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IMHO, if you set up a date and time to meet someone who is taking their time and effort to take you around to collecting sites in their area, and you can not make the appointed meeting at least have the courtesy to call them and let them know you won't be there.

Hello All. I have been working in southern Arizona for a few months with no fossil fix, but I will be returning to the east coast at the beginning of April. The Tucson show was great but it's just not the same as finding your own material. I will be going through Alabama on Interstate 20 to Birmingham and then heading north to Tennessee, and beyond, on either I-65 or I-59. Are there any locations within an hour of where I will be traveling where either Ptychodus teeth or Hardouinia echinoids can be found? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Ron

Trying to arrange a trip to Gold Point, Ammonite Canyon, Fossil Hill and Canyon this April. Going after trilobites, ammonites, insects, plant material. Anyone interested in going as a small group 4 cars or less?

I have made some posts but I didn't have time to introduce myself. I like fossil hunting, It's my passion. I have a big fossil collection which I study and learn things from. I have posted about fossils that I have found and bought. "Without fossils we wouldn'the ever had known that all those prehistoric creatures ever existed". Hope you'all like fossils as much as I do.

I have not run across many San Diego based fossil collectors who go out regularly. I am out 2-3 times a week and am always exploring new "legal" areas to potentially collect from. Besides the occasional trips to the desert, anyone know of San Diego based fossil organizations or people who are active field collectors?

Hello, I have a friend who is interested in paleontology (she wants to be a paleontologist), but has yet to actually go fossil hunting. I hope to take her during Spring Break (which for me is the week before Easter). I was wondering if anyone could give suggestions for fossil collecting sites that are 1-3 hours away from Omaha? I am willing to drive to the NE/KS border, up to Niobrara, or a bit to the west. Since we are amateurs, we are limited as to what we can legally collect (we can collect shark teeth, shells, invertebrates, plants, and fish). I really enjoy collecting petrified wood, and I have more than a dozen small pieces that I have found among river rock on my family's property. When I was younger, I believe I went to Pawnee County and found Brachiopods with my grandma's cousin, Roger Pabian. My friend is open to finding anything, but she is eager to be able to call herself an amateur paleontologist. Ashfall Fossil Beds is a neat place (went when I was really little, but I barely remember it). They do NOT allow fossil collecting at all in the park, so it would just be a stop where we could learn and see an active site. Any suggestions for a couple amateurs?

The next Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2015 celebrated "NATURA - Autumn Edition-" traditional contest with more than 36 years old in Madrid. "NATURA - Autumn Edition-" It is a unique exhibition and a classic of the cultural offer in Madrid, with the dissemination of science through admiration and/or acquisition of their natural objects from their different approaches and possibilities ideas and materials for interior decoration and exterior; teaching materials for educational centers; minerals, shells, fossils, insects, meteorites, etc., for a formative collecting; gifts original and unique; courses and naturalistic excursions, etc. This exposicion of natural objects, with the presence of more than fifty national exhibitors and other European countries is usual appointment not only fans from Madrid to this fascinating topic, but many others from all points of the country. Natura is one of the most important exhibitions of the European circuit and imperative appointment on the calendar next to fairs as St.Marie Mineral in St. Marie Aux Mines (France) and Munich (Germany). Nature is like a great Museum of natural sciences, distributed on stands, where we can observe and/or acquire all the news of this wonderful world. "Natura" Autumn Edition - 2015, will also feature the traditional daily giveaways of natural objects, valued at 3,000 attendees. "NATURA" AUTUMN EDITION - 2015 Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2015 Hotel Convención Street O’Donnell , 53 – Madrid(SPAIN) Uninterrupted schedule of 11 to 21 hours Admission: €2; under 14 and third age: €1 Web : ( http://www.eventosnaturalistas.com/home/) Web Facebook: ( www.facebook.com/eventosnaturalistas?ref=bookmarks )

This is just a guide to people who want to collect microfossils and don't want to spend a lot of money. This topic includes foraminifera,conodonts,ostracods,scolecodonts,and misc. mini fossils mainly too small to see without magnification. It will not be all encompassing, mostly for the beginners. A) Collecting; If you happen to live in an area that has a lot of shale/clay then you are in luck. The Ordovician and the Devonian both have lots of microfossils. Just gather up a bag of clay from between the rock layers. Soak the clay in a big bowl , crush it up with your hands, and slowly decant the clay (pour it off slowly), refill the bowl and repeat until the water turns clear. This may take numerous washings. What you have will have micros in it most likely. Dry the residue, if it is clean,it will not clump together if it sticks together too much, wash it some more. Then sieve the residue through at least 2 sieves one with door screen size openings and the other fine mesh (women's hose, or if you're Joe Namenth, your own hose ) Then look at the smaller material with at least 20x magnification and see what you find. The areas with sandy materials just usually have to be dried and sieved (Cenezoic, Cretaceous stuff) Cretaceous marls can be treated like clays for the most part. I don't usually deal with hard rocks, they require an acid to break down, too much work and mess for me. Materials: Sieves Fossil mounts Magnifiers Sorting tools C) Sieves can be as cheap or as expensive as you are willing to spend. The ones I will show you how to make will cost under$10. They are made from cardboard cylinders and needle point hoops and mesh. Most of which can be found in your local hobby store. The pix tell the story. I use door screen for the coarse sieve and hose/mosquito netting for the fine. You can buy a 4" plastic with brass mesh 5 piece sieve set from geologic/materials testing supply stores on line, about $40-50 a set. The advantage to these is you can wash the matrix directly through the sieves saving time. D) Fossil storage You can buy microfossil storage slides on the net from scientific supply houses for $4-7 each. The ones I use cost about a $1, and you can customize them to what you collect. I but plastic coin holders from hobby shops 2x3" and 11/2" square. I print my own lable inserts I printed using Excell to get the size needed. You may use my included for if you wish and it will print clear enough for you. If you figure out how to make money off this idea I want a cut. End of part 1

Hello, I am nearing the end of my stay in Tulsa this summer and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good outcrop locations to go collecting at? I found one shale outcrop near Keystone Dam but I haven't been fortunate in finding anything else in the area - there just seems to not be enough relief and vegetation grows too quickly. I'm not looking for anything in particular, but teeth, trilobites, cephalopods, and brachiopods would be pretty neat. The river is running extremely high (still) and I don't see any places that I could walk the sand bars looking for artifacts and Pleistocene fossils. I would also like to stay within about a 10-20-mile radius of Tulsa, as my trips to the outcrops will only happen after work in the afternoon. Thanks for your help!

Found this crazy all in one demo hammer at home improvement store yesterday and bought it right away. It looks like it will do many things and has the heft of a small sledge.

What's up people, I am new to this so bear with me. I am venturing to Wyoming in the near future by truck and was wondering what type of potential collecting sites I could stop at along the way? South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming fossil collecting sites would be greatly appreciated. As I will be traveling by truck, I will make multiple stops along the way to break the monotony of driving. Fee or free, I just need places to collect along the way. I am open to just about any type of fossil collecting, hunting and exploring so feel free to suggest anything. I appreciate it, bones

Wondering if fossils could be damaged by prolonged sun exposure. Should collections be placed away from the sun rays?

The next 7, 8 and 9 December is celebrated "NATURA 2012- Autumn Edition ", traditional contest with more than 32 years old in Madrid(Spain) "Natura" Edition autumn 2012 is a classic of the cultural offer in Madrid, with disclosure of natural sciences through admiration and/or acquisition of its natural objects from their different approaches and possibilities; ideas and materials for interior decoration and exterior; teaching materials for educational centers; minerals, shells, fossils, etc., for a formative collectibles; gift ideas for original and unique; courses and naturalistic excursions, and much more...This exhibition of natural objects, with the presence of fifty national exhibitors, and other European countries is a classic and cites common not only of fans from Madrid to this fascinating topic, but other many who come from all over the country.Natura is one of the most important exhibitions of the European circuit and essential appointment in the calendar together with fairs as St.Marie Mineral in St. Marie Aux Mines (France) and Munich (Germany). In this new edition will count on the collaboration of the ever Gemological Institute it will occupy a stand near the entrance of the exhibition and in which it will be cutting workshops, carving and polishing of precious stones and gems recognition.Also will be identified and kilograms all the minerals, fossils and shells than the audience request.This year the Organization "NATURA 2012- Autumn Edition ", will give to the first 4,000 visitors with a beautiful copy of mineral or fossil will also have the traditional daily draws for natural objects valued at 3,000 attendees APPOINTMENT in: "NATURA 2012- Autumn Edition " 7,8 and 9 December 2012 Hotel Convencion Street / O'Donnell, 53 - Madrid –SPAIN Uninterrupted hours of 11 am to 9 pm Admission: € 2; under age 14 and older: 1€ fbmcomunicacion@telefonica.net Let me show pics of others editions