Highland Hill Farm
Po. Box 517
Fountainville, PA 18923
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View of part of our Flying X Ranch in Truth or Consequences N.M. Hunting for meteorites does not have to be a bone chilling adventure to the Antarctic where the temperature is 50 below zero F and 50 mile per hour winds. Meteors enter the earth atmosphere everywhere. They impact everywhere. The trick in finding them is to look where they have had a good chance of impacting or where they have been concentrated by natural forces of the earth and HAVE NOT BEEN DESTROYED BY WEATHERING. This means deserts are a good place to search for meteorites. Deserts can change over the centuries. But deserts don't always have major weathering. Thus if you want to find meteorites you may want to come to our Truth or Consequences Ranch. It is located in New Mexico adjacent to the Chihuahuan Desert. There are trillions and trillions of terrestrial rocks for each meteorite that could be in this area. Metal detectors are used by many professional meteorite hunters around the world. Metal detectors can easily distinguish between ferrous and non ferrous rocks. Since not all meteorites are ferrous only the ferrous meteorites will be found by the metal detector. Modern metal detectors can balance out dominant background rocks. This enhances the detector to find the meteorites. Metal detectors create a constant hum. The volume and pitch of this hum increases as the detector passes over the metallic object. There are hot rocks which produces a signal but is a false positive. Thus detecting requires concentration and you will see lots and lots of hot rocks. You must also keep a visual eye for other interesting rocks which can be meteorites. It seems that the best way to find meteorites from this area is to use a combination of metal detecting and good old-fashioned shoe-leather foot searching. The weather is not hard to predict for the Truth or Consequences area. Don't bother to bring a rain coat, it only rains 10" per year. The winters are mild as it is Southern New Mexico. It could get to 10F, but not for many days of the year. A clear sky with a gentle breeze is the norm.



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Sierra County Ranch- The Flying X Ranch

Our Sierra County Ranch is located in South Central New Mexico. The ranch is known as "The Fling X Ranch". The headquarters is located six miles west of I-25 on a gravel county road, 23 miles north of Truth or Consequences, in Sierra and Socorro Counties. The ranch is approximately 135 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico and 128 miles north of El Paso, Texas. This Ranch is adjacent to our Elephant Butte Lake Ranch.

This ranch was once owned by Joe Panky, a well know New Mexico rancher. There is a published book, "Land And Cattle" published by the University of New Mexico Press, which was written by Jack Parsons and Michael Earney which describes this hard-country ranching. This book describes the ranch and its former owners with 140 photos of the rugged beauty of the land and nearby areas. The first edition of this book was published in 1978.

The largest and one of the most popular lakes in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake is adjacent to our ranch. This lake provides a setting for every imaginable water sport. The visitor center offers regional exhibits. The climate of the area makes this park a popular year-round destination. The park around the lake has at least 24,000 acres. There is a lake surface of 36,000 acres. The elevation of the lake is 2400 feet. With only 9" of rain per year DON'T BOTHER TO BRING A RAIN COAT!

Elephant Butte Reservoir was created by a dam constructed in 1916 across the Rio Grande. The lake is 40 miles long with more than 200 miles of shoreline. Constructed to provide for irrigation and flood control, the lake is New Mexico’s #1 water recreation facility. A wide variety of water sports can be found at the lake. Fishing being one of the most popular. The mild climate of the area make this park a popular year-round destination.

Historic Inhabitants Over 100 million years ago, the area was part of a vast shallow ocean. Once the sea receded, the area was the favorite hunting ground of the tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur. Evidence of the Rex, the largest land-dwelling predator of all time, and other species of dinosaur have been discovered in area rock formations. We will allow hunting for fossils on only our private ground for a fee. We can have a rough cabin available and also allow groups to explore the area from our Ranch. If you also have a hunting license, bring it along to bang a coyote or two. If you have a camper you can park it on our private ground. If you want to store your boat on our site that can be arranged.

What’s in a Name? Although fossils of the stegomastodon (a primitive relative of today’s elephant) have been discovered near the reservoir, the area was not named for its former and formidable inhabitants. The name "Elephant Butte" was derived from the eroded core of an ancient volcano, now an island in the reservoir, in the shape of you guessed it..... an elephant.

Getting There Elephant Butte Lake State Park headquarters are five miles north of Truth or Consequences via I-25 exit 83.

Ever since the film, "Jurassic Park" came out in 1993, dinosaurs have been enjoying increasing popularity each year. Dinosaurs are not just part of our culture, but they're prized as art objects and wall hangers. Today, prehistoric creatures are just as likely to end up in private collections as in a museum. I would well love to have my own dino-pet.

Scientists are not happy with the idea of fossils as art objects. Yet that is exactly what they have become. The harvesting of fossils is in effect fossil farming. They are a product of the land. They will slowly waste if not collected and tended. In our capitalist system, supply and demand is what will guarantee preservation of artifacts. Many artifacts become exposed because of erosion and will slowly disappear.

In many parts of the United States, dinosaur bones and fossils can be found in one's backyard. Located in Western States such as Montana and New Mexico are the richest sites of dinosaur fossils and remains in the world. Few places allow you to collect and enjoy the process of discovery. This is or niche. We allow access to our private lands for your finding and locating fossils. We ask that you disturb the site as little as possible and we will call in universities and museums to verify and assess the findings. You will be able to name the find in the event of a new discovery. But you may not keep the finds. We will be donating them to a university or museum. We are happy to discuss this with you. You can call us at 215 651 8329.

Though dinosaurs seem to hold a special appeal for everyone, the average collector is a college educated adult with the means to acquire fossils that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A dinosaur sold at auction for over 8 Million Dollars. With such prices, demand is high and big money at stake. Illicit trades in fakes and black-market bones has sprung.

The valuation of a fossil is determined by age, condition, rarity, and aesthetics. Some argue that the big teeth and claws of t-rexes a make them more collectible than anything else, though there are collectors who concentrate on shark's teeth or trilobites.

Those of smaller, more common fossils are usually more affordable than dino bones, but there are common links. The market is based on the difficulty of finding a fossil, and its historical or academic value. But for a wall hanger above your fireplace, the value is priceless. Those finds that you make which are not going to a university or a museum will probably be given to you.

If you have any comments or wish to visit us, please E-Mail Us or call @ 215 651 8329
ACREAGE:
3,600 +/- Deeded Acres
4,480 +/- State Lease Acres
35,340 +/- U.S. Forest Service Lease Acres
28,260 +/- Bureau of Land Management Lease Acres
1,200 +/- Bureau of Water and Power Resources Lease Acres
72,880 +/- Total Acreage
114 +/- Sections
CARRYING CAPACITY:
Historically 854 Animal Units year round.

LAND STEWARDSHIP:
The carrying capacity of this ranch during "dry times" is limited approximately 300 Head.

IMPROVEMENTS:
THE MAIN HOME
The headquarters home has three bedrooms, 2 baths and is around 1,900 sq. ft. There is a one attached single car garage. The construction is stone and frame. This home is in good condition. This Ranch is occupied by our Ranch manager.

BUNKHOUSE
There is a one bedroom, one bath and kitchen bunk house in the process of being remodeled and is nearly complete.

BARNS AND SHOP
There is a barn and tack room of rock construction near the main home with horse pens adjacent to them. Nearby is a three-car garage plus storage of stone and concrete construction.

BARN
There is a large sheet metal barn with storage and half-concrete floor for a shop area. This barn is thirty feet by ninety feet and is large enough to store tractors and graders.

HEADQUARTERS PENS
There are a set of shipping and holding pens, equipped with 20,000 lb. Scales, consisting of working pens, alleys, and a shipping chute. At these pens, there are small storage buildings. There are other pens that are capable of holding and feeding 300 cattle with a large hay storage shed adjacent to them.

SOUTHEAST PASTURE PENS
There is a set of pipe corrals with squeeze chute and well layout working alleys and pens located in the southeast pasture. These corrals and holding/cutting pens are ideal for shipping and handling of cattle.

UTILITIES
REA provides electricity, General Telephone provides phone service, TV is by satellite dish and propane gas at headquarters.

FENCES
Fences are mostly 4-strand barbed wire and are currently reported to be in good to fair condition.

PASTURES
There are several pastures mostly containing 10 sections with one being around 14 sections. All pastures have sets of cattle or working pens in various conditions from poor to "state of the art" new, steel pens. Cattle working facilities are, for the most part, in very workable condition. There are also several traps and a large horse pasture adjacent to the headquarters.

ELEVATION:
The ranch varies from 4,500 ft. at Elephant Butte Lake to 10,270-ft. high Vic's Peak.

GRASSES AND BROWSE:
The most abundant grass is blue, black and side oats grammas mixed with Bush Muley and numerous other mixed type grasses. The browse consists of Four Wing Salt Bush, Mormon Tea, Oak of various types, and Apache Plume.

TERRAIN:
The terrain varies from a pleasant mix of desert flats, cut with draws and washes, to some high craggy mountains and peaks. There are extensive rolling hills, covered with grass and some juniper, with Oak brush covered draws leading up to the high country with a combination of Pinion, Juniper, Oaks and Ponderosa Pine. The views from the high points of this ranch are spectacular.

PRECIPITATION:
10" TO 16" PER YEAR.

CLIMATE:
Summers are cool enough to be more comfortable than the lower elevations of New Mexico. The main rainy season is usually from mid June to mid October with some periods of very nice weather in between.

WATER:
HEADQUARTERS WATER There is a 60-ft. well; pumping 5 gpm, equipped with a solar powered submersible pump.
A 305-ft. well equipped with a submersible pump, pumping 15 gpm to a 12,000-gallon storage tank.
A 30-ft. well, equipped with a solar powered submersible pump, pumping into a 1,000-gallon steel storage tank.
Headquarters wells provide water for approximately 15 miles of pipeline with eleven drinkers.

PENASCO WELL
160 ft. well, equipped with a 14 ft. Aeromotor mill providing water to three storage tanks and a pipeline to 7 drinkers. One of these storage tanks needs replacing. There is a spring feed dirt pond and working corrals at this well. There is also an old Stagecoach stop by this old spring.

LIGHTNING RIDGE WELL
500 ft. well equipped with a one horsepower submersible pump, pumping around 7-8 gpm into a 25,000-storage tank and a pipeline to three drinkers.

SAN JOSE CABIN
75 ft. well equipped with a 1/3 horsepower electric pump jack feed a drinking trough. This well needs to be rebuilt. There is a one-room cabin with electricity. There are working corrals here for convenient livestock work.

LA CABRA WELL
300 ft. well equipped with a 14 ft. Aeromotor mill and a 1 horsepower submersible pump, a 10,000 gallon steel storage tank and drinker with 1 (one) mile of pipe line to two drinkers. There are working pens and electricity.

LA CUERVO WELL
300 ft. well, equipped with a one horse power electric Berkley pump, pumping to a 3,000 gallon storage tank with drinker and a 27,000 gallon 5/8 steel storage tank feeding a drinker one mile north and a drinker one mile east. There are good cattle working facilities here with a large trap, three large bull wire pens, working chute, sorting alley and trailer chute.

ASHCROFT WELL
30 ft. well, equipped with an 8 ft. Aeromotor mill, needs work on windmill.

FIJARDO WELL
460 ft. equipped with a one-horse power electric Berkley pump feeding 1,700 ft. of one-inch pipeline to a dirt tank.

CROSSMAN TANK
New pipe working pens, chutes, drinker and dirt tank.

PARTNERSHIP WELL
380 ft. equipped with a 14 ft. Aeromotor mill, feeding a 7,000-gallon storage tank and one mile of pipeline to two drinkers.

CHINA WELL
250 ft. well pumping 5 gpm to a 12,000 gallon storage tank and one drinker.

TRIPOD WELL
160 ft. equipped with a ½ horsepower electric Jensen pump jack. Needs storage and drinkers.

LA MADERA WELL
250 ft. well equipped with a one horse power electric pump jack feeding a 25,000 gallon storage tank and three miles of pipeline to deer springs and two drinkers. 25,000 gallon storage tank and one drinker.

ARAGON WELL 336 ft. equipped with a one horse power electric pump, pumping 8 to 10 gpm to a 21,000 gallon storage tank and drinker also 1 ½ miles of pipeline to five drinkers.

STREET WELL
250 ft. equipped with a one horse power electric pump, pumping 3 gpm to a 12,000 gallon storage tank and ¾ mile of pipeline with one drinker. (New fiberglass storage and drinker.)

ROCK SPRINGS CANYON
Several springs and corrals in a picturesque canyon surrounded by 400 deeded acres.

LUMBER WELL
250 ft. well equipped with a 12-ft. Aeromotor mill providing water to one storage tank (10,000 gallons) and one drinker.

LA CABRA WELL
300 ft. well, equipped with a 14-ft. Aeromotor mill and a one horsepower submersible pump feeding an 8,000-gallon steel storage tank and a drinker with 1 mile of pipeline to a 10,000-gallon storage and three additional drinkers.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY The following notice is provided to clarify that you are responsible for your personal safety and exclude Seedlingsrus.com, Highland Hill Farm, Hirst Enterprises, or our private land owners whose lands we use of any liability in the event of an accident during a fossil hunting event or other use.

If you are under 18 you must be accompanied by at least one adult over the age of 18 on all trips.

We or any of the organisers will not be responsible or liable for your safety. There are many potential hazards in these many fossil locations, which could result in serious injury or even death. By agreeing to attend any participate you agree to take complete responsibility for your own safety and those that accompany you. We strongly recommend that everyone conducts their own risk assessment prior to attending our sites. We will offer information and personal experience relating only to our properties. We are neither qualified or experienced enough to offer safety guidance. Please read through the list of common hazards we have identified from our own personal experience.

Serious hazards to consider

1. Falling rocks - May occur with or without warning. We recommend that everyone keeps a safe distance from the cliff base to ensure no one gets hit by falling debris. In some instances, partial or complete cliff collapses may occur. For this reason you should refrain from standing too close to the cliff base. We consider the risk of falling rocks to be EXTREMELY HIGH. There could be fatalities and severe injuries from people not following these recommendations.

2.Snake Bites, bee bites, Bear and Mountain Lion attacks are all a real and life threatening possibility.

3. Rock splinters - This occurs when striking rocks with any sharp or heavy implements. You are strongly advised to bring protective eyewear. If you are in any doubt as to what constitutes suitable protection, please contact a local safety equipment supplier.

4. Flash Flooding. In some areas a flash flood may occur up stream from where you are located. Water can travel faster than you can run to safety.

Notice: In the event you find a fossil of a dinosaur or other creature,petroglyph, rock carving, or indian artifact. Your sole rights to it shall be limited to naming the creature or find. For all discoveries including dinosaurs and fossils we reserve all the rights to them. They will probably be donated to a university or museum and you will be created with its find. No monetary rights will accrue to you. We are the sole judge in the event of a dispute of any nature. I have tried to explain this in plain english, so if this is confusing or not clear don't come.

You can see more of our operations at Highland Hill Farm

Free Cut lilac Flowers

We assist with seedlings, liners, potted plants, rooted cuttings .....evergreen and deciduous.....as well as supply large trees and shrubs that we grow. Contact us for seedling, as well as full size plants, hollies, arbs, arborvitae, nursery stock at wholesale prices, trees, plants, shrubs, maples, oaks, lindens, viburnums, ornamentals, burning bushes, wetland plants, native plants, christmas trees, white pine trees, norway spruce, white spruce, flowering trees, hollies, shade loving, deer resistant plants, hosta, spirea, arborvitae, tree growing suggestions,tree grower supplies, shade trees. We also offer arrowhead hunting on some of our fields, fishing,& hunting camping.We are a family run operation and like to keep busy.

Thanks, Bill Hirst



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Home Manhatten Euonymus We deliver to the following counties in Pa:
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