Skyler Phelps’ family tree has deep roots in the Auburn area. Phelps’ great-grandfather, John A. Livingston, was a businessman, one of the first real estate brokers in Auburn and politically involved in county business dating back to the early 1900s.

“My great-grandfather had the second car in Auburn,” Phelps said.

Phelps’ great-grandfather was one of the first to buy land in Meadow Vista, and according to Phelps is credited with giving that community its name. Phelps was born in Auburn and attended area schools, graduating in 1975.

Early after high school Phelps discovered the value of Placer County burl wood. Enlightened by a shop teacher who explained its worth and beautiful qualities, Phelps was astonished at its value.

“I got a loan from the credit union and bought two chain saws and started looking for walnut trees,” Phelps said.

The best trees for burls are those that have been grafted or scarred, causing beautiful grain formations in the knotted wood.

The burl wood stock he has logged from Placer County in the past 30 years has found its way into gun stocks and veneer from his logs is used for the bodies of high-end custom guitars. Boat loads of burls have been shipped to Europe for use in custom furniture.

Phelps has always been interested in the area’s natural resources. What began with trees progressed to crystals and rocks, which he found throughout Placer County.

At a mineral show in Tucson, Ariz., Phelps overheard a few men talking about ancient fossils and good places to find them. Again, his interest was kindled, and his search began.

Reading everything he could get his hands on he discovered that southwestern Wyoming had many fossil beds created when an open seaway channel and then fresh water lakes covered much of the region millions of years ago.

Phelps’ easygoing personality opened many doors as his excavations are done on private property, with permission from ranchers.

After years of trekking, his friendships with ranchers have landed him the freedom to hunt for fossils on two Wyoming ranches — one 45,000 acres and the other 60,000 acres.

Phelps has discovered many fossils — fish, sea turtles, insects and larger creatures. The specimens are millions of years old.

Phelps gets excited and is thrilled with every find. A few of his discoveries have garnered national attention as very rare finds.

One find was a fossilized bird leg and foot that was from a species that has yet to be identified. If it cannot be identified, Phelps would be its discoverer and entitled to name the species.

To find a bird fossil, in general, is rare. The fossil is from the Paleogene period and is approximately 45 million years old. Phelps donated it to the Tate Geological Museum in Casper, Wyo.

His most exciting find happened earlier this year in Wyoming. Phelps uncovered an 18-foot-long Mosasaurus, an excellent specimen which took Phelps over 100 hours and two trips to Montana to unearth.

Phelps used little picks, hammers and brushes to uncover the 70 million-year-old fossilized sea creature. The Mosasaurus was a carnivorous ocean lizard with long jaws that lived in the Cretaceous period.

“I first found the tip of the jaw, then dug out the complete skull and just kept going and found 80 percent of the skeleton intact,” Phelps said. “I dug from sun-up till sun-down every day. It was the best time of my life, best find I’ve ever had,” he said.

Phelps unearthed the fossil and carefully crated the fossil he named “Jessie” in sawdust and moved the creature to his home near Lake of the Pines.

His hope is to someday reassemble the complete skeleton and find a place in a museum for his find.