Fossils in Alberta's Horeshoe and Horsethief Canyons?

[TheGuy185]

Hi all,

 

I'm planning a trip to Alberta this summer and am hoping to dig for dinosaur fossils somewhere. Our trip will take us to drumheller for a day, which puts us in close proximity to Horseshoe and Horsethief Canyons, both of which I've heard contain fossils. What I'm wondering is, where in the canyons can fossils be found? And is one of the canyons better for fossil hunting than the other? If anyone knows of any other fossil sites near drumheller that are open to the public, that would also be great. Thanks!

[Kane]

Just in case you don’t already know, any vertebrate fossils you find in Alberta have to stay in Alberta. Also, there is no collecting allowed on provincial park and protected lands. Digging is also not permitted — only surface collecting. 

 

More info here: http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/research/fossils_law.htm

[Mark Kmiecik]

20 minutes ago, Kane said:

Just in case you don’t already know, any vertebrate fossils you find in Alberta have to stay in Alberta. Also, there is no collecting allowed on provincial park and protected lands. Digging is also not permitted — only surface collecting. 

 

More info here: http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/research/fossils_law.htm

The fossils must stay in the same province? Can't go from Alberta to Ontario? Is that true throughout Canada?

[Kane]

5 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

The fossils must stay in the same province? Can't go from Alberta to Ontario? Is that true throughout Canada?

This law pertains to Alberta, and means certain fossils cannot leave that province — including transport to another province. Each province has its own laws regarding fossils.

[Mark Kmiecik]

4 minutes ago, Kane said:

This law pertains to Alberta, and means certain fossils cannot leave that province — including transport to another province. Each province has its own laws regarding fossils.

Thank you for the info. I'm guessing that "certain fossils" refers to significant finds of skeletal remains as opposed to plants and marine bivalves and such.

[Kane]

5 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Thank you for the info. I'm guessing that "certain fossils" refers to significant finds of skeletal remains as opposed to plants and marine bivalves and such.

If I'm not mistaken, ammonites, petrified wood, and oysters are still legally permissible to remove from the province, but only if one applies for a special Disposition from the provincial government. Alberta has among the most restrictive fossil collecting and export laws in the country, with Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia as runners-up. By contrast, Ontario and Quebec have the least restrictions (but they do exist). 

[FossilDAWG]

Unfortunately, you are mistaken.  No fossil, not even the most common brachiopod, leaf, ammonite, shard of dinosaur bone, nothing can leave the province without a permit.  In principle you could be charged for removing a piece of rock that contained a conodont.

 

Don

[Kane]

13 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

Unfortunately, you are mistaken.  No fossil, not even the most common brachiopod, leaf, ammonite, shard of dinosaur bone, nothing can leave the province without a permit.  In principle you could be charged for removing a piece of rock that contained a conodont.

 

Don

Note the conditional qualifier I already added about obtaining a disposition.

[TheGuy185]

Anything I find would be catch and release.

[jdp]

Digging would be enough to get you in trouble if you don't have a permit.

[TheGuy185]

I only plan on surface collecting.