Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_17 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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TOP TO BOTTOM: • In their transport of quarried rock, miners create a landscape that entices fossil diggers. • NMEA members gather at UNC-Wforan introduction from Timmerman (seated) on the art and science of fossil hunting. • Andrew Wilson examines a shark's tooth — an extremely desirable find. similar specimen. According to Timmerman, sharks' teeth are pretty rare in Castle Hayne. While the shark's tooth, from hurns preacursor—an Eocene mako shark—is the first great find, a rare chambered nautilus, Atitria sp., immedi- ately follows. The nautilus is preserved in a scarce condition in which the outer shell casing has disintegrated, leaving the fragile fossilized chambers behind. NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK Off to a great start and hoping for continued luck, Timmerman and Larrick decide to move the group to a solid Eocene deposit. More impor- tantly, the site seems to be fresh. "I almost hate to step in here. This is a really great site that hasn't been worked in a while," says Larrick. Such reservations are justified as the trip draws to a close, and the group is able to compare findings. The riches are amazing. Timmerman has found a heavy boulder with a Rapana sp., or whelk, attached in near perfect condition. Several more chambered nautiluses have been found along with sand dollars, rare sea biscuits such as Linthia wilmingtonensis, heart urchins, an Ice Age bear tooth, and enough brachiopods, bryozoans and other Eocene fossils to satisfy every educator on the trip. The day couldn't have turned out any better for collecting, with no other explanation than beginner's luck in an outstanding site. "Even when you become skilled at it, fossil hunting is 90 percent luck and 10 percent skill," says Timmerman. Anyhow, Larrick reasons, "Whether you find them or not, you sort of lose yourself, commune with nature, and meditate." Taking Home More Than Fossils While the educators enjoyed their fossil hunting, they did not forget why they were there: to share what they found with their students and professional peers. Elaine McClure has taught fifth-grade science in South Carolina for 34 years and lives up to her belief that "teachers will collect anything." She maintains a comer in her classroom called Science Sizzlers, where she displays mystery objects related to science that the students research and identify. "It's something to get them excited about science, and is a great moti- vation for research," says McClure. While she focuses this trip on searching for a chambered nautilus, McClure admits to having collected everything from cocoons and hornets' nests to seashells. Many teachers swear by fossils as a teaching tool. Merryl Kafka, cura- tor of education at the New York Aquarium, agrees that "kids are turned on by tangible evidence of ancient life." She incorporates ancient relics into her teaching, comparing fossils with a living marine collection to complete the geologic timeline — a complex concept for children and adults alike. For the Hobbyist Fossils can be found on any North Carolina beach. Fossil trips, such as those sponsored by museums, aquariums and clubs, are the best way to be permitted into private sites, like quarries. The North Carolina Fossil Club schedules trips to PCS Phosphate mine in Aurora, among other locations. To get involved, go to www.ncfossilchib.org. Fossil hunters should always be equipped with a good reference book. Trmmerman's books, coauthored by Richard Chandler, can be purchased by contacting the North Carolina Fossil Club, P.O. Box 13075, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709. They are titled: Cretaceous and Paleogene Fossils of North Carolina: A Field Guide and Neogene Fossils of North Carolina. Q COASTWATCH 29

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