Jump to content

How do I tell others where I found interesting sites?


just_a_local

Recommended Posts

Hi all.  Sometimes I have information I would like to share and I'm not sure how to begin.  I don't collect fossils.  I collect smooth river stones and regular shells for artwork.  A good deal of my time is spent collecting materials from waterways.

 

I believe very strongly in the responsible handling of fossil treasures.  The problem is that if I see something that looks cool, I don't know if it's an important fragment or a barbeque chicken bone!

 

I don't want to use fossils in my art work. It doesn't feel right somehow.

 

I'd like to learn to identify fossils properly so I don't waste these resources.  I would also like to share information about sites of possible interest.  I don't want to just publish random info and have a nice site wrecked.

 

How do I do this?  Thanks for any responses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to TFF!

If You post a site on the internet there will be many intruders, and some will have no respect for it.

If You post Your finds here on TFF, the members will do their best to identify and tell You the rarity of them.

Good luck.

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to TFF!

You’d be surprised how much we fossil hunters get around, it’s possible it’s already known about. Do post your finds, and we will tell you if any belong in a museum. Fossil hunting is an addiction, you might catch the bug!:D

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whodaman, I'm sure everyone combs the sites well, but ... right place, right time - ya never know.  (And yeah maybe someday I'll have that interest.)  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I may have put the cart before the horse, here ... learning a lot by reading the forums.  I just figured I'd share my thought process for other inexperienced people.

 

So I'm starting to get the idea that fossil hunting is not the type of activity where it's ideal to say, "hey I found a bunch of fossils in an area" .. Then a bunch of people come out and expertly collect them.  I'm getting the idea that part of the specimen value is in the collection and prep work.  Correct?

 

Yeah it's ok to laugh if my ignorance seems obvious to you!  Now I know enough to go online seeking a basic collecting primer.  LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, just_a_local said:

Then a bunch of people come out and expertly collect them. 

The expert fossil collectors will only come out if it is something really good.

Other than that you are pretty close.

 

I have a gemstone mine and very few know the location. I know of another area where the same type of minerals can be found and have told people about it (and taken a large number of diggers there also) and the site looks like a battlefield

Be careful who you tell about a good site..

 

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's actually very disturbing to me. 

 

Hey, I know plenty of people are trying to make a buck for livelihood or just want to collect for human interest.  I have no problem with that!  I do have a problem with people who destroy it.  Surely it's not that hard to learn a little bit, proceed carefully, and then have twice as many specimens?

 

Here is yet another "aha!" moment, shared to benefit other people in the general public who may look at this later:  If I really want to make sure stuff is responsibly collected ... Maybe I *should* start collecting them myself.

 

I guess a part of me is concerned that this is a very large rabbit hole!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, ynot said:

the site looks like a battlefield

Be careful who you tell about a good site..

just_a_local, What Ynot says is correct.

You have the good fortune to live in a fossil rich area.. Fossils are like gold coins laying in/on/around your river. Most fossil seekers are well intentioned and good, just like most people.  But consider what would occur if you posted in your newspaper the location of gold coins...:(

 

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The vast majority of sites are already known, and most fossils are not rare. It is the rare and unusual finds that spark the madness.

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shellseeker ... Yikes.  That's a sobering thought.  Yes there is a very rich natural history in Florida and I really enjoy going out into nature here.

 

Ynot ... Most fossils are not rare?  That's actually good to know.  So chances are that if I scoop one up that's loose, I won't be damaging the ... Fossil record?

 

Over the years I have collected many regular shells and rocks for my art.  When I come across fossils I point them out to other people. 

 

Strangely enough, children will usually handle the objects with more respect and interest than adults  Grownups will smile but then stick them in their pockets.  I'm thinking ... Hey if you don't want to appreciate it, at least leave it for the next person!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget that if you do leave a fossil in the river or the cliffs, there is a high chance it will not be found by anybody else, particularly not an 'expert' or 'professional'. 

It is more than likely that the fossil with either be lost forever, eroded away or broken or found by another amateur just like yourself or me. 

So, you can say that you are actually helping preserve these pieces by finding them. 

Most of what we find will be known, common and not needed in the scientific community so it's fine to keep it for your own personal pleasure, but if you do find items that may be unusual then post them here so we can help or take them to the local museum. Then you'll be helping science too! 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a utopian world, we could all share every site without measure, and guests could collect the site and share specifics without measure, and the bounty would be limitless.

 

But this is the real world, where Ma’ Nature spits out her treasures at her own rate, with no regard to increases in human demand.

 

Most sites produce a few good finds for a person or two with each major weathering/erosional event or a few.  That said, sustainable site maintenance at the average locality generally involves minimizing human traffic.

 

The good news is that many states have a few expansive, hyper productive locales that continue to produce for decades.  The better news is that through continued exploring, you can find great sites on your own that most don’t know about, with a resulting higher satisfaction rate than going where everyone else does.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...