2014 Fossil Collecting Trip--Question About Permits

[jgcox]

The wife and I are planning our trip back out west to collect for our personal collections and for two museums. We have decided to delay our trip till late August or early September due to early spring commitments. So we will be heading straight to Wyoming(Kemmerer) then to Yellowstone down to Utah where we will base in Delta and explore Millard County. My question is does anyone know which agency in Wyoming I would have to contact for a permit to collect some of the rare specimens for the museums? The second question we will be spending at least 2 weeks in Delta and would love to meet and collect with any FF members in the area. Know this is way early but we like to plan ahead.

[fossilcrazy]

You can collect at the Drum Mtns, Wheeler Amphitheater & Orr Ridge to get rare specimens without a permit; if you hunt on BLM land and abide by the regulations at the individual sites.

Even the hunt for a fee places occasionally produce rare finds.

If I knew I'd be there at the time; I wouldn't mind showing some spots I know. (I remember you from Ridgemount Qy. Canada - I sawed your Eurypterid) If you need some personal contacts

out there, I could do that too. At the least I could give GPS coordinates, but they wouldn't tell you which jeep trails to use.

In the past there have been annual Trilobite Jam camping and collecting by paying participants. Haven't heard anything this year.

[jgcox]

Thanks John that would be fantastic. We are going to be at Penn Dixie may 17th for the dig with the experts and back at Ridgemont in June. I am sending the eurypterid you cut out to Malcolm for prep.

[jpc]

Permits depend on whose land you plan to collect on. Is it BLM land? Are you planning to actually collect in Yellowstone?... That might be tough. What sorts of rare specimens do you hope to collect for the museum? More importantly.... From whose land?

[jgcox]

JPC, we are going to be using the fossilsites website to collect along the route. We will be stopping in Wamsutter (wife spent her childhood there) but headed to Kemmerer(3 days) to spend a day at Warfield's then explore the surrounding area. We will be on BLM land some of the time. Since we do not know anyone except users on this forum from that area we will have to ask at rock/fossil shops about obtaining private access. We are hoping to find turtles, stingray, insects, and plant fossils. Not planning to try to collect Yellowstone just a side trip, I have never seen it except on TV. We are not actively seeking vertebrate fossils but if we find some teeth would want to be able to collect them. We will also be stopping at one of the BLM offices to obtain geologic maps and info on areas to collect. Any info you can give will be appreciated.

[jpc]

jgcox- a few things....

1) Turtles, stingray, etc.... You need to know that the quarry owners, whether you go to Warfield's or any other will not let you walk away with the cool stingray you find. It will have a hefty pricetag, even if you are the finder. And generally it takes a lot more than three days to find a stingray or turtle. In three days at Warfield's though, you will find a lot of fishes, even some good ones, I'm sure.

2) Yellowstone is cool. Look for wolves and harlequin ducks.

3) BLM.... If you are not actively looking for teeth and you find one, you do not have the right to collect it. That's just the way the BLM works. The museum you are collecting for can try to get permits, but that is a long process and the museum also needs to have a BLM approved repository where the fossils will go. Usually they get cataloged in said repository, but then loaned to the museum that collected them. There is a public BLM fossil plant site near Worland called Cedar Ridge or something, where the BLM allows anyone to go collect. I have never been there, but the Worland BLM office should know about it. Inverts can be collected on BLM land, as long as you don't take too many or sell them. There are some fossil wood sites available on BLM land in the area as well. Google Eden Valley Wood and Blue Forest. Honestly though,most of the fossils on BLM land in western Wyoming are vertebrates, so off limits.

4) Asking local rock shops... um, good luck. We out here work pretty hard to find fossil sites and we tend to be closed-lipped about them. It is not like out east where you have lots of somewhat public sites dripping with fossils.

5) what is the fossilsites website you speak of? If it is the one I am thinking of, there's a good chance that a lot of those sites are off limits.

6) the BLM does not have geology maps. They are published generally by the WY Geological Survey (office in Laramie) and by the USGS. The BLM does sell maps that show which lands are BLM and other public lands. There is not much private land out west, but you gotta have permission to collect on that. To even set foot on it.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but, I want you to know how it works out here. And I don't want any fossil hunters to go out scoff-lawing giving us all bad name. If I can help you sonehow, let me know, although now you probably hate me.

And now, back to work... I have to write a BLM report that was due on Dec 31st.

[jgcox]

JPC- No we don't hate anyone for stating facts. We collected New Mexico, Arizona and Utah this past April and stopped at a couple of BLM offices so we are somewhat familiar with their regulations. However I know those regs can change state to state. We would NEVER knowingly violate any collection laws. We are associated with 3 local paleontological societies and the AAPS and we believe our behavior can reflect on those organizations. Our personal focus is trilobites, invertebrates, and hopefully Ammonites. If we happened to find anything interesting I would at least want to have the info or permit to know how to proceed. Also finding other species is always a learning activity so the plant site you mentioned might be worth a visit. We are heading that way in either late August or early(1st week) September and staying in Green River(3 days) if you have some free time would love to meet you and maybe visit a site or two with us.

Thanks for the info.

[jpc]

Oh, good... you don't hate me. Send me a PM when the time gets closer... maybe I can join you guys for a day. Are you driving the whole way... i.e. Cincinatti to out west? If so I can help you with amm's in eastern WY. And if you don't mind paying for land access... I can help you with dino bones too. PM me.

[jgcox]

JPC we are driving out will be coming into Wyoming on I-80. We will PM you as the time gets closer. My email is jgcox78 @ Hotmail.com. We would love to have you collect with us.

[jpc]

If I can fit it into my schedule.. let's go. PM when the time comes... give me at least a month of warning.

[jgcox]

Will do

[jgcox]

JPC we have no problem paying for access as long as it is reasonable.