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January 9, 2009

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Here are two links to posts dealing with how to post pictures on Black River Fossils forums.

1. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by ditchweezil

2. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by Daryl

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PCS Season Star...

PCS Season Starts Saturday!

2/27/2007 3:46:39 PM

blackwaterdiver

79 posts

PCS Season Starts Saturday!

Any BRF'ers going to be there this weekend? I'm guiding on Sunday. Stop by and say hello (I have the white wide brimmed hat with a meg dive flag on each side). Looks like the weather will be in the upper 60's (almost 70). Be sure to bring water and sunscreen!

Matt

2/28/2007 8:40:15 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

Great to here that. My wife and i will be there on Sunday. Maybe we can get some pointers from you out there.

3/1/2007 2:51:12 AM

blackwaterdiver

79 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

I'll do my best to help you.

Have you been there before?

3/1/2007 4:08:59 AM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

Yeah. I have been once before but my wife has not. I haven't been in for a couple of years now and i forget what the layers look like in the mine.

3/1/2007 8:16:28 PM

blackwaterdiver

79 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

I look forward to meeting you both.

Matt

3/7/2007 8:33:48 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

BWD, you mentioned that you guided on Sunday - what did you find? Also, would you be there on 25 March ? That's when I'm going - I'd like to know where the Yorktown is - I'm not too keen on differentiating between the layers.

thanks,
Daryl.

3/8/2007 12:06:52 AM

blackwaterdiver

79 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

I was there on Sunday, but found nothing worth posting. A couple of shamer megs was the worst of it. I did find a nice great white where we stopped to eat lunch!

I will be there on 3/25. Look for the wide brimmed white hat with the meg dive flags.

3/8/2007 1:13:49 PM

ditchweezil

347 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

If you want to study up on the layers, go back and look at our Aurora trips from years past. All of us take pictures of teeth on the ground before we pick them up, and from those you'll easily see the layers. Be sure to click the pictures because they will open in a resizable window so you can see as much detail as possible.

3/8/2007 3:59:44 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

Thanks DW. I'll check out the pictures, but unfortunately I'm partially color blind and what usually works best for me is to look for indicators other than the color of the sands etc. For example someone once told me that you can tell your in Yorktown material if you start to see large Chesapectin shells and whale bone/material. I can't tell you how many times I've come across these indicators and have scoured the ground knee crawling just knowing I was going to find a paratodus, hexanchus, or some other Yorktown tooth, only to be dissapointed and not find anything or not much at all. As for the Pungo, I don't know what to look for other than if I start to see/find lots of little teeth, I know I must be in Pungo. I know the James City is characterized by tons of shell material, and unfortunately in seasons past it has been all over the place at times and mixed in with the other formations.

What would be neat is if the guides drew up a real rough drawing of the collecting area and indicated the various formations and where there were some minor/major concentrations of them. For example, I've read the news/trip reports on elasmo.com like everyone else over the years, and I've read comments that indicated where the hills with Yorktown were, or areas of Pungo, etc. With the colelcting area being a well defined ara of finer like hills surrounded by water, etc., I figure drawing a map of the area would be easy. On it would show something like hill #2 to the left has Yorktown on it. This would save folks time who go with the intent on colelcting only in certain formations for specific fossils, whether they be teeth, otoliths, bones, shells, etc. Given that most folks only get one or two trips into the mine per year, it would be really helpful to have a rough map to help prevent you from wasting precious time/energy walking around James City all day if you're really in search of one of the other formations. I know the guides are real helpful and probably willing to show folks around, but a map would allow you to go at your own pace and give you more options perhaps.

vr,
Daryl.

3/8/2007 9:28:09 PM

blackwaterdiver

79 posts

RE: PCS Season Starts Saturday!

Daryl,

If you're looking through soil that's holding the 'pectans you're in the right place for megs! Keep looking there, maybe try digging a little.

More often than not, it's more about the fossils you are finding than the material you are standing on. Especially when the layers can be mixed.

These hills seem to be more consistant than those in the past few seasons.

As for the map idea, we aren't given a comprehensive tour of the collecting area prior to the collecting season. Several of us did go in to put out stakes, but we didn't survey the entire area.

I've only been in once so far and spent the majority of the day walking the area. As the season progresses the guides will have a better idea of potential areas to look because we've been walking a lot!

Don't take this as official as this is my own interpretation, but I think that a map might also lead to squabbles/fights for the Yorktown. As it is now the start of the day is absolutely hilarious to me. The "gun" goes off and everyone practically runs down the ramp to be the first on the hills. Imagine how bad it would be if everyone was trying to get to the same spot! As few (besides the Friends) will have more than one day per season everyone is on a level playing field.

Another problem lies in the fact that any erosion (wind, rain, collectors walking on the area) can change the landscape between weekends. A map would need to be updated weekly and as we are all volunteers it would be difficult to accomplish.

Our position is mostly related to fulfilling the safety requirements of the mine (must be MSHA trained). However, we are all willing to assist collectors any way we can. Just grab one of us before heading to the mine and we'll be glad to show you around a little.

See you in a couple weeks.

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