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Latest Info On St. Clair, Pa. As Of Aug 16 2015


ZiggieCie

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There have been numerous questions lately on fossil hunting at the St. Clair fossil site in Pa. I just heard from a very reliable person that as of this past weekend, Aug_15/16 _2015, there is no fossil hunting allowed on the premises, and there IS SECURITY patrolling the area. They have you leave immediately. So this is the latest up-date on St. Clair. Hope to save someone a trip.

Ziggie Cie :blush:

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Thanks for the update, Ziggie. It's sad news. For the past few years I've included St. Clair in my vacation plans and I had hoped to get there again. It's such a special location.

Mike

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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Thanks for the heads up, no matter how horrid the news. :(

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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any ideas why?

The last straw was the activity of a commercial fossil tour operator.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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1. The land is back in the hands of Reading Anthracite and they take their property seriously.

2. A person led a group of people there as part of a for profit tour operation and got kicked out.

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-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Sad news, indeed. :shake head:

Thanks for the info, Ziggie.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Thats horrible! I hope that company realizes how special that place is and doesnt bull doze it under! Another example of one idiot ruining everything for everyone else!

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  • 2 weeks later...

HORRIBLE NEWS. I haven't been there all year but this is disappointing since I was hoping to go over Labor Day. Hm. Not good.

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hitekastr, I am glad I saved you a trip. Now to plan two. Hope you find a good backup trip. :)

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Working on a backup in the vicinity but won't Brasstown soon unfortunately. By the way with the site closed the price of St Clair pieces sold commercially online are going to skyrocket... how's that for an unintended consequence?

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Maybe an accord can be reached with the current land owners? I hear power and industry companies like money.

Edited by Raggedy Man

...I'm back.

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Maybe an accord can be reached with the current land owners? I hear power and industry companies like money.

Unfortunately that could lead to a commercial operation claiming exclusive access and then where would we be. It was illegal commercial access that got things buggered up to begin with.

It would also be interesting to know if the ATV riders and local hunters are being kept off.

But I'm still waiting to see if any of the clubs will be granted access. The ones that are part of the American Federation of Mineral Societies (AFMS) all carry insurance policy that covers s, and that often is the thing that opens the door at other quarries.

Fingers still crossed.

Edited by erose
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I can tell you for a fact that the ATV and other offroaders are still going through the pits. There were at least 2 atv, a dune buggy and a gator that went through the pit last weekend. There are places with posted signs but others places without and tons of people accessing with offroad vehicles ($125 permit required for posted lands) as well as the walmart lot perimeter

Edited by toddgetz
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I can tell you for a fact that the ATV and other offroaders are still going through the pits. There were at least 2 atv, a dune buggy and a gator that went through the pit last weekend. There are places with posted signs but others places with tons of people accessing with offroad vehicles.

This from sept 2015IMG_5409.jpg

That is because the RTVS are allowed in, provided they get a permit from Reading Anthracite for $ 100 per year. It's fossil hunting that the do not allow any longer.

It is illegal to hunt where you don't have permission, not to mention unethical.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some members of one club reported that a group had entered the property, was using mechanical digging equipment, and driving educational users away.

I urge anyone with knowledge of the individuals who abused the property to work to see that they are prosecuted for whatever laws they violated.

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  • 1 month later...

Craptastic! Anyone know a good spot to collect then around the Lehigh Valley? Where I usually go around the Jordan creek, weisenberg twp. All I find are the occasional shell impression and tiny burrows into the mud (now shale) from critters long gone.

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I recently found a police blotter report of 4 people from North Carolina being arrested for Criminal tresspassing.

It didn't say that it was fossil hunters, but it did say they were arrested on Reading Anthracite property.

Glad they may still allow School Groups to go to collect.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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