Hands-on Prehistoric Digging at Fossil Park, Ohio

Taking a kid to go see dinosaur bones at a museum is a great way to spend a day, but you know what's even better?

Doing the digging yourself -- and getting to keep the finds.

You won't find any T-Rex teeth or ankylosaurus ankles at Fossil Park near Toledo, Ohio, but if you don't mind getting some dirt under your fingernails, it's easy to drive home with a carton full of prehistoric treasures.

Fossil Park's part of the Olander Park system, tucked into an unused shale quarry in Sylvania, just west of Toledo. Here's the deal: For years, scientists have known the shale quarries of northwest Ohio are absolutely brimming with fossils from the Devonian Era, which began about 408 million years ago and lasted about 48 million years. At the time, this place was underwater, so much of the life here was in the form of brachiopods (clam-like bivalves), crinoids, corals, and trilobites.

Unfortunately, the quarries where these things were found weren't open to the public.

In 2001, though, the Olander Park System took ownership of a five-acre unused quarry in Sylvania, and struck a deal with Hanson Aggregates Midwest, a nearby stone company. Every summer, Hanson brings in several massive loads of unsifted shale from its quarries and piles them in Fossil Park.

And they're yours for the searching.

Here's (pardon the pun) the nitty-gritty: Admission is free. Just pull in, park the car and head down to the quarry. You're not allowed to bring in shovels or pickaxes or hammers, though for the most part, you won't need them. Fossil Park usually keeps a few shovels around so you can turn up new parts of the piles, which run anywhere from a few inches to two or three feet deep. And because you're digging through shale and clay and similar crumbling materials, all you really need to pry the fossils from their hidden pockets are your hands and a little determination. A toothbrush or soft wire brush sometimes comes in handy to clean off whatever you find, and Fossil Park keeps water on hand for rinsing.

There are a few methods for searching. Some folks like to sit on the piles and just pick through whatever spot they're sitting in. Others, like me and my daughter, like to dig out a volleyball-sized chunk of the clay and cart it over to one of the shaded picnic tables.

Then we just start breaking off chunks of it and sifting it through our fingers. You find a big, hard lump, and you carefully pick at the clay around it until you find out what's in the middle. Be careful! Some of the brachiopods and coral pieces have tiny points that can give you a nice little cut, or you could wind up breaking off a fragile piece of fossil.

Watch for patterns and shapes that look more organic than random: Brachiopods, crinoids, and trilobites, for instance, most often have textured ridges that stand out once you start brushing away the material that's encasing them. Corals often look like tiny tangles of twigs.

Something like an egg carton makes a good container for setting aside the fossils you want to keep: Most of them will be the size of a silver dollar or smaller, although we have found a brachiopod that had the diameter of a billiard ball.

Everybody, of course, wants to find a trilobite, and while they're definitely here, it takes patience to snag one. In five trips, we've found only one complete specimen, curled up on itself like a pillbug, though we've found more than a dozen nice trilobite "bits," including segments of their heads, bodies, and tails.

If the search bug really bites you, it can be easy to spend a half day at the park, always wanting to go through just one more clump of dirt to find that elusive trilobite or really nice, complete brachiopod. Here are a few survival tips:

· Fossil Park's only open on Saturdays and Sundays, and the 2007 digging season ends Oct. 21. Also, the park's closed June 30 and July 1.

· Aside from the three or four picnic tables, there's absolutely no shade, and it gets pretty hot in the sun working on the quarry floor, so make sure you've got sunscreen or hats or sunglasses and plenty of water to drink.

· There's usually at least one park guide on hand, and they can be extremely helpful in identifying fossils or bits and pieces of whatever interesting stuff you find. Don't be afraid to ask, "Hey, what's this thing?"

· Fossil Park's website says there are a couple port-a-potties available in 2007 "while the permanent restroom is under construction." If you're squeamish, be warned: The website has said the same thing every year since the park opened, and last I checked, they still had the port-a-potties.

· There's no food or drink stand, although there are plenty of fast food and family/casual options within a five-to-ten minute drive. We tend to pack a cooler and a picnic lunch so we can take a little break from digging.

· The port-a-potties usually have hand sanitizer dispensers in them, but we usually throw a few washcloths and band-aids in the car, just in case.

· If you're driving quite a ways to make a day of Fossil Park, check the weather: There will be literally no shelter (other than your car) in case of rain, and even then, it's a hundred yards away, up in the parking lot at the quarry's edge.

· Be patient. Be patient. Oh, and be patient. Some years, we've come home with a load of great finds, and some years we've come home with just three or four fossils. Either way, we've brought home a ton of great memories.

· Directions: Using GoogleMaps or Mapquest, get directions to 8250 Mayberry Square N, Sylvania, Ohio 43560. Fossil Park is on Centennial Road south of Mayberry Square and on the west side of the road. The park itself isn't visible from Centennial Road, although there's a sign marking the entrance. The Olander Parks website is here.