Alan Goldstein knew what he wanted to do with his life much sooner than most. As a child, he collected rocks, minerals and fossils, and as an adult, he has turned his former hobby into a career.

Goldstein is an interpretive naturalist and resident fossil expert at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville. He leads school groups, plans events and writes. Goldstein also submits publications for magazines and other print media.

The Evening News and The Tribune sat down with Goldstein to discuss work, life and why he loves fossils for its weekly Q&A;



QUESTION: Most treasured object?

ALAN GOLDSTEIN: “I guess family doesn’t count. There are a lot of fossils and minerals I’ve collected over the years that I would never sell. I’ve also got some rare paleontology books that I use for identification.”

Q: Why fossils?

AG: “I’ve been interested in geology since I was 5. My interests cast a wide net — landscape origins (especially as observed from an airplane), fossils (mostly invertebrates — animals without backbones), minerals, etc.”

Q: Weekend routine?

AG: “Work in yard or around house. Occasionally, get out to collect fossils or minerals. Collecting for me is like fishing or sports for other folks. It is a way to relieve stress from the daily grind.”

Q: Typical day at work?

AG: “A lot of computer work — e-mail (lots), writing, planning exhibits, events and the like. [I] Work with school groups quite a bit. I’m now working on plans for new exhibits.”

Q: What is always with you?

AG: “My ability to identify rocks and fossils.”

Q: Best place to find fossils other than the Falls?

AG: “We live in a great area to find fossils. The area around Taylorsville is full of them. There are dozens of fossil localities within a one hour radius of the Falls of the Ohio. Some are road cuts — outcrops that were exposed by road construction. Others are on private property.”

Q: Oldest fossil you have in the collection? What is it?

GOLDSTEIN: “In the park’s collections we have Precambrian stromatolites that are around 2 billion years old from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.”

Q: Procrastination technique?

GOLDSTEIN: “Forgetfulness — I’m lucky to remember to get a pen and paper to write something down.”

Q: Perfect day?

GOLDSTEIN: “To paraphrase a bumper sticker, a [bad] day fossil or mineral collecting is better than a good day at work.”

Q: Talent you wish you had?

GOLDSTEIN: “Perhaps the patience to prepare fossils with exquisite detail”

Q: First fossil you ever found?

GOLDSTEIN: “No idea. I still have my first rock — a pickle-shaped piece of limestone I found when I was 5. I wouldn’t give it a moments notice today. I did trade for a trilobite with a neighborhood kid when I was 6. That is still in my collection.”

Q: Worst habit?

GOLDSTEIN: “Forgetfulness. It can be maddening.”

Q: Hero?

GOLDSTEIN: “My parents: My dad supported my interests. My mom put up with them. The back yard was a big laboratory for me.”

Q: Your major in college?

GOLDSTEIN: “Geology — although it took me a long time to declare a major. I completed a bachelor’s degree in 1982 at U of L back when they offered geology degrees. I got a master’s in teaching in 1989. My education is really geared to doing what I do today. I’ve found my ecological niche.”

Q: Obsession?

GOLDSTEIN: “Sharing knowledge: I love writing — I’ve written over a hundred articles in magazines, club newsletters, profession publications. I’ve won two awards for articles in mineralogy and interpretation.”

Q: Political cause?

GOLDSTEIN: “Unlike the rest of my family, while I’m interested on politics, I’m not politically active. I have voted in almost every primary and general election since I was old enough to vote. My daughter, a high school senior, is big on global climate change and CO2 emissions. She spent 10 days at Polar Teen Camp in Churchill, Manitoba, last year and it affected her dramatically.”

Q: Guilty pleasure?

GOLDSTEIN: “I love candy — especially red licorice. Unfortunately, my teeth don’t appreciate them as much as my tongue. And maybe I spend too much time working in the yard at the expense of what needs to be done in the house.”

Q: How did you end up at the Falls?

GOLDSTEIN: “I was working at the Louisville Science Center and was involved in a small way with the Clarksville Riverfront Foundation — the group getting the park established. I had been doing school programming for the LSC at the Falls. I have been interested in, and studied, Devonian fossils — especially the corals — for many years. I was interviewed for the naturalist position and hired when the building was turned over to the state from the general contractor. As I said, this is my ecological niche.”

Q: Inspiration?

GOLDSTEIN: “Being outdoors and in nature is inspirational. It can be looking up at the Milky Way in an inky black sky; walking through a meadow full of wildflowers or soaking up a giant waterfall; holding a 400 million-year-old shell or gazing through a telescope at a galaxy 100 million light years away is also inspirational.”

Q: Rainy-day activities?

GOLDSTEIN: “Cataloging my personal collections, reading, watching a movie, looking at micro-minerals through a microscope, e-mail — there is always plenty to do.”

Q: Strangest thing to wash up at the park?

GOLDSTEIN: “It didn’t really wash up, but we found a young caiman — a type of crocodile — that someone dropped off here. We kept it here for several years in a large aquarium in a back room. Eventually, it was too big to deal with and we found a home for it. Caiman never get use to people and shouldn’t be sold as “pets.’”

Q: Can’t live without?

GOLDSTEIN: “Electricity. I’m a product of modern society.”

Q: What you wanted to be when you grew up?

GOLDSTEIN: “I’m doing it!”

Q: Could “Jurassic Park” really happen?

GOLDSTEIN: “No.”

Q: Book your currently reading?

GOLDSTEIN: “I have only recently returned to reading novels after a hiatus of 25 years. Between home and work, I subscribe to a dozen magazines and journals and reading those fills enough time. With the power out for the last four days I’ve been reading by flashlight several John Grisham novels that Debbie [his wife] bought years ago. On a whim, I read the entire Harry Potter series (for the first time) in about 12 days in my spare time at the beginning of the month.”

Q: Superstitions?

GOLDSTEIN: “None. When I ‘knock on wood’ it is usually the top of my head.”

Q: Fantasy career?

GOLDSTEIN: “To be a professional multimillionaire so I can do what I want when I want. It would involve exploring this planet and outer space. I love to learn about those topics. My propensity for puns has people asking me why I’m not a comedian. My puns are spontaneous and situation-related — being a comedian would require too much planning.”

Q: Favorite archeology-related movie?

GOLDSTEIN: “I’m not into archaeology, but I’ve been partial to the Indiana Jones series. I do love adventure movies.”

Q: Personal philosophy?

GOLDSTEIN: “Everyone should enjoy the wonders of the outdoors. Or to put in another way — looking for fossils, stargazing and enjoying scenery will keep your mind active and neck limber.”

Q: Historical figure you’d like to meet?

GOLDSTEIN: “Gerard Troost — he was an early 19th century naturalist/geologist who lived at New Harmony in 1827 before moving to Nashville and becoming Tennessee’s first state geologist. Like me, Troost was interested in just about everything.

“He developed a true frontier museum and did a lot of research on Tennessee geology. Troost was an instrumental player in training his peers in field geology techniques that lead to discoveries and mapping the geology in the early history of the United States.

“The Louisville Science Center has his mineral collection — the second oldest in the country. As a result of working with his collection and its catalog, I created my own personal collection catalog and have been active in promoting the importance in documenting rocks, minerals and fossils.”