The ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting for November 2024 featured an interesting presentation by Jim Preslicka. His presentation was titled “Devonian Fossils From Independence”. Jim has a deep interest in cephalopods. The eastern Iowan deposit was discovered by the Blackhawk Gem and Mineral Society in 2007. A joint project between the BHGMS and the University of Iowa’s Paleontology Repository have uncovered many new and rare cephalopods at the locality.