Last year we when we did some free range hiking we discovered two fossils from an arm bone from around the elbow. We only were able to document our find with photos, we knew it is prohibited to take or remove any fossils from the badlands, but you are able to log your find withthe National Park office here at the Badlands. Well, this year we were prepared. We were armed with our GPS to record the location of any fossils. It didn't take long, we found pieces of vertebrates from animals and pieces of long bones and a good femur joint. Then Ashley Finkbeiner discovered several bones grouped together. We couldn't tell if it was a hand or foot or what and then upon closer examination we saw them...the the dark fossilized teeth and the canine tooth or fang. Then I found a sweet set of jawbone and teeth. We took our GPS coordinates and wrote a short description and will be filing the information withthe park office so they can send some people out to investigate.
About the Louis Leakey comment...I think I am the only one here old enough to have watched the National Geographic program on TV when I was young. It in part is what made me want to be an archeologist...now I am a junior paleontologist.
As for the heavy rain we had last night...the best think about rain is that it washes away the dirt and uncovers the fossils.
Ms Packard
Sounds like you all are having a great trip! There's just nothing like riding 15 hours in a school van and then sleeping in a soggy sleeping bag! Darn - wish I was with you! Tell me more! Mrs. Zerr
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