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Last month in an effort to relieve some of the late summer boredom, I went to Yankeetown to search the spoil islands at the mouth of the river. I was specifically looking for limestone cobbles that might be protecting examples of the large Eocene sand dollar Periarchus floridanus. I've worked these islands a number of times before so my expectations were not high, but I had hoped the high tides since my last visit might have mixed things up a bit. I did find a couple cobbles with edges of sand dollars showing, but with obvious damage. Since I have nothing but extra time on my hands, I took them home and cleaned them up. I think they're still interesting, but not display pieces. Last week after Hurricane Ian, I drove out to Yankeetown again since that section of coast was spared any damage. This time I wanted to look at a chain of larger spoil islands at the mouth of the canal which is about 2 miles south of the mouth of the Withlacoochee. I had never tried there because of the long kayak trip. I walked the perimeter of three of the closest islands and was surprised at the lack of any echinoids at all. Very different from the islands at the mouth of the Withlacoochee. After 2 1/2 hours of searching, I found 1 cobble with a good indication. After only a couple hours of cleanup, I was very happy with how this guy worked out. I'll not be returning to those islands again, but this guy made the whole trip worthwhile.

Hello, I am interested in collecting agatized coral along the Withlacoochee River in Southern GA near Valdosta. Can anyone provide me with any instruction on where to put in and where one can pull out. I have looked on Google Earth but have no idea how to gauge how fast the water moves or its access points. For example, can I go out on the river and find agatized coral from an access point? Is Knights Ferry Road the starting point or the end point? Any map details for planning a trip would be very helpful! Thank you in advance! -

Hi. I´m Sabrina. I found a fossil in limestone on the bank of the Withlacoochee River in Lee, Florida. I do not know for certain what kind it is or how old it is. Can anyone help me? Thanks, Sabrina Lindsey

It may be because I was born in Lockport, NY and grew up in Buffalo, NY that after 30 years living in Florida I still believe that summer is our best season. There are just so many alive things in our environment that it can't help but make you feel alive as well. Unfortunately, for most of our state, the rains that support that life also fill most of the rivers and creeks beyond the point where we can pursue our favorite hobby. Fortunately, there are a few rivers that buck the trend and give us a chance to do a little hunting, if we chose to broaden our options a little. The (North) Withlacoochee River coming out of southern Georgia is one of those rivers and luckily it provides an almost unlimited supply of agatized coral for those of us who like to cut, polish, tumble or just admire the variations in colors and configurations. While the Peace River has been rising through flood stage and the Santa Fe has been going out of reach, I've taken three 2 day trips to get some relief from the homebound responsibilities of Florida's wet season. This last trip we were blessed with cool temperatures (no higher the 88 degrees) low humidity and plenty of sun. They were 2 beautiful days with some coral found and almost no activity on the river. I did have some company: which I don't mind much. I actually see very few snakes when I'm out collecting, but I should think more about my preference for collecting by myself. This was just a water snake so there wasn't any issue. The river was only flowing at about 30 CFM so there was allot of exposed shoal area and seepage. Good for a little drink and mineral supplements: