Allison Hampton digs for fossils along the Neuse River. 



When you get your fossils home, 

 clean them gently. Use an old tooth- 

 brush and water. To identify fossils, use 

 Fossil Collecting in North Carolina, 

 The Audubon Society Field Guide to 

 North American Fossils, The Fossil 

 Collector's Handbook or any number 

 of other such guides available at science 

 museums or bookstores. 



Or if you think you have some- 

 thing unusual, call the N.C. State 

 Museum of Natural Sciences. Vince 

 Schneider, the museum's research 

 associate in paleontology, says he will 

 gladly look over your discovery and 

 help you identify it. Remember many 

 significant fossils have been made by 

 amateurs. 



Individuals interested in fossil 

 hunting can participate in group trips 

 organized by the N.C. Fossil Club (P.O. 

 Box 2777, Durham, NC 27705). This 

 group visits many sites each year. Also, 

 many museums, including the N.C. 

 State Museum of Natural Sciences, the 

 N.C. Maritime Museum and the Cape 

 Fear Museum, sponsor fossil-collecting 

 trips. 



The Aurora Fossil Museum is 

 located in Aurora just a few blocks off 

 N.C. 33. For information on the 



museum's schedule or to arrange a 

 group visit, write the Aurora Fossil 

 Museum, P.O. Box 352, Aurora, NC 

 27806, or call 919/322-4238. The 

 museum held its first fossil festival this 

 year in late May. Organizers plan to 

 repeat the event around Memorial Day 

 each year. The festival includes tours 

 of the Texasgulf facility, displays and 

 entertainment. 



The N.C. State Museum of Natu- 

 ral Sciences in Raleigh offers a fossil 

 exhibit where visitors can watch 

 volunteers restore fossils. The museum, 

 in conjunction with the N.C. Fossil 

 Club, is also planning a fossil fair on 

 Nov. 5. There will be visiting fossil 

 collections in addition to the museum's 

 exhibit. 



The fossil collecting guidebook 

 lists a number of museums across the 

 state where information about fossils 

 can be found. 



Some resources on North Carolina 

 fossils and geology include: 



Beyer, Fred. North Carolina, The 

 Years Before Man, A Geologic History. 

 Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 

 1991. 



Carter, J.G.; P.E. Gallagher; R. 

 Enos Valone; and T.J. Rossbach. Fossil 



Collecting in North Carolina. Raleigh: 

 Department of Natural Resources and 

 Community Development, Bulletin 89, 

 1988. 



Culotta, Elizabeth. "Field Trip: A 

 Glimpse of Oceans Past." Earth, 

 September 1992, pp. 56-61. 



Frankenburg, Dirk and Lundie 

 Spence. North Carolina Marine Edu- 

 cation Manual, Coastal Geology. 

 Raleigh: N.C. Sea Grant College 

 Program, 1989; $3.50. 



North Carolina Coastal Plain: A 

 Geologic and Environmental Perspec- 

 tive is a 1 3/4-hour video that uses the 

 Coastal Plain to explain geological, 

 ecological and environmental science 

 concepts. Complete with script and 

 hands-on activities, it is divided into 

 eight segments ranging from 8 1/2 to 

 17 minutes. Raleigh: N.C. Sea Grant 

 Program, 1989. UNC-SG-89-02; $30. 



NX/hen removing fossils, 

 be careful not to 

 destroy the habitat, 

 and don't leave 

 behind any trash. 

 If you 're fossil hunting 

 on private property, 



seek permission 

 from the landowner. 

 And be careful when 

 removi ng foss i I s from 

 creek banks. 

 Don't be the cause 

 of an erosion problem 

 that could affect 

 water Quality. 



Books for older children, about 

 fossils and prehistoric life-forms, 

 include: 



Beddard, Linda J. A Field Guide 

 to Fossil Finds for the Young Paleon- 

 tologist. Aurora: Aurora Fossil 

 Museum, 1991. 



Lampton, Christopher. Prehistoric 

 Animals, A Reference First Book. New 

 York: Franklin Watts, 1983. 



Moody, Richard. Nature Library, 

 Prehistoric Life. New York: Exeter 

 Books, 1983. ^ 



20 MAY/JUNE 1994 



