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Might (finally) be a good year for the Peace River


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The last couple of fossil hunting seasons on the Peace River have been pretty short and limited. In 2017 Hurricane Irma made a mess of Florida and pretty much ran directly over the Peace River causing unbelievable flooding in the area (Canoe Outpost in Arcadia had to rebuild their office after the waters rose to waist-deep). Last season frequent periodic heavy rains kept spiking up the river level anytime it got down near levels that would have permitted decent fossil hunting. Both seasons were very brief but persistent fossil hunters (driven nearly mad from the waiting) did manage to pull some nice fossils from the rivers and creeks despite the limited opportunities.

 

This season Florida seems to have relocated the switch for the secret hurricane repulsion device and we have been spared any storms. The northern Bahamas sadly were not so lucky and that is a continuing mess that will take more than a year to try to recover from. :(

 

I remember a time nearly a decade ago when the vagaries of the weather patterns conspired to put Florida into drought conditions. It was a weird year for weather all around. We had a strong blast of cold air from the north that, instead of being repelled quickly, held on for an extended period. This caused enormous fish kills in Florida Bay where the shallow waters quickly cooled below the tolerance of many species and stuck around long enough to make a severe impact. I worked on a project monitoring coral reef health on the Florida reef tract which usually looks for coral bleaching and mortality during the peak-of-summer water heating events. It was a mild year for bleaching but corals are also susceptible to temps below their liking and an estimated one sixth of all corals in the Florida reef tract died during that two-week period over the winter of 2009-10 (some reefs experienced a 75% reduction in corals). In 2010 the rainy season failed to appear as expected and by autumn we were under water conservation restrictions with limits on the days that we could water to try to resurrect our brown hay into lawns.

 

I can remember being in the Peace River nine years ago to the day on Sunday, 10-10-10 near Arcadia. The river was so low that it was virtually impossible to navigate without getting out and dragging the canoe over large sandbars only a few inches deep. It was an interesting time to see parts of the bottom of the Peace River that were normally hidden by deep dark water. It was early enough in my fossil hunting experience that I likely did not take appropriate advantage of the deeper holes which might have produced some prizes that were normally off limits.

 

http://www.canoeoutpost.com/peace/showpage.asp?page=waterlevel

 

I just checked the Canoe Outpost water level page and the river is at their "normal" datum point. This is when the level of their floating dock aligns with their fixed dock. Fossil hunting usually starts about a foot below this and gets really good about two feet below. If we can avoid any late season hurricanes :fingerscrossed: we might have an early start and (finally) a nice long fossil hunting season in South Florida. I'm assuming that the Florida regulars @jcbshark @Sacha @Shellseeker @Bone Daddy and others are keeping their eyes on the water levels and hoping for a productive season to make up for the last two. Looking forward to seeing an over-abundance of nice finds this season.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Good luck down there! Hopefully all of the water flow from the past several years will have worn some really spectacular fossils out of that stubborn marl. Can't wait to see the trip reports once you get back in the water!

 

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I had planned to return this weekend, but now those plans are on hold after looking at the gauges. If it drops a little by saturday or sunday, I may try again.

 

I recently told a friend who is somewhat new to fossil hunting that half of hunting is just sitting at home on the computer and watching gauges and weather forecasts.

 

Hopefully Ken is right. We are due for a good season. The last two were underwhelming compared to previous years.

 

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love the Peace be with you quote...beside having all a combined massive knowledge about fossils, the forum certainly has a great number of humorists, and people who can turn a phrase...often comments remind me of Will Rogers wit. Love reading the comments even if I have nothing to post. 

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Had a good day hunting on the river last Friday and after sitting out Tuesday due to the weather report I am determined to get back out there tomorrow.  While I sat home Tuesday Bone Daddy had a great find that caused me to once gain curse the dreaded weathermen and their erroneous forecasts!  I too have been watching the gauges and see a glimmer of hope that tomorrow will be workable.

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9 hours ago, digit said:

I can remember being in the Peace River nine years ago to the day on Sunday, 10-10-10 near Arcadia. The river was so low that it was virtually impossible to navigate without getting out and dragging the canoe over large sandbars only a few inches deep.

Hmmm,  yes Here is a photo of the Gardner boat ramp,  on August 12th 2009,  when the water depth is normally 6-10 feet with fast currents... I have not since seen the water levels so low. Note the coffee colored water.

 

PeaceRiverAug12downstreamGardner.thumb.jpg.985948cd1edefd581ef7f4ac0c882894.jpg

 

9 hours ago, digit said:

others are keeping their eyes on the water levels and hoping for a productive season to make up for the last two. Looking forward to seeing an over-abundance of nice finds this season.

 

I must admit that I have been doing that.... There already been some interesting finds despite deeper , faster, water...HemiCrop2a.JPG.d82e5b51aaade1cf8a3eb958a52a8842.JPGHarborDolphinTooth2.JPG.833e516d0738796156e8a74806522b9d.JPGIMG_0754.thumb.JPEG.ee7ad670b22fe90d52cecd25d079c00f.JPEG

 

It might be a very interesting season.  :fingerscrossed:

 

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

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 I think this season is off to a good start.  Two nice finds from Friday 10/4/19 Peace River shown below. Partial fossil ivory tusk and partial mastodon tooth.  Not to detract from Bone Daddy's great find of a fossilized skull this week!  The Peace River has been replenished by this years storms and the coming season looks promising!

thumbnail.jpeg

_88I7178.jpeg

_88I7177.jpeg

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2 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

Hmmm,  yes Here is a photo of the Gardner boat ramp,  on August 12th 2009,  when the water depth is normally 6-10 feet with fast currents... I have not since seen the water levels so low. Note the coffee colored water.

 

PeaceRiverAug12downstreamGardner.thumb.jpg.985948cd1edefd581ef7f4ac0c882894.jpg

 

 

I must admit that I have been doing that.... There already been some interesting finds despite deeper , faster, water...HemiCrop2a.JPG.d82e5b51aaade1cf8a3eb958a52a8842.JPGHarborDolphinTooth2.JPG.833e516d0738796156e8a74806522b9d.JPGIMG_0754.thumb.JPEG.ee7ad670b22fe90d52cecd25d079c00f.JPEG

 

It might be a very interesting season.  :fingerscrossed:

 

 

Is that last one a digested tooth?

 

Man, that photo of the Gardner ramp is nuts. And I've never seen that opposite bank look like that. I wish I had been hunting then. Did little Charlie Creek run completely dry that year (or close to it)?

 

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50 minutes ago, PODIGGER said:

 I think this season is off to a good start.  Two nice finds from Friday 10/4/19 Peace River shown below. Partial fossil ivory tusk and partial mastodon tooth.  Not to detract from Bone Daddy's great find of a fossilized skull this week!  The Peace River has been replenished by this years storms and the coming season looks promising!

thumbnail.jpeg

_88I7178.jpeg

_88I7177.jpeg

 

An intact mastodon tooth is on my bucket list. The one you found there is bigger and better than all of the partials I have found so far. I'd be pretty happy with that find.  :)

 

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1 hour ago, Bone Daddy said:

Is that last one a digested tooth?

 

Man, that photo of the Gardner ramp is nuts. And I've never seen that opposite bank look like that. I wish I had been hunting then. Did little Charlie Creek run completely dry that year (or close to it)?

 

The last one is a Hyplural,  Tuna I think. They are really rare.

 

The mouth of Charlie Creek was mostly closed with sand.. the "creek" was 7 feet across 3 inches deep.

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

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My wife and I hit the river yesterday. It was a beautiful day. Temp was nice and the sun was out. Nice breeze most of the day. There was no clue that a tropical system was brewing in the western Gulf. We found a lot of little stuff, but nothing big/sexy like the skull I found last week. We did find a couple of giant armadillo scutes, a nice fossilized vert, a couple of old bottles, a ton of tiny shark teeth, and a lot of odd bits that may or may not be interesting.

 

Hopefully this tropical system stays away or moves through quickly without dropping a ton of rain. I keep hearing the weather-people say that "rain is welcome" or "badly needed rain" - which sounds asinine to me. It rained all summer for 3 months straight. Every day rain and all day rain. We are well above normal rainfall for this year. We do NOT need more rain nor do we want it. Speak for yourself weatherman. LOL.

 

fossil-zolfo-1019.jpg

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Peace river is definitely a bucket list for me! I’m going to Miami for a wedding in March...maybe I’ll get frisky ^_^

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This year (unlike the last two) looks like it might be a more extended fossil hunting season on the Peace. Tropical storm Nestor may delay the opening a bit as it has dumped quite a bit of rain on the gulf side of Florida. The system had more impact in the panhandle of Florida and then pushed through the southeast but South Florida picked up its share of rain. In the last day or so the Peace River has spiked 2 feet and has not yet peaked. This kind of surge will hopefully shake lose and hid a few last minute fossils--a last minute stocking-stuffer for the season.

 

Florida TFF members enjoy taking out members visiting our state (during the "dry" season) but our hospitality has been limited the last couple of years as the open hunting seasons were quite fleeting. This last pulse of water aside, I think we still may have a "normal" hunting season that extends for more than a few weekends. Arcadia, FL is just a 3 hour ride from Miami and if you can build it into the schedule of your March visit to add in an extra day or two, you might be able to swing a trip to the Peace and cross out an item from your bucket list (making room for more). ;)

 

Unlike standing in a quarry bashing rocks with hammers to find fossils, hunting on the Peace is a bit less energetic and possibly more appropriate for the whole family (kids, of an age, love it too if they can live without their screens). January and February are our coldest months (still mild compared to Utica) but standing in a 50F river when the air is barely that temperature does put a damper on the fun for first timers (and many seasoned regulars). By March the weather has turned and there can be some really pleasant days out on the Peace. Keep the possibility in mind and see if you can spare a day or two in your schedule and contact some of the Florida members (or post here) when it gets closer to that date. With a modicum of luck we may be able to make your day. :)

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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I've only been to the Peace once! Of anyone ever wants a dig buddy or if a group is ever going, let me know! I'm about a 2hr drive.

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As of this writing, the Peace River Zolfo gauge is at 10.38 feet and the discharge flow is 1060. The Arcadia gauge is at 5.67 feet and the discharge is at 1340.

 

I think we have a wait of about 2+ weeks before conditions become optimal for hunting again.  (*sigh*)

 

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11 hours ago, CousinLarry said:

I've only been to the Peace once! Of anyone ever wants a dig buddy or if a group is ever going, let me know! I'm about a 2hr drive.

The Florida members usually try to get a group outing together once a season (though the last couple of years have been difficult for the already stated reasons).

 

44 minutes ago, Bone Daddy said:

I think we have a wait of about 2+ weeks before conditions become optimal for hunting again.  (*sigh*)

Yup. South Florida did not receive any damage from late season tropical storm Nestor but we did receive some related precipitation. I managed to get out on Friday with Roger Portell (invertebrate collections manager for the FLMNH) to look at a shelly outcrop in a smaller creek which was running very low at the time. By Saturday morning, the rains had started and the creek level shot up and peaked nearly 3 feet above the level when we visited--timing is everything. ;) I see that the Peace River likewise ingested enough rainwater to push its level up about 3 feet as well. As long as the groundwater level did note rise too much, we might see the levels falling again without too much delay.

 

Last season, I didn't make it into the Peace till mid-April (and then it was really still to high to get to the places I like to go). Fingers crossed that we can get in before the year is out.:fingerscrossed:

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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I'd be up for a group forum hunt if the timing is right.  :)

As the planet continues to get warmer on average and weather patterns shift accordingly, I think we are going to see changes in our traditional fossil season. The general start and ending times may change and the amount of rain events during the "dry" season might change as well. I hope I am wrong because wetter winters mean less fossil hunting. I am glad I managed to get out there before Nestor hit and it appears we Florida folks need to take our shot when the chance presents itself. Call in sick to work, skip school, ditch out on the wife, whatever it takes!  LOL. You miss a chance, you might not get another one for months.

 

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7 hours ago, Bone Daddy said:

I'd be up for a group forum hunt if the timing is right

I'll need about a 24 hr head start to drive from Austin and still get some sleep, but count me in.

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38 minutes ago, grandpa said:

I'll need about a 24 hr head start to drive from Austin and still get some sleep, but count me in.

I've got a sifting screen all ready and waiting for you. ;)

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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