Reply #29: Just a reminder to anyone who finds possible evidence -- criminal, historical, fossil, etc.--

[eppur_se_muova]

MARK the spot well, with something weatherproof.

Take PICTURES if you can. Even a rough sketch is better than nothing. If you do have a camera, photograph the object from several angles. Preferably, take a series of pictures at various angles around the object. Software can then be used to reconstruct a 3D image. (Two pictures at ~5-10 degrees apart will give you a stereoview.)

MAP the spot as carefully as you can. Draw sightlines to several landmarks in the area. Better too many than too few. Be especially thorough if you do not know the area well.

Finallly, RECOVER only those small, loose items that can be removed without causing damage. With fossils, this usually means only teeth. If the find is fragile, it may be better to cover it with sand or dirt than to try to remove it.

LEAVE the rest to the experts. An enormous amount of evidence can be destroyed simply by moving and reorienting objects. Much of the evidence is in the environment, and the relationship between the objects found and their environment. Bodily removing them destroys that relationship, and it cannot be reconstructed in most cases.