The “Mastodon Matrix Project” has been a nearly all-volunteer project to collect and describe biotic components from late Quaternary
freshwater sediments at several New York State mastodon excavation sites, including sample collection and processing, sorting, and specimen
identification. At the Hyde Park mastodon excavation site, large bulk sediment samples (in five-gallon buckets) from above and around the
bones of a mastodon were used for a scientist-public research partnership. Nonspecialist groups such as K-12 school audiences participated in sorting small fossils (twigs, snails, clams, gravel, etc.) from one-kilogram bulk samples, and PRI adult volunteers and interns provided additional sorting, identification, and curation. The project was undertaken (1) to improve public and student understanding of science involved in the process of research, (2), to provide a taxonomic reference collection of late Pleistocene materials, and (3) to generate additional scientific data on biotic materials, including a broader inventory of flora and fauna than would have been available otherwise. Data is analyzed in this study to estimate the degree of noise and bias in the data and to determine the degree to which such data reflect “true” natural patterns. The samples are also analyzed for (a) the degree to which the molluscan data are consistent with expected stratigraphic position of the samples, (b) similarity in results of seed and molluscan data to “expert” data from cores at the site, and (c) internal consistency in assemblage composition among samples from the site and from the same buckets. It is readily apparent that teachers and students participate enthusiastically and that large reference collections can be generated. After samples are returned, however, additional sorting and curation is necessary for consistency in sorting among participating groups. Total abundances of categories of components (total mollusks, twigs, seeds, etc.) vary depending on student recognition of specimens as objects of interest, thoroughness with which students pick out specimens from the sediment, and probably sample processing techniques. Relative abundance of taxa within a particular taxonomic group, such as freshwater mollusks and seeds, however, does seem consistent among most samples from the site, and relative abundance of mollusks is roughly what one would expect from samples collected at roughly the stratigraphic position of the mastodon skeleton. Identification of selected materials was carried out by volunteers, and seed types were identified that have not been identified from other studies; many specimens of various other taxa remain unstudied by specialists. Having worked through the entire process, which evolved organically in response to teacher and volunteer interest, it is now possible to better map the structure and labor for such projects to maximize likelihood of success both for scientific and educational objectives.

Ross, R.M., F. Allaby, C.S. Buckler, E.Y. Butler, D. Gabreski, L Paciulli, K.J. Gremillion, W.D. Allmon, 2008.  The Hyde Park Mastodon Matrix Project, with particular reference to the mollusks and seeds.  Pp 111-134, in: Mastodon Paleobiology, Taphonomy, and Paleoenvironment in the Late Pleistocene of New York State:  Studies on the Hyde Park, Chemung, and North Java Sites, W.D. Allmon & P.L. Nester (eds), Paleontographica Americana 61.