USA: 400 Million Year Fossil Returned By Thief

A young man's theft of a 400 million-year-old fossil rock from an Arkansas state park years ago prompted a heartfelt note of apology from the now much older and wiser collector from Texas.

He shipped the stone back to Buffalo National River officials last week, regret evident in his words.

"Please return to Lost Valley State Park," his note reads. "I was young and hid it from my folks. I'm very old now & very sorry. Forgive me."

The inch-thick stone contains fossilized tracks from prehistoric worms that left their trails in mud that later turned to stone, according to park spokesman Caven Clark.

It's an eye-catching piece, but Clark reminded all park visitors that removing mementos or archaeological finds from a national park not only is ethically wrong, it's also illegal.

"A person who took this potentially could be fined $100, but it could ramp up to a felony case if it involves the theft of more material or from an archaeological site," he said.

The apologetic Texan did provide a return address, but Clark said it's unlikely he'll be fined since he apologized for what he did and returned what he took.

Clark said Lost Valley State Park was closed long ago, so there's no easy way to simply return the rock to its original resting place.

"We'll honor his request in principal," Clark said. "But if we take it back and just chuck it in the stream bed we lose his story. We haven't made a firm decision what we'll do, but it's appropriate to tell his story and the message is better coming from him than us."

It's possible the fossil rock and the note could become part of a park exhibit reminding visitors to live by the Leave No Trace ethical mantra posted on the Buffalo National River's Facebook page:

"Leave what you find, preserve the past, observe, but do not touch cultural or historic structures and artifacts. Leave rocks, plants, and other natural objects as you find them. Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species. Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

"So, leave what you see, and take what you bring in any National or State Park."