Oak Springs Summit

[TNGray]

In early September, we took a road trip from CA to WI for a family reunion. Naturally, we included fossil hunting all along the way. Our first stop was Oak Springs Summit Trilobite area near Caliente NV.

Here is a link to my website: http://nautiloid.net/fossils/sites/oak_springs_summit/oak_springs_summit.html

[PRK]

Looks like GOOD TIMES for you and your favorite collecting partner!

It's always so satisfying finding your own fossils, AND a nice variety.

[fossilcrazy]

Nice pictorial documentation on your website. Love those Cambrian Trilobite collecting sites. Hope BLM remains collector friendly in at least a few proliferious places.

[fossilcrazy]

Some of my favorite spots produce Olenellids, like Delmar, Klondike, Ruin Wash and Half Moon Mine. I am a little shocked at how much the sites have gone from little known, to over developed, in less than a decade. I believe that is a good reason why some over pounded sites are now protected Trilobite Wilderness areas. There doesn't seem much educational benefit for the visiting public at the look-but-don't-touch sites; nor does the torn up and hardly anything left sites offer much either. The stewardship of these fossil sites doesn't hold much hope against human nature.

[Auspex]

The 'look-but-don't-touch' preserves function a stop-loss measure, preserving the context (for a while, anyway).

"The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts." - Paul R. Ehrlich

[Wrangellian]

I wonder how much the Internet, and sites like TFF in particular, are to blame for this trend......

[PRK]

A LOT !!!!!!!!!! I know of several right off the top of my head. right here in the PNW. But it's inevitable everywhere. However, the rate of closures has definitely been accelerated

Edited September 25, 2013 by PRK

[Auspex]

I wonder how much the Internet, and sites like TFF in particular, are to blame for this trend......

?

The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the exploiters: commercial extractors and obsessive-compulsive hoarders.

TFF's message always stresses responsible, respectful collecting, and always recommends that the locations of vulnerable sites be shared judiciously and only with trustworthy people you know.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

site use and eventual overuse is the cumulative effect of individuals, clubs, and commercial collectors. this is hard to prevent at well known sites, and i've seen clubs repeatedly visit sites faster than they can regenerate. this is a sign of the times. in my opinion, collecting is a way to enjoy nature low key alone or with friends or a family member, most productive if i find my own sites off the beaten path, share "smart", and leave the sites fallow long enough to regenerate between visits.

some activities seem to work best with extremely small head counts...bowhunting, solitaire, and for me, fossil collecting. when i am feeling the urge to mingle more gregariously, a night on 6th street in austin, a rock concert, or oktoberfest in munich are quite enjoyable.

some of the best sites aren't big nor do they scale well to crowds. they come to light as a result of individual initiative and investment of time and resources, and since we are all adults, this must be respected. if you share a site in confidence, then your guest through some self entitled, self serving rationalization breaks that covenant of trust, i consider that to be the most ignoble act possible between collectors.

in my opinion good collecting is best maintained through constant research and scouting, patience, willingness to burn lots of gas, smart stewardship of the sites you find, and quid pro quo sharing of the better sites between equally motivated collectors. i always have sites to share with people i don't know well, but i often minimize risk by beginning with sites of lower value, then taking my time getting to know people and observing the dynamics. smart site management allows me to roll out the proverbial red carpet at times, quite gratifying to see your guest's eyes open wide at a properly weathered site.

communication your intent and confirming agreement from your guest are of paramount importance in maintaining sustainable collecting at a given site. I was able to take over 70 guests, one at a time, to one of my favorite, self found sites. a few key phrases sum it all up:

- "first site is on me; second site is on you."

- "please understand that this site came as a result of my own efforts. it is not public knowledge."

- "feel free to take home everything that interests you today, by the bucket load if you are so inclined, then tomorrow, please forget that this site exists."

- "please keep in mind that i plan on returning to the site with other guests and family in the future, so your handling of this information will factor into my willingness to share sites with other collectors in the future."

the masses will do what they do, but we can still self police our conduct between individuals, keeping it responsible and respectful. i welcome paleo friends who truly understand all this.

Edited September 25, 2013 by danwoehr

[Wrangellian]

?

The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the exploiters: commercial extractors and obsessive-compulsive hoarders.

TFF's message always stresses responsible, respectful collecting, and always recommends that the locations of vulnerable sites be shared judiciously and only with trustworthy people you know.

Yes but those commercial and OCD types can access more site info online these days a lot more easily than they could before, no? Just the sheer numbers of people who can now bring up TFF and find out where a good site is and go check it out (even if they collect responsibly) is a lot higher than in the old days when they would have had to join a rockhound or fossil club or do tedious library research, so there will be that much more pressure on sites that would have been under the radar before.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

i'd personally like to see site references removed from forum threads, and have site sharing take place through personal interactions, either pm's or offline. often people stumble onto decent sites, then blab specifics on the forum. even if the person does so with good intentions, with no concern for their own future prospects at the site, this practice can blow a big hole in the dealings of others who have quietly worked the site for years. while i'd like to see site specifics stripped from threads, that would add a crushing load onto the mods and admins. so maybe a more practical approach is to educate the membership of the far reaching ramifications of being overly open on the forum. always keep in mind that this forum is perhaps the largest clearinghouse of information in the US, and perhaps the world. use it wisely, with SUSTAINABILITY of sites a paramount concern.

[PRK]

Thanks dan. Glad to see I'm NOT the Lone Ranger!

Edited September 25, 2013 by PRK

[Uncle Siphuncle]

prk, it would be an honor to host you anytime.

[Jed '06]

Hi Dan,

As a former longbow hunter and now a fossil newbie I fully appreciate and thank you for your comments. For me when I hunted it was much more than just finding places with lots of deer, it was finding special places of peace and beauty where I could recharge my batteries after a long workweek. Of course I shared some of those places with friends sworn to secrecy, but occasionally a "friend" would let the cat out of the bag and suddenly that special place was no longer special. Several of those properties were soon posted by the landowners.

When I rekindled my interest in fossils recently I was one of those who hit the internet for information about Indiana fossils, clubs, websites, locations, etc. My first trips were to some areas where I had found fossils when I was young. I quickly found out most of those locations were either posted, had houses built on them or had been remined for coal. I then branched out to a few locations farther away that my friends recommended or ones I discovered on the internet and found the same thing had occured there too. I've come to the conclusion that fossil collecting sites just aren't that numerous in Indiana.

With fossil collecting sites apparently dwindling as the years go by I am certainly going to do my part to treat them (and the landowners) with the respect and dignity they deserve!

Thanks guys for getting me to think about these things!

[Uncle Siphuncle]

hi jed. i've skewered my share of fur bearing game quadrupeds along with a cornucopia of small game in OH and TX, but mainly with a compound bow. hats off to your upping the challenge by longbow.

i've been able to open some doors with both landowners and veteran collectors alike with a three pronged approach: respect, patience, and generosity.

i always try to benefit helpful people, even trying

to make it a better deal for them than for me

when possible. i like to give surplus fossils from other areas to landowners, and with other collectors i strike some combination of giveaways and reciprocal trips. i find that veteran collectors tend to understand and respect site value the best. reciprocity tends to keep everyone honest....manners are likely maintained when collateral site information is on the table. equal "skin in the game" leads to best manners, in my experience.

at times i share some place of significance with someone who can't possibly reciprocate in kind. it comes down to common values, really. for me its much more important to not lose control of a site than to see equal reciprocity. i like my better, self found sites to remain viable so i can take my wife or kid during prime conditions, and spoil them by letting them take the lead. i give them first right of refusal on the sites i've worked for as the time and resources involved in their discovery could have easily been spent on more mutually agreeable family time.

[kirk]

Spot burning and the internet go hand in hand. See it all of the time with my other hobbies including hunting, fishing and metal detecting. Fun to share photos of finds, but I agree it is best not to disclose locations openly.

[Wrangellian]

All food for thought. This general point might qualify for inclusion in the pinned threads meant for beginners.

The only site that I have provided enough info for someone to find is my local mtn. which is in the process of being developed and will soon no longer be accessible but is too big for me to possibly salvage everything out there on my own.