Fossils of all kinds are a legacy for scientists and members of the public. They are the primary record of past environments and the organisms that populated the earth in the past. Once destroyed, they cannot be replaced. Most paleontologists work on small research budgets (especially so in Canada!) so cannot afford to buy fossils, and so rely on collections of fossils they make themselves.
Fossil collecting in Canada is regulated by Provincial and Federal laws.
Generally speaking, fossils may not be collected for personal use in National Parks or other protected land. Geological Monuments and Heritage Protected Sites or other legal protection has been declared for some specific fossil sites and no collecting without a scientific permit is permitted at these sites at any time. Collecting for private use (i.e. not for commercial sale) or as part of an educational exercise (i.e. a school group) on private land, provided you have the permission of the land owner, is legal in some provinces. In Alberta fossils may be collected from surface exposures, but may not be collected by excavation and always remain the property of the Province of Alberta. Permits are required on government land. Check with your local museum or provincial government for the regulations in your area.
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When professional paleontologists collect fossils they record a variety of information about the locality, the rocks that the fossils are found in, as well as the position in the layers of rocks where each individual specimen was collected. Without this information, many fossils have much reduced scientific value. Often, fossils sold commercially lack this kind of information and are sold for their beauty or curiosity value.
So, if you find fossils, it is best to only take a small number for your own enjoyment, and leave large scale collecting to the professional paleontologists. Contact a museum or university geology or biology department, or this website, and let the professional scientists know about your discovery. They can determine whether the site is important, and also assist you with identifying your fossils – you will not be asked to surrender your fossils provided they were collected legally. Many important finds have been brought to the attention of paleontologists by interested amateurs.
Fossil collecting can be fun as well as being educational. Joining a rock club or amateur fossil society are the best ways to enjoy this activity, as they will organize field trips to well known fossil sites, and will provide information on collecting and looking after your fossils.
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In the USA the spelling 'paleontology' is used. In Australia, the UK, and most Commonwealth countries the spelling 'palaeontology' is used.
In Canada, officially, the extra letter 'a' is retained (i.e. 'palaeontology'). However, language evolves, and increasingly the US spelling is seen in Canadian publications.
Best practice is to follow the guidelines of whatever publication is being used, but always apply consistency for a single document.
A final point. A common mistake in newspapers and electronic media is to call anyone who studies ancient remains (fossil or human) an 'archaeologist'. This is totally incorrect. These definitions are from the web-based dictionary Dictionary.com:
Archaeology: The systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery.
Paleontology: The study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms.
Paleobotany: The branch of paleontology that deals with plant fossils and ancient vegetation.
This is a hot topic. Several school boards in the US are considering giving equal time in the class room to the teaching of evolution and creationism in 'new clothes'; so-called 'intelligent design' or ID.
Rather than argue the point myself, I would direct the interested reader to an article that appeared recently in an Australian newspaper in response to debate there about 'equal time in the classroom'. The article was originally published in The Guardian, and was written by two of the foremost evolutionary scientists alive; Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne.
Click
on the PDF button to read their article.
See also these websites:
Transitional Vertebrate Fossils FAQ (also, navigate to other topics, e.g. age of the earth, evolution of horses, evolutionary theory, punctuated equilibrium etc.)
Links to other websites here.
For a humorous take on the intelligent design vs. evolution controversy, visit this site!