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Field Trips
DPS HOTLINE Number: (Metro) 817-355-4693
ALWAYS call the HOTLINE before a trip!
If you
have any questions please contact Polly
at
fieldtrips@dallaspaleo.org.
Saturday,
August 14 -
Solnhofen Caravan/Carpool Trip
to Houston Museum of
Natural Science. Please contact
Roger Farish, 972-317-6373 evenings
if you would like to be a driver or
share a ride.
Saturday,
August 21 -
Oliver Creek Field Trip.
Our usual sojourn into the Goodland
of the Lower Cretaceous. Meet at
'The Horse' in Justin (north of Ft.
Worth) at 8:30 am and be prepared to
take home as many
Oxytropidoceras ammonites and
Hemiaster whitei echinoids
as will fit in the house.
Sunday,
August 22 -
Creeks of Sherman Shark Tooth Field
Trip. Polly Mullinnex
leader.
We'll
meet at the Jack-in-the-Box at Hwy
75 and FM 1417 just south of Sherman
at 8:30 am. Almost all collecting
on these creeks is 'float' on gravel
bars, so the best way to collect is
by screening. You'll need to build a
set of screens or buddy up with
someone and you'll need a shovel to
load your screen.
Screen material:
-
1/2" hardware cloth (wire) mesh
-
1/4" hardware cloth (wire) mesh
-
metal window screen (stainless steel
for serious collectors)
Framing material:
-
1"x 2" wood strips fastened together
with L-brackets or 1" - 2" PVC pipe.
We're
having two field trips back to back,
Saturday and Sunday, so the Sherman
Creeks trip can be repeated if there
is demand.
Please
contact Roger Farish, 972-317-6373
evenings for more details about any
of these trips AND check the HOTLINE
817-355-4693 ahead of any event as
plans frequently change.
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Are you aware
of the DPS's involvement in establishment in
a fossil collecting park in Mineral Wells,
TX? This will someday be a great place for
a field trip or to collect on your own. Help
the
Mineral Wells Fossil Site come to
fruition.
Before going
into the field a little background
information may be useful. Please note the
following link is somewhat specific in
nature and variations are likely to be
encountered in other parts of North Texas.
Surface Geology of Dallas and Tarrant
Counties, Texas
Past Field
Trips: Some recent
excursions.
FIELD TRIP
BASICS
COMMON
FIELD TRIP
QUESTIONS.
If you have a
question and the topic is not specifically
addressed in the trip description it is
always best to ask the
Field Trip Leader.
Are kids and dogs allowed on trips?
Typically, they are allowed to participate except for quarry trips.
However, take into consideration the terrain, distance walking and
weather conditions from the parking area to to farthest point you may
collect. Can your child or pet walk go the distance?
What do I need to know if we are going
to a quarry? You must be an
Active Member
to participate on quarry trips. Unless there is an exception, persons
under the age of 18, and pets are not allowed. Hardhats,
protective eye wear and steel-toed boot are highly recommended and
sometimes required. Sometimes, the quarry will provide hardhats. If
these items are not mentioned in the trip description, ask the trip
leader.
I am not a member can I go on a trip?
Generally, Yes. Field trips are considered a privilege of membership.
Sometimes members dues help pay for different aspects of a trip. Some
trips have a limited roster and showing up out of the blue might just
ruin the day for yourself and maybe others. If you want to go on
one or two trips to see if you would like to join feel free. Just
remember, paying customers don't like free-loaders.
WEATHER:
North Texas weather is hard to forecast except in the summer,
typically very hot and dry. The rest of the year the weather can change
quite rapidly. Check the forecast before you leave the house. You may be
caught by surprise but at least you checked, right?
WHAT TO WEAR AND BRING: Prepare for the weather conditions for the
entire trip. Depending upon the time of year there can be a dramatic
need for different clothing from morning to afternoon (or evening if you
camp).
Always bring plenty of water. Whether it is winter or summer
underestimating your fluids intake can be lethal.
Snacks and sack lunches are based on personal preference. Typically,
an all day field trip will stop at a location with at least one
restaurant. Of course you can always do the brown bag lunch and no one
will think otherwise.
Wear tough shoes like work boots or hiking boots if the terrain in
rocky. Sneakers are acceptable for some places like open, generally
level fields and creeks. If collecting in creeks or rivers in cool or
cold weather, a pair of knee high rubber boots or half-body fishing
waders will keep you dryer and warmer. Sandals and shoes with a
slick sole are never a good idea! Fire ants is one good reason.
Sunburned toes is another. Knee pad and gloves! Knee pads can be
found at local home improvement stores, some gardening centers and
carpet supply stores. One good type of glove used by weight lifters and
cyclists have the finger tips open for grasping while the palm of the
glove is padded.
Things to carry your fossils in: They can be backpacks, buckets or
sacks. Plastic baggies are always a good thing to include. These can be
easily labeled especially if there are multiple collecting localities.
Film canisters (a soon to be trace fossil) and medicine bottles are
excellent for storing small and fragile fossils. Bring tissue paper to
wrap the delicate and or small fossils. For larger specimens, newspaper
or aluminum foil is good for wrapping and protecting your goodies.
Equipment: This is wide open. Of course the matrix that you will be
digging in will dictate the tools that you use. Ask before you head out.
Some never fail items are an ice pick or awl, a hammer and one or more
cold chisels.
Other equipment: A camera! Photos of in situ fossils are sometimes
better than after you dig it out. Plus, you can get pictures of the
others on the trip. Small brushes, a sledge hammer (even a short handled
4 lbs hammer saves a lot of work). Dynamite is never allowed. (Bummer,
it could come in handy.)
Bringing wading boots, crowbars, pulleys, ropes, signal flares, and
winches or wenches is only limited by how much you want to lug around.
Comment about limited
roster field trips.
Please do not accept a spot on a
limited roster field trip and then not show up. This is very
inconsiderate to other members further down the list. If you know you
are not going to make the trip, contact the field trip leader in a
timely manner to allow for others on the roster to move up.
Additionally, if you are not on the roster and show up unannounced the
day of the trip there will be no exceptions made to accommodate you.
Most quarry trips are member only trips and many of them require limited
numbers of people, so I have to maintain a list. It is difficult for me
to tell who is an active DPS member. So, this is the plan:
- The field trip leader will check the name of each person signing up
for one of these trips against the current membership list.
- If you are not on the list, you will not be put on a limited trip
roster.
- You must have been a member for at least 30 days. Even though new
members are anxious but it is necessary to verify your membership.
Especially, if you mail in your application to our P.O. Box.
- This means that I will not accept, "I am joining this month and want
to go" or "I will mail in my membership now so I can go" requests.
- Simply, if you don’t get a newsletter the previous month I will not
put you on the roster for a limited person trip. So, those folks who
were members in January and got a March newsletter you would have be
eligible for the list. Those joining in early February would have to
wait until the next month.
Link to
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