Our Chapters Fossil Hunting Outing

Peace River Fossil Hunt

Date:   Saturday, March 30th
Place:  Peace River, Wauchula, FL.

We will be meeting at 9:00am in the Walmart parking lot near the intersection of US17 and East Rea Road.  From there we will be heading a short distance to the location with public parking for the actual hunting.

NOTE: The trip will be cancelled if the Water Gage Height is over 6 feet deep when looking at the USGS Peace River Water Height.  The graph is located near the bottom of the page.

Check out our previous trips, in 2009s, 2009f, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018.
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What's needed.

Plan on getting wet as we will be wading in the river, locating spots to dig.  Necessities include the following;
   *  Protect your feet!   Old shoes at the minimum.
   *  A shovel for digging, size at your discretion,  Sorry no dredging this trip.
   *  A probe for finding gravel (fossils) under the sand. This should be a rod that is at least 2-3 feet long with a L or T shaped top.  Pushing this into the sand allows on to feel the gravel layers underneath.  It will go through the soft sand, like a knife cuts butter.  When you hit a layer of gravel you will feel it as it pushes through.
   *  Classifiers.  1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, and maybe even 1/8 inch to capture the smallest ones.  A floating classifier tied to your side is perfect for the next shovel full of sand/gravel.  The time is now to make one.
   *  A container/bucket/bag for your finds.  Maybe one that attaches at the waist.
   *  Dry Clothes.  A change will be nice after a day of collecting.
   *  Other items at your discretion can include; Gloves, Hat, Sun Glasses, Sunscreen, or even a canoe to travel on the river, etc.

Food

This is a full days adventure, so plan on having lunch and drinks on hand.  Near the Walmart you can find some restaurants if needed.

Permits

Everyone planning to attend should get an application for a Florida Fossil Hunting Permit .  It's just $5.00, and we're all better safe than sorry.  Full details about the permit can be found at the UF Site .

Directions

For detailed directions, use any of the online mapping websites such as Bing Maps .  Click on the Get Directions link, and enter Walmart in Wauchula, Fl as your destination.   We'll meet up on the E. Rea side of the Walmart parking lot.