Sometimes, I believe, we get so caught up in the hustle bustle of the image of Florida today (you know, swaying palm trees, electric theme parks and snazzy beach side resorts) that we forget about the richness and mystery of what it was like in days gone by -- I'm talking way, way gone by....okay, prehistoric yesteryear. This step, okay, leap back-in-time concept struck me as I read a news release yesterday announcing the Florida Museum of Natural History's annual fossil dig that begins Saturday, Oct. 24.Get this Indiana Jones fans, a group of the Museum's "vertebrate paleontologists" will host the dig at nearby Thomas Farm -- a rich site replete with big critter bones that roamed this area some 18 million years ago...that's right 18 million. Wow. Just imagine digging and panning, ala gold miner, and better yet FINDING bones from ancient three-toed horses, giant bear-dogs, and Alligator olseni the great grandfather millions of years removed from a 21st century gator. By the way...what's a giant bear-dog?
The project continues through Tuesday, Nov. 24 with work occurring from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Volunteers should be at at least 15 years old, in good health and be able to work a minimum of three hours a day.
Apparently, since the Museum began offering these volunteer-based digs in 2000, they have collected thousands of "scientifically valuable" fossils -- a.k.a. "good-uns" -- helping scientists take a better peek into what Florida really looked like millions of centuries ago. My guess, and of course, it's just a guess, these digs have yet to uncover a fossil wearing a funny floral shirt, zinc oxide suffering from carpal tunnel because they were texting too much on their smart phone.
If you'd like to step back and dig in the dirt...check out the details and the application at the Museum's special page, http://www.flmhn.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/fall_2009.htm
No bones about it, it sounds like a lot of fun and adventure.
