Search the Community

Hey members, guests, novices and experts— Mr & I are planning to hunt (agates for him & fossils for me) in South Dakota within the next month. We spent two days at the Fairburn agate beds north of French Creek campground in Buffalo Gap National Grassland last August and brought home 100+ lbs of what we thought were Fairburn agates. Noobs! Nearly every one was just a basic prairie agate; however, we're ready to try again and hopefully get it right-er this time. If at first you don't succeed, then return with a bigger rock hammer. Am I right?! But I'll be on the hunt for fossils. If someone would enjoy sharing their local knowledge, I'd gladly pack some Ordovician treasures I've collected from the Galena Formation in southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa (think of TFF member Bev's finds) to show my sincere appreciation of your kindness, hospitality and generous spirit! With that said, I would greatly appreciate your help with one or all the following concerns and questions (numbered for ease in answering): 1) a clear description and examples of what fossils I can legally collect and corresponding limits, if applicable? 2) a clear description and examples of what fossils I am forbidden from collecting? 3) who to contact and what to expect if I think I've found something of paleontological significance (your giggles are appropriate here because the likelihood is somewhere between "When pigs fly!" and "Never-ever. Ever.")? 4) who to contact and what to expect if I think I've found something of archeological/cultural significance (again, chances are next to bupkis, but knowledge is power & I have so little [intentionally ambiguous])? 5) a clear description of where I can and cannot collect? 6) how to avoid trespassing by accident and methods to determine public from private property; are fences ever decorative or maybe intended only for livestock? 7) directions to possible collecting sites &/or possible fellow enthusiasts to contact? 8) best place for a marbled, aged steak grilled rare and where my fresh-from-the-dig fashion & primitive-camping aroma wouldn't offend other diners and ruin their night out? 9) …and any tips, equipment needs, tricks, shops worth exploring, warnings, hints, or advice you wish someone had shared with you, or you learned the hard way, or you'd care to provide so I can give you due credit when I find the next Sue or Stu and I've been asked whose information lead to my incredible discovery and who's the person I'm naming this new species after? We're tentatively planning on exploring the area around Fairburn, but with a minimum of four full days to explore, we are open to other locations offering possible cabochons, collectors' specimens or fossil hunting we can get to with our Jeep or comfortably walk in & out of. We enjoy the hunt, but aren't looking to dig a mine shaft. I'm happy to clarify or provide more info via private messaging on TFF &, if anyone is interested on what kinds of "thank you gifts" I can bring, I can shoot some pics to post in this thread if it would raise more enthusiasm! I'm very new at forum participation; so please advise if a different approach may have been more effective. Meanwhile I'll gather a few of my fossils I could use everyone's help to ID. Looking forward to finding fossils, connecting with other enthusiasts and forming new friendships! Your fellow rock-licker and proudly so for over 10 years— "HeyFromOwatonna" PS. I hope I did this a little bit right, but my apologies to the administrators in the likely event of any errors, omissions or breaches of protocol. The fault is entirely mine as I was too excited to read through all of the guidelines, which, I assure you, I will now patiently read.