Fossil Basket for ESA Chapter Auction
Some lucky child has received a basket full of paleontology equipment that will hopefully ignite a joy in the prehistoric world of fossils.
Mary Chamberlain of Fremont County Stones ‘n Bones put together a gift basket for the third annual Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) Auction, sponsored by our local Cañon City Beta Zeta Chapter, held October 6, 2018.
The gift basket provides the basic gear needed for a would-be paleontologist as she/he experiences the creatures deep time has buried and more recent time has uncovered. A trip out with an experienced mentor can open up a new world for young people, a new horizon that they can carry with them for a lifetime of learning.
The gift basket focuses on responsible collecting, so that discoveries are appreciated, understood, and preserved for the future.
Responsible collecting practices include:
- Appreciating the rarity and scientific significance of fossils
- Collecting legally
- Documenting the location and, if known, the geologic information
- Collecting only what is necessary
- Cataloging on a database
- Identifying and preserving the fossil
Some items included in the fossil basket are:
- Brush for cleaning fossils
- 3-D T-Rex model kit
- Real Fossils Excavation Kit
- Dinosaur Egg kit
- Smithsonian Handbook of Fossils book
- Fossil samples (trilobite, ammonite, orthoceras nautiloid, and a baculite)
- “My Fossil Finds” notebook
- Plastic box for displaying fossils
- Assorted sizes of plastic bags
- Identification tags
- Colorado Royal Gorge Field Office, Jr. Explorer book Geology of the Gold Belt Byway
- A note welcoming the recipient to the fossil world and kit, with suggestions of places to find the laws for collecting as well as places in Fremont County to learn more about fossils
Mary said the fabulous Fossil Basket was a joy to create for a child or grandchild.
ESA is a national service organization begun in Texas in 1929. The local Cañon City Chapter, Zeta Beta, began in the 1950s. All proceeds go to support worthy charitable organizations such as Easter Seals, the Cañon City Literacy Center, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Christmas gifts for teens in foster care, Meals on Wheels, Orchard of Hope, St. Jude’s, a Cañon City High School scholarship, and the Senior Breakfast at the Fremont County Fair.
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