About this time every January, fossil collectors get itchy for news from the PotashCorp-Aurora mine. The official word concerning a Spring 2013 fossil collecting season has finally reached my mailbox. Melissa Nanney, Public Affairs Specialist at PotashCorp-Aurora wrote: "Due to safety concerns related to heavy equipment in the mine area, there will not be a 2013 Spring fossil collecting season at PotashCorp-Aurora. We will re-evaluate for a Fall season. Thank you for your patience."

It wasn't an unexpected announcement, but the redundancy of yet another statement about heavy equipment prompted me to take a ride down to the area. The first thing I noticed was a huge dump truck at the vehicle shop. These trucks are capable of hauling 230+ tons of material; the tires alone are approximately 13 feet high. It's a good bet our old fossil bus could easily get lost in a rut made by one of those-there is a steady run of these trucks nearly 24/7.

The bucketwheel excavator used for pre-stripping the top 30 feet of overburden is now gone-its duties taken over by "small" draglines. Fossil collecting areas of the final couple of years are all underwater-huge ponds separated by dikes. The latest one visible from Highway 306 N is being built in nearly the exact spot of our May 2009 collecting access ramp. Most of this water is pumped from the active mining pit and is reused in various capacities around the plant site.

The large mining draglines are far in the distance, nearly to South Creek; mining is progressing at a fairly rapid pace. My personal observation is that no overburden in the mined area is left untouched long enough (two years) to weather and dry properly for a successful fossil hunt. In addition, providing safe access to any of these mined areas (even if well weathered) for 120+ fossil hunters each weekend would require a costly, if not impossible, effort by PotashCorp.

Mrs. Nanney has been diligent in working on our behalf for mine access since 2010 and I expect her to continue that effort. PotashCorp continues to keep the fossil guides' MSHA certification up to date, at their expense. For the near future though, I think we should plan to content ourselves with fossil collecting other places.

Last year's monograph on Santonian sharks from New Mexico is now available as a pdf (albeit a large one, 45mb). It can be downloaded from the NMMNH If you have difficulties finding the document try this alternate download url.

Potash advised in August that, "Due to safety concerns related to heavy equipment in the Mine area, we are unable to host a Fall season. As we approach the Spring season, we will re-evaluate. Thank you for your patience." I was off on vacation and subsequently forgot to post this news -- my apologies.

The official word from Potash Corp -- "There will not be a Spring 2012 Collecting Season due to safety concerns related to heavy equipment in the mine".

From Public Affairs - PotashCorp: "Due to safety concerns related to heavy equipment in the Mine area as a result of us receiving our mine continuation permit, we have suspended fossil hunting. As we approach the Spring season, we will re-evaluate."

I had been advised that there were problems with the email address provided for ordering NMMNH&S Bulletin 52; I have been given an alternate address for these inquires: Beth Ricker, Store Manager for the NMMNH&S, at bricker@naturalhistoryfoundation.org.

Although started with Keith Wright as an elasmo.com fauna project, the Hosta Tongue selachian assemblage proved rather unique and the scope expanded to a co venture with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science; the monograph was recently released.

Elasmo.com genus pages will soon be fully updated to bring the website content inline with the observations contained in the bulletin. At that point a Hosta Tongue fauna page will be added to the website.

A second recent paper, Bourdon & Everhart 2011 on Cretoxyrhina mantelli may be of interest to some readers.

After a few seasons without fossil collecting at Aurora, the 18th Aurora Fossil Festival will be a welcome opportunity to meet with old friends and catch up on the fossil scene in other parts. Opening ceremonies will be in the tent across from the museum on Friday, May 27 at 6pm. A great "beach music" band will play until 10pm. Fossil Masters this year are Thomas and Joan Walker. Longtime fossil collectors may remember them as the driving force behind organizing the first festival in 1994 as well as being Festival Chairmen for the first four years. This honor to them is long overdue.

Saturday's activities start at 9am with the parade coming into town at 11am. We have several fossil dealers booked who are first time Auroral vendors. In addition, nearly all our old favorites will be returning. Lecturers at the museum are Mark Renz, speaking on his Florida adventures (10am and 1:30pm) and George Powell discussing the skills and trials encountered in prepping a large Yorktown whale (12pm). The helicopter is back again with trips across the river and over the mine. PotashCorp is also providing free tours of their mine until 4pm. New this year in the Public Education tent, the Great Dane Rescue League will be showing some of their huge (and very friendly) rescued dogs. Also on hand will be the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club, Schiele Museum gem mining sluice, Civil War and Native American artifacts from NC, a modern animal skull collection and other interesting displays. The Community Center will house other fossil club displays. Available to help identify fossils will be representatives of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Smithsonian Institution and Virginia Museum of Natural History. The museum's annual fossil auction will begin at 3pm at the Learning Center pavilion--stop in early to preview and pick up your number. There will be a wide variety of live music all day followed by a street dance from 7:30-10:30pm. Expect lots of good food-I hear we'll have shrimp burgers this year! If you're still in town on Sunday morning, there will be a non-denominational worship service followed by singing until 3pm.

There are already many new piles of reject placed around town and at the museum. A 20 minute browse today showed it was rich in small teeth, dolphin vertebrae, barracuda teeth, pufferfish mouthplates and few nice, large mako teeth. It's been a long while since reject has looked this good-bring buckets to take some back home with you after the festival.

Hope to see all of you there!

From Public Affairs - PotashCorp: "Because the safety concerns with the heavy equipment still remain, we will not be hosting a Spring 2011 collecting season. As we approach the Fall season, we will re-evaluate."