| I removed them. The locations were getting over run with
amateur collectors totally bereft of any kind site etiquette or respect for
private property. I received an email from a land owner that people looking
for fossils were digging gaping holes on private property with no intentions
of filling them. Others have done the same and left a barren moonscape after
destroying the local flora making the area ripe for increased erosion and
decreasing the property values. This type of activity gives all avid fossil
hunters a bad name. Those that are serious about the local geology,
paleontology and proper localities for hunting for specific fossil types
will know how to search the wonderful resources we now have on the web
(some of which are presented on this web site) and as such no longer
need these type of map hints.
As an alternative you may want to go to the site North Texas Fossils. The
forum pages
have the best fossil
discussion for Texas IMHO.
Site Remediation
If you do go out to remote location for a fossil hunt please make
sure you have the proper permissions if the locality is not on public
land. If on public land, please be aware of the rules for collecting
from the governing jurisdiction. it is illegal to collect fossils in
state parks in Texas for instance. Collect from the surface -
don't dig unless you own the land or have a remediation plan established.
The US Dept of the Interior has established federal laws with incredibly
stiff penalties for illegal (according to the laws they have
established) collecting, digging and site damage. There are several legal implications
involved here. If you make a mess, clean it up. There is an excellent
resource from the science of archeology for site remediation which also
applies here. When you leave the site, make sure it looks like you were
never there. All the rest of us are depending on you as you are
depending on us.
- Doug Pierson Sept 2011 | 
