A GUIDEBOOK FOR THE REPUBLIC FOSSIL FLORA

The latest early Eocene Republic flora of northeastern Washington State occurs at a site with public access facilitated by the Stonerose Interpretive Center and Eocene Fossil Site in Republic (Ferry County) Washington (http://www.stonerosefossil.org/) For over two decades families, school groups and individuals with an interest in natural history have come to Republic to enjoy digging and finding extraordinary plant and insect fossils. They identify these fossils largely through the assistance of the Stonerose staff and knowledgeable volunteers like the late Wes Wehr who published a series of papers for the public in Washington Geology, a journal of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Formal taxonomic literature including Wolfe and Wehr's 1987 monograph is helpful but has not been generally accessible to the public. A recent morphotyping project available online through the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture provides photos and short descriptions however, this resource is designed primarily as a means for interpreting paleoclimate and its taxonomic utility is limited. For these reasons we are developing an illustrated guidebook of the Republic flora. This volume is being designed to be user-friendly to the public, with color images, taxonomic keys, and brief descriptions in lay terms of around 50 leaves, fruits, cones, and seeds commonly found and/or of special note. The introduction will provide information on the geology and fossils of Republic and a brief discussion of naming fossil plants. The first question anyone asks when they find their first Republic fossil is 'what is this?" With this guidebook we can help Stonerose "diggers" answer this question themselves.