Be sure to renew your Fossil Permits! Never Dig into the River banks! Collection of Artifacts is Illegal on Florida state owned land!

President's Message

2026-2027 Season

The Secret to Finding Great Fossils? Get Out There!

Everybody thinks you have to belong to an elite clique of fossil hunters or know about some secret hunting spot to find great fossils. Nothing could be further from the truth! The real secret to finding great specimens is simple: YOU HAVE TO GO!

You often see fossil hunters featured on the cover and inside the pages of this publication showing off some amazing finds. What's the common denominator among many of these successful hunters? They're getting off the couch, making plans, and heading out into the field!

I understand that not everyone can go fossil hunting every weekend. Life gets busy, and we all have other responsibilities. But if you only make it out once or twice a year, your chances of finding a whole bunch of great specimens are pretty slim. Most of you can probably manage to plan a trip once a month though, right? Now is the perfect time to start making those plans!

While our rivers are still a little too deep for comfortable fossil hunting, we should begin seeing the rains ease up and conditions return to what we typically expect here in Central Florida during the fall and winter. Over the next few months, river levels should drop, and fossil hunting season will be back in full swing.

Don't wait until the perfect conditions arrive to start planning. Get those trips on your calendar now! Check out the field trip pages in the Chronicles, and visit our Facebook page to connect with other hunters who are just as eager to get back out there. You never know what might be waiting for you beneath the river's surface!

FossilFest 2027: It's Time to Get Ready!

It's only November, but people are already talking about FossilFest 2027! In just a month or so, we'll begin signing up volunteers for TBFC's big weekend at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Mark these dates on your calendar: March 19, 20, and 21, 2027! FossilFest setup takes place on Friday, March 19, so start thinking about how you can help make our next big show a success.

FossilFest takes plenty of planning and a lot of helping hands. Whether you're a longtime volunteer or someone thinking about getting involved for the first time, there's a place for you at the show. Be ready!

Be good to one another and stay safe out there.

Good Hunting,

Please be very cautious while venturing out into the rivers and creeks. There’s nothing in those rivers worth dying for.

Greater Wauchula: Fossils

The area PBS channel, WEDU, recently filmed this segment about TBFC on their show Greater Wauchula (Thanks Joyce Cotton for getting this started). The segment featured some of the remarkable fossils Dr. Bob Sinibaldi has been finding, as well as (nearly) lifelong member Joe Branin. Other members were involved, too, including the good work Karissa Hendershot does on TBFC’s Peace River day trips.

I have to say that it is by far the best-produced and most well-done television spot we have ever been involved with. You can watch it right here, below!



Missed a meeting or just want to watch it again? You can view our past meeting recordings or live streams in the playlist below (Also found in the About section):

New Members! - Over the last few meetings, we’ve been thrilled to welcome an increasing number of new members. It’s genuinely exciting to see fresh faces in the crowd, and we look forward to getting to know each of you, both at our meetings and out in the field. If you’re new to TBFC, thank you for choosing to join us. You are now part of a community of almost 600 fossil enthusiasts who share a passion for discovery, science, and Florida’s rich prehistoric past.

We meet monthly (except July and August), typically on the first Saturday. Schedule updates to the website will be made, as occasional schedule changes do occur. Field trips are also listed here and discussed at each meeting. We encourage you to attend regularly and join us afterward for a late dinner, where the conversation continues, usually about fossils, but not always, until the restaurant finally asks us to leave.