
Please send comments about the Colorado Scientific Society website to ColoSciSoc.webmaster@gmail.com .
We meet at the Calvary Church in Golden and appreciate them sharing their facilities.
We have our December Business Meeting and Potluck Supper at New Terrain Brewing Company and appreciate their support.
