Foundation Document

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Idaho October 2015

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Foundation Document

HAGERMAN

FOSSIL BEDS

NATIONAL

MONUMENT

H A G E R M A N

V A L L E Y

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Dashed lines show the approximate

route of the trail where it is no longer

visible. Solid lines show sections visibile today.

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400 E

5600 N

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CAUTION

Public access is limited to overlooks

and developed trails in the park.

Call 208-933-4100 for information.

Otherwise, entering the park can be

dangerous because of landslides,

rattlesnakes, and scorpions. Obey

all hazard signs!

Hagerman

State Wildlife

Management Area

Hagerman

National

Fish Hatchery

Riley

Creek

Billingsley

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Billingsley Creek

State Wildlife

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River

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PRIVATE PROPERTY

PRIVATE PROPERTY

(no fossil hunting or access)

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Idaho Power

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Ranger station

Parking

Wheelchair accessible

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Horseback riding

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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Contents

Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components .

Brief Description of the Park 3

Park Purpose 5

Park Significance 6

Fundamental Resources and Values 

Other Important Resources and Values 8

Interpretive Themes 9

Part 2: Dynamic Components 10

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 10

Special Mandates 10

Administrative Commitments 10

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values .

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 12

Planning and Data Needs 15

High Priority Planning Needs .

High Priority Data Needs .

Recently Completed and Ongoing Planning and Data Collection Efforts 19

Part 3: Contributors 20

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument .

NPS Pacific West Region 20

NPS Geologic Resources Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science 20

NPS Denver Service Center, Planning Division .

Appendixes .

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument .

Appendix B: Planning and Data Needs 23

Appendix C: Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values and 

Other Important Resources and Values 26

Appendix D: Recent and Ongoing Park Planning Data Collection Efforts 42

Appendix E: Administrative Commitments 44
Foundation Document
The arrowhead was authorized as the 

official National Park Service emblem 

by the Secretary of the Interior on 

July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and 

bison represent vegetation and wildlife, 

the mountains and water represent 

scenic and recreational values, and the 

arrowhead represents historical and 

archeological values.

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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Mission of the National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and 

values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and 

future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits 

of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country 

and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its 

mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National 

Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global 

preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the 

highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being 

of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous 

national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that 

President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing 

the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units 

covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American 

Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited 

to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, 

lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The 

variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to 

resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these 

resources for future generations.
Foundation Document

2

Introduction

Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide 

basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and 

management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description 

of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, 

other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document 

also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning 

and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the 

associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the 

assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which 

planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and 

coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is 

most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins 

with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined 

and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process 

of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying 

and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park 

management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning 

issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The 

atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data 

on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves 

as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a 

(hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. 

The park atlas for Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument can be accessed online at: 

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Part 1: Core Components

The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park 

purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources 

and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do 

not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and 

management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park

Background. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (park) preserves the fossil remains 

of more than 140 fossil species from the Pliocene epoch (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) and is 

recognized as one of North America’s most important localities concerning the evolution of 

the horse. The park’s geologic strata are a slice of the Pliocene, providing a detailed record of 

an evolving environment that spans at least 500,000 years. It includes fossils found nowhere 

else in the world. The density, diversity, and quality of fossils led to the site being designated as a 

national natural landmark in 1975.1

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument lies within a scenic region of southern Idaho where 

sandy bluffs, basalt canyons, waterfalls, and hot springs are interspersed between vineyards, 

ranches, and farms producing various crops including sugar beets, potatoes, and onions. The 

4,394-acre park lies just west of the town of Hagerman. The unit was established November 

18, 1988, through an act of Congress (Public Law 100-696) and is one of the few federally 

administered fossil sites specifically set aside for paleontological research. The park’s fossil beds 

offer a world-class setting to conduct research that can better enable the scientific community, the 

public, and land managers to understand the past. 

Paleontological Resources. Hagerman fossils are widely dispersed across the park’s extent, 

and many are very small, such as the tiny teeth of voles. The diversity of species and the breadth 

of information they offer allows researchers to reconstruct the past and examine current and 

future climate change with a better understanding of how communities responded to similar 

environmental changes in the past.

The fossil beds have yielded more than just horses. Many important species have been 

recovered, with animals ranging from the diminutive deer mouse to the giant mastodon. The 

park has the largest known assemblage of the giant river otter (Satherium piscinarium), a 

large badger-like animal (Ferinestrix vorax) known only from Hagerman and Russia, and an 

exceedingly diverse number of carnivores. Hagerman was the locality where a number of turtle, 

bird, and rodent fossils were first described.

In addition to the ongoing research at Hagerman Fossil Beds, the park has signed a sister 

park agreement with Sibiloi National Park in Kenya. The National Park Service fosters such 

relationships as mutual learning opportunities that can lead to efficiencies, collaboration, and 

discoveries. Both Hagerman and Sibiloi are important Pliocene fossil sites known for their 

faunal diversity and the extensive nature (spatial and temporal) of their fossil deposits.

Topography and Climate. The park lies along the Snake River and includes 7 miles of river 

shoreline. Elevation of the park ranges from 3,508 feet at the top of the bluff to 2,799 feet at the 

base of the river. The climate in the region is semiarid. Precipitation averages less than 10 inches 

per year, with most occurring in the early spring and late fall. Winters are cold (average low is 

19 degrees Fahrenheit (°F), and summers are hot (average high is 91°F).

The topography is characterized by large flat plateaus deeply dissected by water drainages. 

Sediment layers were deposited by rivers flowing into ancient Lake Idaho, a body of water that 

once flooded much of the region. The sediments on the bluffs include river sands, thin shale 

layers, clay flood deposits, and occasional volcanic deposits such as ash and basalt. There are 

many small and ephemeral riparian areas in the park. 

1 A national natural landmark is a natural area that has been designated by the Secretary of the Interior in recognition that the site 

contains significant examples of the nation’s biological and/or geological features.
Foundation Document

4

Vegetation and Wildlife. In contrast to the moist, warm, and thriving environment that 

characterized the area during the Pliocene, the park is now dominated by sagebrush steppe 

vegetation and riparian areas. Common vegetation within the sagebrush steppe environment 

includes bitterbrush, greasewood, rabbitbrush, various bunchgrasses such as blue bunch wheat 

grass, crested wheat grass (nonnative), Indian rice grass, and Great Basin wild rye. Riparian 

areas are composed of black cottonwood, willow, bulrush, and cottontails.

Nonnative vegetation is established throughout the park. Some of the dominant nonnative 

species include Russian olive, tamarisk, and purple loosestrife along the shoreline of the Snake 

River and some of the drainages; also Russian thistle, cheat grass, wheatgrass, blue mustard, 

tansy mustard, and tumble-mustard. Agricultural crops have replaced much of the natural 

vegetation on private lands adjacent to the park.

The Snake River and adjacent wetlands provide valuable resources for a wide range of mammals, 

birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The upland sagebrush steppe and grasslands provide 

important habitat for the Brewer’s sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, and willow flycatcher. The 

area also supports a variety of mammals such as antelope ground squirrels, shrews and voles, 

pronghorn, and mule deer. Salamanders, lizards, and skink inhabit the shoreline and wetlands. 

Historically, salmon migrated up the Snake River but are no longer present.

Changes in fire frequency and precipitation challenge park managers. Nonnative species that 

can easily adapt may displace or harm native species. Species such as sagebrush, slow-growing 

trees, fish, and some small mammals are particularly at risk for survival because they have a 

limited ability to relocate and have very specific habitat needs.

Prehistory and History. During the Archaic and Historic periods, small groups of American 

Indians camped, hunted, fished, and gathered food throughout the area; salmon from the Snake 

River was an important source of food.

Lifeways of many groups changed with the reintroduction of the horse around AD 1700. Some 

Northern Shoshone and Bannock groups obtained horses and vastly extended their range. 

Other groups (such as Western Shoshones) eschewed a dependence on horses and maintained 

their seasonal pedestrian nomadism with an emphasis on fishing. At the time of European 

contact, Bannocks, Paiutes, and Shoshones lived in the area.

During the early 1800s, American Indians along the Snake River traded fish and other products 

with traders and trappers. This trade extended to emigrants on the Oregon Trail, who began 

passing through in 1841. The trail across southern Idaho was typically hot, dry, and dusty; 

travelers were exhausted, and a stop at the Snake River was a welcome respite. In the late 1800s, 

Indians were forcibly removed to reservations and settlers of European descent followed with 

ferries, mining, farming, ranching, and other activities.

In 1928, a rancher named Elmer Cook showed some fossil bones to Harold T. Stearns of the 

US Geological Survey, who passed them on to James W. Gidley of the Smithsonian Institution. 

In 1929 and 1930, Gidley excavated what is now known as the Hagerman Horse Quarry. These 

excavations uncovered the largest assemblage known of the first single-toed horse, Equus 

simplicidens. The Hagerman Horse later dispersed to Asia, where it may have given rise to other 

species of extinct horse.

The Smithsonian excavations resulted in the collection of more than 20 complete horse 

skeletons and material from more than 200 other individuals; many of these fossils were 

subsequently traded with museums across the nation and in Europe. Today, paleontological 

specimens from Hagerman Fossil Beds are housed on-site in the park collections and at more 

than 40 academic institutions across the nation. Since the Smithsonian first excavated in 1929, 

tens of thousands of additional fossils have been found, and new fossils, including those of 

new species, continue to be discovered. These fossils contribute to a vast database that today’s 

researchers can use to help reconstruct the evolutionary history of species and of changing 

paleoclimatic conditions. For visitors, the collections and fossil beds offer a rare glimpse into an 

ancient past and a greater understanding of the scientific process.
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Park Purpose

The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. 

The purpose statement for Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument was drafted through 

a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its 

development. The park was established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was 

signed into law on November 18, 1988 (see appendix A for enabling legislation and subsequent 

amendments). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most 

important about the park.

The purpose of Hagerman Fossil Beds Nationa

Monument is to preserve outstanding Pliocene

paleontological resources, to serve as a center for 

furthering scientific research, and to broaden public 

understanding of the science of paleontology and the 

significance of the Hagerman fossil record.
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Park Significance

Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to 

merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the 

purpose of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, and are supported by data, research, 

and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why 

an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on 

the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Hagerman Fossil Beds National 

Monument. (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not reflect the level of significance.)

1. The park contains globally significant paleontological resources, representing 

a diversity of fossils from the Pliocene. Tens of thousands of fossils have been 

discovered in the park, including more than 140 species of animals and plants. This 

includes species that were first discovered here and species that have not been found 

anywhere else in the world.

2. The park’s paleontological resources are contained in an extensive stratigraphic record, 

spanning at least 500,000 years. These fossil deposits are exposed across more than 

4,000 acres of the park. They record a diverse fossil landscape representative of lake, 

wetland, riparian, woodland, and grassland environments. The majority of the park is 

classified as a national natural landmark.

3. The fossil record at Hagerman Fossil Beds provides a detailed glimpse into life that 

occurred during the Pliocene period, the most recent geologic time period that 

experienced global warming. The expansive timeframe exposed on the monument, 

coupled with the species diversity it contains, provides a framework for understanding 

climatic change and environmental response today and in the future.

4. The species found within the Hagerman fossil record include the ancestors of species 

living today. Some of these descendants occur in North America, while others are now 

only found in distant places like Asia and South America. Hagerman’s fossils contribute 

to a growing understanding of evolutionary relationships and distributions of species 

across continents.

5. The park features a fossil horse quarry recognized as one of North America’s most 

important sites concerning the evolutionary history of the horse.

6. The fossil-rich landscape at the park is the result of 4.2 million years of geologic 

history of sedimentary deposition, fossilization, and erosion. The park reflects the 

accumulation of sediments associated with ancient Lake Idaho, the cataclysmic impacts 

of the Bonneville flood, and the basalt flows that affected the course of the Snake River. 

Collectively, past and present geologic processes contribute to the ability to access, 

study, and understand this remarkable fossil record at Hagerman.

7. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument is one of the few federally administered 

fossil sites specifically set aside for paleontological research. Since the Smithsonian 

first excavated in 1929, tens of thousands of additional fossils have been found and 

new fossils continue to be discovered. Research since the 1930s has led to numerous 

scientific publications on the descriptions of new species, changing community 

dynamics throughout the geologic sequence, and the site’s geologic history. The 

opportunities and benefits from multidisciplinary research will continue to grow as 

additional fossil and geologic discoveries occur and new technologies emerge.
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Fundamental Resources and Values

Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, 

stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration 

during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose 

of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely 

related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is 

truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers 

is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential 

(fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If 

fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or 

significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Hagerman Fossil 

Beds National Monument:

· Pliocene Fossils – The vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant fossils, including those from 

the area of the Smithsonian’s Hagerman Horse Quarry, are fundamental to the purpose 

and significance of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. The number, variety, 

and quality of the fossils preserved at and excavated from the park define what makes 

the park worthy of being a national park unit and national natural landmark. Hundreds 

of fossils are found each year during annual monitoring. These fossils represent a great 

variety of life, from small rodents and frogs to the giant mastodon.

· Public Understanding of Paleontology at Hagerman Fossil Beds – Understanding 

the steps involved in paleontology—discovery, collection, cleaning, identification, 

cataloging, and research—and the importance of access to collections underscore 

the park’s mandated role as a paleontological research center. Interpretive displays, 

opportunities to observe researchers “in action,” public outreach, and virtual tours of 

the park and collections are tools for explaining how the park staff preserve and protect 

the Hagerman fossil record and how the results of research are shared regionally 

and globally. A heightened understanding of the park’s past, ongoing, and future 

contributions to paleontological research, including the study of past ecosystems, 

reinforce the park’s purpose and significance.

· Lead and Facilitate Research – The park has the mandate to be a center for research. 

Place-based and facilitated research is critical to scientific progress and public 

understanding. The current fossil collection and new discoveries will allow important 

research on Pliocene fossils and their paleoecosystems to continue. The science is key to the 

understanding of changes that drove adaptation, migration, and extinction, and data from 

the monument can serve as an analog for species undergoing climate change today. As a 

center for research, the park helps the public understand the scientific process, as well as the 

associated relevance of evolution and the study of past ecosystems and environments.

· Geologic Processes – Past and current geologic processes—including sedimentation, 

tectonic uplift, and erosion—help define what the landscapes and communities were 

like in the ancient past. They also define how landscapes and communities may change 

in the future. At Hagerman, such geologic processes have produced ideal conditions for 

the fossilization, preservation, and subsequent exposure of species’ remains.

· A Record of Paleoecosystems – Hagerman’s fossils contribute to the world’s 

understanding of fossil animals in their paleoenvironmental context. This allows 

researchers to reconstruct past ecological interactions and connections, including 

changes in an ecological community that may be linked to climate and environmental 

change. The changing climate and resulting ecosystem response observed during the 

Pliocene mirrors and can model—in some ways—today’s observed and anticipated 

climate and environmental changes.
Foundation Document

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Other Important Resources and Values

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument contains other resources and values that are 

not fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but 

are important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important 

resources and values” (OIRV). These resources and values have been selected because they are 

important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special consideration in 

park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Hagerman Fossil 

Beds National Monument:

· Oregon Trail – The park includes portions of the Oregon Trail that extend above the 

Snake River. The Oregon Trail crosses the southern portion of Hagerman Fossil Beds. 

The park is one of three national park system units that contains parts of the Oregon 

National Historic Trail. Trail ruts can be seen at the Oregon Trail Overlook parking lot. 

Remnants of the trail are iconic and are used to convey the story of migrating settlers 

and interactions with native peoples.

· Scenic Geologic Landscape – Views from scenic overlooks provide opportunities for 

visitors to see the Snake River Valley, active geologic processes, and the surrounding 

geologic landscape formed through these processes.

· Modern Flora and Fauna Communities – The park features sensitive vegetation 

resources including the sagebrush steppe and riparian and wetland areas that occur 

along the lower Snake River. These communities support a variety of native species and 

contribute to wildlife viewing and hunting in a small designated part of the park.
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Interpretive Themes

Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should 

understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts 

communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park 

purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it 

provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore 

and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental and other important resources 

and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, 

contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect 

current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events 

or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive 

themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities 

to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park 

story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an 

event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument:

· Research and exploration at Hagerman Fossil Beds allow paleontologists, other 

scientists, park staff, and visitors to discover and understand evolutionary relationships, 

species distributions, and animal behavior both at the site and elsewhere in the world.

· The monument is a window into the Pliocene past; a diverse array of fossils of 

animals (such as the Hagerman Horse) and plants that allows scientists to reconstruct 

ancient landscapes, revealing relationships between species in lake, wetland, riverine, 

woodland, and grassland environments.

· Past and present geologic processes that formed the current landscape at Hagerman 

first preserved and are now exposing fossils, providing scientists, staff, and visitors with 

the ability to view, study, and understand Hagerman’s remarkable fossil record.

· The fossil record at Hagerman provides an opportunity for visitors to explore the 

“life of a fossil”: the chemical, physical, and biologic processes that created the right 

environment for its fossilization, and the events leading up to its discovery.

· Fossils are fragile and, once destroyed, can never be replaced. When a fossil is removed 

without scientific documentation, paleontologists are unable to piece together the 

relationships between specific plants, animals, and their environments. Stewardship of 

the fossils and respect for other monument resources are everyone’s responsibility.

· Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument was set aside for scientific research because 

its Pliocene fossils provide the opportunity to understand an important portion of 

the history of life. The fossils include animals with ties to Eurasia, South America, and 

Africa, as well as many that live in the Hagerman Valley today.

· People have lived in the Hagerman Valley for at least 10,000 years; their presence is 

recorded on the landscape in various ways.

· The Pliocene provides compelling evidence of the impact of climate change on 

animals and plants similar to those found in the world today. Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument offers a venue for discussing the effects of past, current, and 

future climate change.
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Part 2: Dynamic Components

The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and 

administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components 

are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and 

new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental and other 

important resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will 

need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation 

document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments

Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and 

administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility 

companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements 

specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, 

in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process. 

They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the 

park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through 

formal, documented processes, often through memorandums of agreement. Examples include 

easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates 

and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships 

that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other 

organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Hagerman Fossil 

Beds National Monument.

Special Mandates

· Permitting of Hunting and Fishing – According to the Administrative Provisions 

of 104 STAT. 1924 Public Law 101-512, Nov. 5, 1990, “that with respect to lands and 

waters under the jurisdiction of the Secretary within the Hagerman Fossil Beds National 

Monument, established by title III of Public Law 100-696, the Secretary shall hereafter 

permit hunting and fishing as well as maintenance of structures necessary to undertake 

such activities, including but not limited to duck and goose blinds on those lands within 

an area fifty feet in elevation above the high water level of the Snake River in accordance 

with otherwise applicable laws of the United States and the State of Idaho.”

· Existing Facilities – Public Law 100-696 Title III section 305 states: “Nothing in this 

title shall affect electrical generating and transmission and irrigation pumping and 

transmission facilities in existence within the boundaries of the monument, or the right 

to operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and modify such facilities. Such facilities are hereby 

expressly determined to be compatible and consistent with the purposes of this title.”

Administrative Commitments

Please see “Appendix E: Administrative Commitments.”
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs

Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is 

important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental and other 

important resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and 

data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the 

planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements 

for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or 

GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values and identification of key 

issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values

The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats 

and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to 

management of the identified resource or value. Please see appendix C for the analysis of 

fundamental and other important resources and values.
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Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs

This section considers key issues to be addressed in planning and management and therefore 

takes a broader view over the primary focus of part 1. A key issue focuses on a question that is 

important for a park. Key issues often raise questions regarding park purpose and significance 

and fundamental and other important resources and values. For example, a key issue may 

pertain to the potential for a fundamental or other important resource or value in a park to be 

detrimentally affected by discretionary management decisions. A key issue may also address 

crucial questions that are not directly related to purpose and significance, but which still affect 

them indirectly. Usually, a key issue is one that a future planning effort or data collection needs 

to address and requires a decision by NPS managers.

The following are key issues for Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the associated 

planning and data needs to address them:

· Public Understanding and Awareness – There is a lack of public awareness about 

the park, its resources, and the research that occurs here. This includes not only a lack 

of proper facilities to process and store fossil resources, but also the ability to provide 

demonstrations of fossil research to visitors and appropriate facilities to enhance public 

outreach and interpretive media. The sensitivity of resources that are located in the field 

contributes to the lack of public awareness. Visitor access to the vast majority of the park 

is limited to ensure public safety and to protect nonrenewable paleontological resources; 

this increases the importance of facilitating public access to the research process.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: site plan for research and 

laboratory area, stratigraphic analysis.

· Visitor Experience – The park staff needs to better understand visitor use and desired 

experiences of park visitors. The location of the visitor center in town (outside the park 

boundary) poses a challenge for accurately assessing who is visiting the park; some 

visitors come to the visitor center but do not visit the park itself, while others go directly 

to the park site and do not go to the visitor center, which is the primary place where staff 

are located and visitor activity can be assessed.

Visitor ratings of the park are generally low, due to the lack of opportunities for the public 

to see the discovery, processing, and research associated with the fossils; the distance of 

the visitor center from the park entrance; and the lack of recreational opportunities. As 

mentioned above, due to the sensitivity of the fossil resources, visitor access to many parts 

of the park is restricted. Current land ownership prohibits visitors from reaching the area 

near the Horse Quarry, further diminishing interpretive opportunities.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: site plan for research and 

laboratory area.
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Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

· Capacity to Realize Park Mission – A number of factors limit the park’s ability to 

fully realize its legislated purpose.

- The current location of administrative, research, and visitor facilities, several 

miles apart, leads to an awkward disconnection of park staff. The configurations 

and space constraints of those facilities also pose challenges for staff in terms of 

work efficiency and effectiveness. This disconnection between park facilities and 

the park proper has also been a source of visitor frustration, and a detailed visitor 

survey study showed low visitor satisfaction. Visitor complaints have included the 

separation of the visitor center from the park and the lack of ability to have a firsthand connection with the park’s fossil resources and research. While it would not 

be safe or appropriate to allow direct visitor access to fossils in the field, the park 

would benefit from expanded opportunities to share their research with the public.

- There are safety concerns with potential impacts to resources, visitors, staff, 

and facilities. Fires and landslide hazards threaten the park’s natural resources 

and require monitoring and management. Facility safety concerns include the 

conditions for staff at the research complex (5 miles from the visitor center, and 

across the river from the bulk of the park) and visitor safety considerations for the 

newly acquired Bell Rapids substation site.

- Staffing constraints limit the park’s ability to keep up with research and monitoring, 

engage partners, and provide educational opportunities for visitors. The park’s 

additional responsibilities with managing Minidoka National Historic Site pose 

challenges for staff time and workload.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: research management plan, 

operations/strategic plan update, site plan for research and laboratory area, work space 

analysis, safety assessment and planning.

· Current Natural Resource Understanding – The park’s susceptibility to geologic 

hazards (landslides) poses a safety concern for staff, visitors, and facilities. More 

baseline data are needed to understand the distribution of geologic hazard areas, as well 

as drawdown associated with irrigation in the valley.

Fire threatens the park’s natural resources, both from wild and manmade fires. Previous 

restoration projects have been destroyed by fire events.

There is a need to understand current and potential future resource threats from 

climate change, including vegetation shift, possible changes in invasive species, fire 

regimes, flash floods, water cycles, water availability, and water quality. There is also 

a need to understand the impacts of past practices to current cultural and natural 

resources, for example, grazing, hunting, and other resource impacts.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: resource stewardship strategy, 

climate change scenario planning.

· Paleontological Research and Monitoring – Park staffing levels are limiting the 

ability to leverage external assistance that would help ensure the viability of research and 

resource protection. While there is limited sporadic monitoring, the park is in need of a 

structured monitoring program. Existing monitoring has revealed fossil damage and loss 

through theft. Although research is called out in the legislation and purpose of the park, 

facilitation of such work is greatly limited by the current constraints of paleontological 

institutions, restrictions in transporting radon-emitting fossils, staffing for park oversight, 

lack of accommodations for guest researchers, and park constraints in storage and 

processing, as well as the need for safe facilities on site. The park is focused on examining 

ways to address all such needs, including improving partnerships in research.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: research management plan, 

operations/strategic plan update, integrated pest management plan, resource stewardship 

strategy, site plan for research and laboratory area, paleontological resource monitoring, 

research library update, stratigraphic analysis, GIS data collection and analysis.
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· Collections Management – There is currently a collections backlog at the park, which 

includes several thousand fossil specimens from the park, as well as cultural resource 

collections from other southern Idaho parks (Minidoka National Historic Site and 

City of Rocks National Reserve). Fossils are stored in a facility separate from the main 

paleontology lab. This requires fossils to be transported through a noncontrolled 

environment (outside and across the parking lot) for study. In addition, fossils from 

the Hagerman Horse Quarry, including several dozen large jackets (fossils encased in 

plaster matrix), contain high levels of radon, which becomes airborne in dust particles 

during fossil preparation and general movement of persons or items in the lab. The 

radon issue makes it difficult to find an external partner willing or able to support fossil 

preparation or collection storage. Currently, there are also pest issues in some of the 

research buildings that could threaten the health and well-being of staff. Deer mice, in 

particular, threaten building safety by chewing on electrical wires and urinating in what 

is a dusty environment. Hantavirus is also a potential concern.

Associated high priority planning and data needs: operations/strategic plan update, 

integrated pest management plan, work space analysis, safety assessment and planning, 

resource stewardship strategy.
15

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Planning and Data Needs

To maintain connection to the core elements of the foundation and the importance of these core 

foundation elements, the planning and data needs listed here are directly related to protecting 

fundamental resources and values, park significance, and park purpose, as well as addressing key 

issues. To successfully undertake a planning effort, information from sources such as inventories, 

studies, research activities, and analyses may be required to provide adequate knowledge of park 

resources and visitor information. Such information sources have been identified as data needs. 

Geospatial mapping tasks and products are included in data needs.

Items considered of the utmost importance were identified as high priority, and other items 

identified, but not rising to the level of high priority, were listed as either medium- or lowpriority needs. These priorities inform park management efforts to secure funding and support 

for planning projects.

· Criteria and Considerations for Prioritization. The following criteria were used to 

evaluate the priority of each planning or data need:

- Greatest utility to unit management.

- Ability to address multiple issues; many issues are interrelated. For example, visitor 

satisfaction issues are related to the desire to see at least some researchers at work, but 

such access may be limited due to safety concerns in the park and in the lab facilities.

- Emergency/urgency of the issue.

- Prevention of resource degradation

- Plans that consider protection of the fundamental resources and values.

- Result in a significant benefit for visitors.

- Feasibility of completing the plan or study, including staffing support and funding 

availability.

- Opportunities, including interagency partnership or assistance.

High Priority Planning Needs

A clear overarching theme across the park is related to improved research facilities and 

improved resource management. Prioritization of resources to better educate park visitors 

about the significance of the site is also an important need. The following is a list and 

description of the park’s high priority planning needs.

Research Management Plan.

Rationale — The park faces challenges with the adequacy of its research facility and needs 

appropriate guidance on research safety, training, equipment, staffing, and facility needs. A 

research management plan is needed to address these concerns.

Scope — This plan would cover the scope and execution of field and collections based research and 

determine appropriate and necessary equipment and training needed by staff. It would also include 

paleontological monitoring, stewardship of fossils, facilitation of partnerships with museums and 

universities, and the recruitment of highly trained research scientists and their students.
Foundation Document

16

Site Plan for Research and Laboratory Area.

Rationale — As discussed above, the research area currently faces challenges with facility 

adequacy and safety. Site planning is needed to address the design issues that contribute to 

these concerns. A research facility was planned for in the 1996 general management plan 

and was later designed through a development concept plan, but has never been developed. 

Implementation of the research facility as conceived in the 1996 general management plan 

and subsequent development concept plan is no longer feasible; however, the need for such 

a facility still exists, and the park struggles to meet its legislated purpose as a research center 

without proper research facilities. Park visitors have also voiced a desire to be more connected 

to the park’s research and resources, and the need for a space that connects the park’s research 

with the visitor experience could be addressed as part of this site planning effort.

Scope — The site plan would address facility needs, access, and future use of the research. 

The plan would offer design solutions to address a number of key park issues, including 

facility safety issues and management of fossil collections that currently have to be transported 

outdoors between buildings in order to be examined. In addition, design of the research area 

could address the long-standing need to provide a venue for demonstrating research to the 

public. The research management plan and safety assessment would inform the site plan.

Operations/Strategic Plan Update.

Rationale — Adequate staffing is needed to oversee collaboration on research, monitoring, and 

education needs of the park. In addition, workload has significantly increased for staff who are 

now also responsible for the management of a WWII NPS site. The park is in need of immediate 

planning and implementation guidance over the next 3–5 years to address these issues.

Scope — An updated operations/strategic plan would enable the park to examine appropriate 

staffing levels for adequate resource management and operations and would provide a 

comprehensive look at goals and priorities for the park over the next several years.

Integrated Pest Management Plan.

Rationale — There are ongoing rodent issues in the fossil research lab and fossil collections 

storage area. Currently, this situation poses a safety risk for staff and collections.

Scope — A comprehensive pest management plan would address pest issues for park buildings 

(excluding the Museum Collections Building, which already has an integrated pest management 

plan and houses nonfossil collections). The plan could cover museum collections for all other 

buildings and address all identified pests, including museum, structural, and plant pests. A safety 

assessment would be needed in advance of this plan (see “High Priority Data Needs”).

Resource Stewardship Strategy.

Rationale — Before the park takes action on natural and cultural resource management, 

a resource stewardship strategy (RSS) is needed to take a comprehensive, integrative look 

at appropriate resource management for the park. An RSS would serve as the basis for 

future resource management planning. There is currently a lack of information regarding 

the state of special-status species within the park and a need for analysis of impacts and 

management guidance for native plants and invasive species. In addition, the park needs to 

take a comprehensive look at the potential effects of climate change on its natural and cultural 

resources. An RSS would be the first step to addressing these and other pressing parkwide 

resource management issues.

Scope — A resource stewardship strategy would assist in the examination of overall ecosystem 

function within the sage-steppe ecosystem and any threatened and endangered species on site. 

This plan would also allow for the examination of threats from climate change. The plan would 

address paleontological resources, native plant restoration, and cultural resources.
17

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Climate Change Scenario Planning.

Rationale — As the climate continues to change, the park will face new challenges for resource 

and facility management. As recent flash floods in the area have demonstrated, the park’s 

preparedness for severe weather events is key to ensuring visitor, staff, and resource safety. The 

park has not, yet, examined the management implications of changes in precipitation patterns, 

water availability, fire regimes, and other projected climate change effects on the park. A greater 

understanding of these will help to inform effective future park management and will also 

provide a basis for improved climate change interpretation. 

Scope — Scenario planning would examine potential climate futures to facilitate development 

of management actions to best care for park resources and facilities and also to inform climate 

change interpretation.

Bell Rapids Site Restoration and Rehabilitation Plan.

Rationale — The former Bell Rapids pump station, near the Horse Quarry, was recently added 

to the park and has existing structures that are in disrepair. There are safety concerns on the 

site due to the state of the unused facilities. The Rim to River trail runs along the site. A site 

plan is needed to address the design and use of this site, as well as to deal with safety concerns. 

Restoration of the natural conditions would support public education in this important area of 

the park. 

Scope — A site restoration and rehabilitation plan would evaluate existing structures at the 

Bell Rapids pump station site, determine what (if any) structures could be retained and 

rehabilitated, and identify potential visitor opportunities in the area alongside natural resource 

restoration needs.
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High Priority Data Needs

Safety Assessment.

Rationale — A safety assessment is needed at the laboratory/research complex due to the 

nature of the work done there, including radon levels emitted by the fossils and use of 

chemicals in the preparation lab. An issue paper that identifies the full scope and rationale of 

the safety concerns at the park is currently being prepared and should be referenced during a 

safety assessment.

Scope — The safety assessment would address safety issues and current standard operating 

procedures related to radon levels emitted by the fossils and use of chemicals in the preparation 

lab. It would also address rodent infestation. This assessment could also include chemicals used 

in the management of pests, application and storage of chemicals, certification of applicants, 

and other important considerations. It would also examine what is needed to provide 

additional safety features including, biohazard equipment (such as a ventilation hood), water 

for sanitation, and heating and cooling.

Paleontological Resource Monitoring.

Rationale — The park needs to assess whether additional monitoring is needed through a 

formal monitoring plan, as monitoring in the past has been informal and needs to be structured 

and quantifiable.

Scope — A formal monitoring plan would be developed, to include regularly scheduled 

monitoring and fossil collection. The park relies on seasonal staff to assist the paleontologist in 

paleontological resources monitoring. Implementation of the monitoring plan would require 

two seasonal staff to conduct the annual monitoring.

Research Library Update.

Rationale — A research library update is needed because the library has outdated materials 

and lacks access to relevant journal publications.

Scope — Coordination with local university library systems will ensure that the library is 

periodically updated. The update would include journal publications relevant to paleontology 

and Pliocene paleontological resources, including those at the park.

Stratigraphic Analysis.

Rationale — Tighter stratigraphic correlation of fossil sites across the monument is needed: 

this requires tephrostratigraphic correlation and better understanding of the relationship of the 

park’s fossil localities across time and space.

Scope — The stratigraphic analysis would provide an analysis of the stratigraphy of the park’s 

geologic landscape. GIS data points would be correlated with the geologic layers to provide 

insight into the age and composition of the stratigraphic layers.

GIS Data Collection and Analysis.

Rationale — The GIS data collection and analysis would include fossil location data, 

including fossil type as well as geologic (e.g., faults, braided streams, ash layers) and localized 

sedimentological (grain size and type, extent) features. GIS data collection would include site 

reassessment, ground truthing, and data correction where necessary for inaccurate existing 

data points. The information would be combined with the stratigraphic analysis data to provide 

a detailed picture of fossil locations, geologic conditions, and the park’s tephrostratigraphy.

Scope — The GIS data collection and analysis would include fossil location data, as well as 

information on sedimentary faulting. GIS data collection would include site reassessment, 

ground truthing, and data correction where necessary for inaccurate existing data points.
19

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Work Space Analysis.

Rationale — Currently, there are inadequate facilities to serve the park’s legislated purpose of 

providing a research center. In addition, the existing administrative and research facilities are 

located and designed in a way that does not adequately accommodate the necessary functions 

of the park.

Scope — An analysis of the work spaces at the research and administrative facilities would 

assess the adequacy, safety, and space planning of those facilities. This information could then 

be used to address any inadequacy of those facilities.

Recently Completed and Ongoing Planning and Data Collection Efforts

See appendix D for recently completed and ongoing planning and data collection efforts that 

address park issues.
Foundation Document

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Part 3: Contributors

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Carol Ash, Chief of Interpretation

JoAnn Blalack, Chief of Resource Management

Richard Cox, Chief of Maintenance

Judy Geniac, Superintendent

Kari Prassack, Paleontologist and Fossil Curator

Patricia Reinsch, Administrative Assistant

Annette Rousseau, Education Specialist

Leland Russell, Administrative Officer

Tina Vader, IT Specialist

NPS Pacific West Region

Brenden McClane, Cartographic Technician

Amanda Schramm, Planning Liaison

NPS Geologic Resources Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science

Vincent L. Santucci, NPS Senior Geologist and Paleontologist

NPS Denver Service Center, Planning Division

Scott Babcock, Community Planner and Project Manager

Ken Bingenheimer, (former) Editor

Sarah Bodo, Community Planner and Project Manager

Tabitha Carver-Roberts, Editor

Danielle Hernandez, Visual Information Specialist

Wanda Gray Lafferty, Editor

Leslie Peterson, Cultural Resources Specialist

Angie Marie Wing, Visual Information Specialist
21

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Appendixes

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument

 PUBLIC LAW 100-696-NOV. 18, 1988

TITLE III-HAGERMAN FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL

MONUMENT

ESTABLISHMENT OF HAGERMAN FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

 Sec. 301. (a) In order to preserve for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future 

generations the outstanding paleontological sites known as the Hagerman Valley fossil sites, 

to provide a center for continuing paleontological research, and to provide for the display and 

interpretation of the scientific specimens uncovered at such sites, there is hereby established 

the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (hereinafter in this title referred to as the 

“monument”).

 (b) The monument shall consist of approximately four thousand three hundred and ninetyfour acres as depicted on a map entitled “Boundary Map, Hagerman Fossil Beds National 

Monument, Public Idaho” number HAFO-20,012A and dated September, 1987. The 

information, map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Director, 

National Park Service, Department of the Interior and the Office of the Superintendent, 

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho.

 (c) Within six months after the enactment of the title, the Secretary of the Interior 

(hereinafter in this title referred to as the “Secretary”) shall file a legal description of the 

monument designated under this section with the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs 

of the United States House of Representatives and with the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources of the United States Senate. Such legal description shall have the same force and 

effect as if included in this title, except that the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical 

errors in such legal description Public and in the map referred to in subsection (a). The legal 

description information, shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the 

National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACQUISITION OF LANDS

 Sec. 302. (a) The Secretary is authorized to acquire lands or property interests in lands within 

the monument only by donation or exchange.

 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Federal property located within the 

boundaries of the monument shall be transferred without consideration to the administrative 

jurisdiction of the Secretary to be administered in accordance with the purposes of this title.

 (c) In acquiring non-Federal lands by exchange pursuant to this title, the Secretary shall utilize 

his existing authority including but not limited to applicable provisions of the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-579).
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ADMINISTRATION OF MONUMENT

 Sec. 303. The Secretary shall administer the monument established pursuant to this title in 

accordance with the Act entitled “An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other 

purposes,” approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), as amended and 

supplemented.

WATER RIGHTS

 Sec. 304. Congress finds that there are unique circumstances with respect to the water or 

water-related resources within the Monument designated by this title. The Congress recognizes 

that there is little or no water or water-related resources that require the protection of a federal 

reserve water right. Nothing in this title, nor any action taken pursuant thereto, shall constitute 

either an expressed or implied reservation of water or water right for any purpose.

EFFECT ON EXISTING FACILITIES

 Sec. 305. Nothing in this title shall affect electrical generating and transmission and irrigation 

pumping and transmission facilities in existence within the boundaries of the monument, or 

the right to operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and modify such facilities. Such facilities are 

hereby expressly determined to be compatible and consistent with the purposes of this title.

CONTINUING PALEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH

 Sec. 306. In order to provide for continuing paleontological research, the Secretary shall 

incorporate in the general management plan provisions for the orderly and regulated use of 

and research in the monument by qualified scientists, scientific groups, and students under the 

jurisdiction of such qualified individuals and groups.

MINING PROHIBITION

 Sec. 307. Subject to valid existing rights, Federal lands and interests therein, within the 

monument, are hereby withdrawn from disposition under the public land laws and from entry 

or appropriation under the mining laws of the United States, from the operation of the mineral 

leasing laws of the United States, and from operation of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as 

amended.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

 Sec. 308. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $5,000,000 to carry 

out the purposes of this title
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

23

Appendix B: Planning and Data Needs

Planning or Data Needs Priority 

(H, M, L) Notes

Management

Plans

Operations/strategic plan update H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Data Needs and Studies

Volunteer management strategy M This strategy would take a strategic look and help address some 

interpretation and education-related staffing issues

Partner action strategy M A strategy is needed to examine how to engage research partners 

in on-site research, as well as data sharing. The park is interested

in developing new partnerships for collaborative opportunities, 

including educational, sister parks program, university, fundraising, 

etc

Data sharing guidance L Guidance would facilitate data sharing with partners, the academic 

community, and other relevant audiences

Natural Resources

Plans

Resource stewardship strategy H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Integrated pest management plan H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Research management plan H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Climate change scenario planning H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Fire management plan update M This update would respond to fire safety concerns and changes in 

fire regimes

Scenic resource management plan L Using the visual resource inventory identified in the “Data Needs 

and Studies” section, a plan will help identify management 

strategies and collaborations for protection of scenic views both 

within and outside the boundary

Land acquisition plan L A land acquisition plan would focus on areas contributing to 

resource protection for landslide hazard areas and providing a 

facility buffer for the visitor center site

Data Needs and Studies

Paleontological resource monitoring H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

Research library update H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

Stratigraphic analysis H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

GIS data collection and analysis H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

Well water drawdown impact assessment M An assessment would assess any hazards related to the drawdown 

of wells and groundwater adjacent to and underneath park 

property. Groundwater is dropping about one foot per yea

Baseline assessment for paleontological 

resource theft and vandalism

M An assessment would provide baseline data for monitoring of 

resource theft and vandalism and public entering of closed areas

Park staff is aware of public entering closed and sensitive areas, 

including the Horse Quarry area and other fossil sites
Foundation Document

24

Planning or Data Needs Priority 

(H, M, L) Notes

Natural Resources

Landslide assessment M to L This assessment would identify geologic hazard areas within the 

park and include slope stability, predictive modeling, landslide 

history, and a geologic hazard map. Landslide hazard issues have

been an issue for the park

Understand how storm events due to 

climate change affect fire regimes and 

trace element levels in water supply

M To inform resource management and climate change 

interpretation. This could be a follow-up data need after the

resource stewardship strategy

National register form for Horse Quarry M Site is eligible for national register listing

Visual resource inventory L The inventory will assess the condition, value, and risks to scenic 

views and visual settings important to the park. The inventory will

support the Scenic Geologic Landscape Resource designation

Paleontological resource sensitivity map L To identify areas prone to erosion, landslides, etc. Identify

occurrences of fossils along visitor use areas. This is separate from

a landslide assessment. This could be a follow-up item after the

landslide assessment

Document night sky and natural sound 

values

L To facilitate desired visitor experience and resource condition

Gather baseline air quality data L To facilitate desired visitor experience and resource condition

Conduct baseline inventory of natural 

resources and monitoring to support 

future management decisions

L To identify needs for flora and fauna communities

Cultural Resources

Plans

Museum emergency operations plan 

update

L This would provide details to improve the safety of museum 

collections. The 2005 plan should be updated to include collections

from the four parks

Museum management plan L The plan would examine adequacy and make recommendations 

for storage and facility options and opportunities for curatorial 

partnerships

Data Needs and Studies

Administrative history M The park does not currently have an administrative history. The

individuals that were instrumental in designation of the park are 

aging and therefore gathering their oral histories has become a 

time-sensitive matter. The creation of an administrative history

would include oral histories and take a comprehensive look at 

the creation and evolution of the park. This could include park

development actions and a history of practices such as hunting, 

grazing, and other special uses

National register form for Oregon Trail 

segment

L Site is eligible for national register listing
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

25

Planning or Data Needs Priority 

(H, M, L) Notes

Facilities

Plans

Site plan for research and laboratory area H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Bell Rapids site restoration and 

rehabilitation plan

H See “High Priority Planning Needs” narrative

Data Needs and Studies

Work space analysis – adequacy, safety, 

space planning

H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

Interpretation

Plans

None

Data Needs and Studies

None

Lands

Data Needs and Studies

Resource study M Required for land acquisition plan. The study would look at the

resources in potential acquisition areas

Safety

Data Needs and Studies

Safety assessment H See “High Priority Data Needs” narrative

Visitor Use

Plans

Visitor resources assessment plan L This plan is required by the region; a new process for the plan is 

currently being developed

Data Needs and Studies

Visitor use study L The park would like to understand the relationship between park 

users and visitor center users, including: How many people visit 

the park but not the visitor center, and vice versa? Does the park 

provide appropriate visitor experiences?
Foundation Document

26

Appendix C: Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values and Other 

Important Resources and Values

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Pliocene Fossils

Related Significance 

Statements

1–7

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• Wind, rain, steep terrain, and vegetation loss due to wildfires can expose fossils. Such

exposure can aid in finding and retrieving fossils, but it also can cause loss of fossils and 

disruption of a fossil site (loss of context), if not collected in a timely way to prevent 

damage from exposure to the elements

Trends

• None identified

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Landslides and erosion can damage exposed fossils

• Human-caused and naturally ignited wildfires resulting in increased erosion

• Wildfire mitigation can potentially result in erosion if carried out improperly

• Altered fire regimes and precipitation patterns, stemming from climate change, may 

increase erosion and cause subsequent damage to fossils

• Based on climate model projections, fire frequencies could increase up to 25% by 2100 

and the number of heavy rain events could double for the region that includes the park

• Looting and vandalism damage and destroy nonrenewable fossil features

Opportunities

• Geological and paleontological research can lead to a greater scientific understanding of 

the evolution of species and changes in past environments

• Citizen science and volunteer watchdogs are proactive ways to engage the public in 

protecting Pliocene fossils and enhancing their understanding and appreciation of 

those fossils

• Educational opportunities, student training, interns, and visiting researchers will help 

ensure a continuity in and possible expansion of research on Pliocene fossils

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

FRV

• Resource management plan for fossil resources

• Lidar and satellite imagery

• Water quality data from the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science directorate

• Geologic mapping data

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Stratigraphic analysis

• Paleontological resource monitoring

• Well water drawdown impact assessment

• Landslide assessment

• GIS data collection and analysis

Planning Needs • Updated fire management plan
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

27

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Pliocene Fossils

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the FRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Paleontological Resources Protection Act (2009)

• Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968)

• Clean Water Act

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, 

Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.6.1) “Protection of Surface Waters and Groundwater

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.6.2) “Water Right

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.6.4) “Floodplain

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Clima

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.8.1.1) “Shorelines and Barrier Islan

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77
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Fundamental 

Resource or Value Public Understanding of Paleontology at Hagerman Fossil Beds

Related Significance 

Statements

3, 7

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• Visitor exposure to park paleontology is primarily carried out at the visitor center. Their

ability to see and access fossils occurs here

• Fossil finds are very dispersed and many fossils are very small, making the majority of the 

park unsuitable for public viewing of fossil recovery

• The current interpretive and education programs focus on elementary education and 

local events

• The public cannot easily access fossils on site (visitor center is not located in the park)

• The public cannot see the fossils from any of the overlooks on the monument

• There is no access for visitors to see the cleaning, reconstructing, and cataloging of fossils

Trends

• More visitors seem to be interested in seeing fossils on site, in the park

• The park has received negative comments on social media sites regarding limited 

opportunities to see and learn about fossils

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Lack of access to viewing fossils and fossil “processing” diminishes the visitor experience 

(and appreciation of the site)

Opportunities

• Interpretation and public outreach provide opportunities to showcase paleontologists and 

other associated career fields

• Reaching out to the public with research carried out at Hagerman Fossil Beds provides 

the opportunity to broaden the public’s view of evolution

• Interpretation and education provide opportunities for drawing clear distinctions 

between disciplines of archeology and paleontology

• Public programs can highlight the importance of the fossil beds for understanding 

evolutionary processes and animal response to climate change

• Highlight to the public that Hagerman’s fossils are located at museums all over the world

• Interpreting current methods in paleontology affords the opportunity to describe the 

discipline’s evolution and current technologies’ contributions to understanding fossil 

histories and past environments

• Interpretation, exhibits, and potentially direct observation of laboratories, provide 

concrete ways for visitors to observe how fossils are cleaned and prepared for storage 

and display

• Interpretive programs and exhibits provide forums for underscoring the nonrenewable 

nature of fossils; once damaged or destroyed, they can never be replaced

• Symposiums and public programs offer opportunities for direct contact with the public 

on a variety of topics

• Citizen science, fossil stewardship, high school and college interns, field camps, post 

doctorate students, and visiting researchers are proactive ways to engage the public and 

researchers in protecting Pliocene fossils, enhancing their understanding and appreciation 

of those fossils, and providing research opportunities
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

29

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Public Understanding of Paleontology at Hagerman Fossil Beds

Opportunities

• Public programs can be used to illustrate the role of Hagerman fossils in museums and 

exhibits throughout the world

• Collaborations with Hagerman’s sister park, Sibiloi National Park in Kenya, offers 

opportunities to compare the evolution of two diverse and contemporaneous fossil 

communities on different sides of the world

• Providing limited tours of fossil sites would allow visitors to have more direct access to 

fossil localities while providing protection for the fossils

• Online/website educational opportunities offer expanded ways of reaching out to a wider 

range of public to tell the Hagerman Fossil Beds stories

• Engagement in a variety of internal and external programs including Teacher/Ranger/

Teacher and Geologists In Parks/GeoCorps America (Geological Society of America)

• Special events, participations at parades, state fairs, expanded programs for nonprofit 

organizations—advertised through media releases—offer ways for the park to build 

connections with the local communities

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

FRV

• Long-range interpretive plan (in progress January 2015)

• Visitor and research center plans (development concept plan, general management plan)

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Paleontological resource sensitivity map (areas prone to erosion, landslides, etc

occurrences of fossils along visitor use areas)

• GIS data collection and analysis (of geologic and fossil data)

Planning Needs • Long-range interpretive plan (in progress)

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the FRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968

• Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards 2006

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• NPS Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998

• “Concession Contracts” (36 CFR Part 51)

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 8) “Use of the Parks”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 9) “Park Facilities”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 10) “Commercial Visitor Services”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in National Park Service 

Programs and Services

• Director’s Order 48A: Concession Management

• Director’s Order 48B: Commercial Use Authorizations

• NPS Transportation Planning Guidebook
Foundation Document

30

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Lead and Facilitate Research

Related Significance 

Statements

7

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• There are unassessed safety and adequacy of work conditions in some park buildings due 

to high radon levels, rodent infestations, etc

• Capacity to oversee research, until safety conditions and mitigations can be assessed 

and until facilities are known to be adequate for such work, is limited due to potentially 

unsafe work conditions, as well as lack of facilities to store and process fossils

Trends

• While the park paleontologist is focused on facilitating research there are significant 

constraints to facilitating collaborative efforts with outside institutions

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Suspected high radon levels and rodent infestations in some buildings make it hard 

to attract and maintain high quality staff (e.g., increase the potential for contractin

Hantavirus from rodent feces)

Opportunities

• Student training, including international exchange, would ensure continuity in research 

and expanded opportunities for research

• Secure external expertise to help facilitate research. Research partnerships with academic

institutions and museums and international sharing of data or results and sharing 

management processes, issues, and mitigation measures, thereby offering opportunities 

for collaboration and leveraging resources. Examples include sharing planning processes,

planning documents, partnership strategies, etc

• Coordination with local university library systems would ensure that the library is 

periodically updated

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

FRV

• Database of the existing fossils found at the park

• External databases of fossils from the site that are not in NPS possession

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Workspace analysis, which would include preparation lab functionality and adequacy, an 

analysis of existing facilities, and identify safe staffing needs

• Safety assessment, which would include chemical safety and preparation analysis and 

radon and ventilation analysis

• GIS data collection and analysis

Planning Needs • Paleontological research management plan

• Integrated pest management plan
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

31

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Lead and Facilitate Research

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the FRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470a-b, 54 USC 300101)

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979

• American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978

• Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act of 1935

• Museum Act of 1955, as amended

• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009)

• Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended

• National Invasive Species Act

• Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Executive Order 13007, “American Indian Sacred Sites”

• “Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections” (36 CFR 79)

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (2.3.1.4) “Science and Scholarsh

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1) “General Management Concepts

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1.4) “Partnership

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.2) “Studies and Collections

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.4.1) “General Principles for Managin

Biological Resources”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (5.1) “Research

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (8.10) “Natural and Cultural Studies, Research, and

Collection Activities”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

• NPS-75 Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Guideline

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77
Foundation Document

32

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Geologic Processes

Related Significance 

Statements

1–6

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• Rain and wind also contribute to the potential for landslides

• The erosion of geologic strata by wind, rain, fluctuating water levels, and temperature is 

an ongoing process

Trends

• In the past, landslides were caused by irrigation; since irrigation has stopped, landslides 

occur from natural processes (wind, rain)

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Fossils are constantly being exposed by erosion. If the fossils are not monitored and

assessed in the field, park staff cannot make decisions on whether to stabilize or collect 

fossils and related information will be lost

• Flash floods may damage or cause loss of fossils

• Hunters and staff walking on steep terrain may contribute to erosion

• Water fluctuation levels can have cumulative impacts in eroding slopes

• Based on climate model projections, fire frequencies could increase up to 25% by 2100 

and the number of heavy rain events could double for the region that includes the park

This could increase flooding and erosion impacts on geologic resources

Opportunities

• Fossils are constantly being exposed by erosion. This allows for new fossil sites to be

located and recorded

• The better park staff understand the geologic processes (geomorphology), the better 

they can design a monitoring strategy

• Improving native vegetation within the park can help stabilize slopes and work toward 

eliminating nonnative invasive plant species

• Securing more LiDAR imagery, 3D laser, and photogrammetry, will allow park staff to 

improve monitoring and increase understanding of the geomorphology

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

FRV

• There are many data related to irrigation. However, the irrigation has stoppe

• Previous data are available on landslides in the park GIS database

• Landslide historical maps show where there have been landslides and where the 

probability of landslides is great

• The park has a study done on irrigation and the correlation to landslides

Data and/or GIS Needs • Landslide assessment, including predictive models

• Stratigraphic analysis including Lidar imagery, 3D laser, and photogrammetry

Planning Needs • None identified
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

33

Fundamental 

Resource or Value Geologic Processes

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the FRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended

• National Invasive Species Act of 1996

• Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; 42 USC 4321

• Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009)

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, 

Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park

Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1) “General Management Concepts

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1.4) “Partnership

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.4.1) “General Principles for Managing Biologica

Resources”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat

• NPS Director’s Order 18: Wildland Fire Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• NPS Wildland Fire Management Reference Manual 18
Foundation Document

34

Fundamental 

Resource or Value A Record of Paleoecosystems

Related Significance 

Statements

1–7

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• The park uses limited linkages, knowledge sharing, and collaboration with other 

institutions and fossil localities to globally reconstruct past paleoenviroments to better 

understand paleoecological trends

• Conveying information is critical part of the scientific process and to public outreach

It is facilitated by networking, numbers of researchers, technology (e.g., access t

Skype or live demos, or sharing 3d laser image of a fossil bone with a researcher who is 

thousands of miles away), ability to do electronic field trips, and ability to access journals

Challenges can also be opportunities to partner

• There is a need for a greater bridge between scientific information and managers and 

the public

• There is a need for additional researchers to advance the understanding of the 

paleoenvironment, fossils, and potential analog use. Several factors contribute to

having few researchers involved with the park. These include limitations due to facility

conditions, safety, sharing of information abroad, and staffing to orchestrate and 

facilitate research

Trends

• With the agreement that established Sibiloi National Park in Kenya as a sister park, park 

staff and researchers have the opportunity to share techniques, understanding of new 

technologies, and means of protecting fossils

• Recent research has trended to looking at the evolution of paleoecosystems (connecting 

with broader paleobiogeography) and ecosystem linkages / environmental trends over time

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Limited sharing of data and results impacts the standards of science and the ability 

of humankind to understand its past and how this can be applied to anticipating and 

mitigating future impacts to its future, such as those associated with species responses 

to climate change. This is a nonrenewable resource and requires specific management

actions to ensure preservation. The inability to efficiently share information between

institutions limits researchers’ ability to share information and leverage resources through 

collaborative efforts

• Outside research is limited—due to restrictions in travel for researchers and inadequate 

housing (e.g., inadequate park housing, limited rentals within the community, lack o

office space, insufficient rodent-free areas to work)

• Delayed or restricted access to new communication technologies (e.g., Skype and 3-

laser) can limit efficiencies, add to travel costs, etc.

Opportunities

• Taking advantage of opportunities to collaborate globally to maximize information 

sharing and leverage resources

• Adequate on-site facilities (housing office space/s) to support researchers’ needs would 

attract more, high-caliber researchers to the park

• Assisting researchers in obtaining grants and research funds by sharing information about 

Hagerman Fossil Beds and its collections/databases

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

FRV

• None identified
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

35

Fundamental 

Resource or Value A Record of Paleoecosystems

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Stratigraphic analysis including mapping and tephrostratigraphy. The analysis would also

include information on sedimentary faulting and would greatly assist in organizing and 

cleaning up the fossil location database. Splitting of locations has occurred over the years

and the information should be combined. The analysis would also include a systematic

system of collecting data established for the GIS data with site reassessment, ground 

truthing, and data correction

• Landslide assessment

• GIS data collection and analysis: Geological stratigraphy mapped

• Landslide assessment

Planning Needs • None identified

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the FRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act 2009

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1) “General Management Concepts

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1.4) “Partnership

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat
Foundation Document

36

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values

Other Important 

Resource or Value The Oregon Trail

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• The Oregon Trail is segmented within the park. Large portions of it are paved ove

• Fuel loads (invasives) are high in certain areas along the Oregon Trail and along fence 

lines and obscure views

• The white stakes marking the Oregon Trail burned in the last fire

• The condition is fair to good for the trail segments

• The park limits access and protection measures are focused on addressing invasive, 

nonnative species and impacts from fire. The Oregon Trail is fenced to help reduce offroad vehicle us

• The Oregon Trail is interpreted through various means, and there are opportunities for 

more interpretation of the trail

• Vegetation both stabilizes and threatens trail ruts

Trends

• Fire frequency may be increasing due to increased fuel loads (primarily invasives)

• Fire has burned over the segments; fire agencies are aware of the location of the 

segments and have avoided them in fighting fires. Also, fires within the park are left to

burn unless there are safety and structure issues

• Idaho Power is also aware of the locations, and avoids the segments in their work

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Some visitors are interested in walking along the Oregon Trail, which can erode the trail 

and disturb any surface artifacts

• Based on climate model projections, mean annual temperature is projected to increase 

with fire frequencies increasing up to 25% by 2100 and the number of heavy rain events 

could double for the region that includes the park. This could increase flooding and

erosion impacts on the Oregon Trail

Opportunities

• Additional waysides in the park could provide information on the Oregon Trail to make 

visitors more aware of the existence of and the historical value of the trail segments

• Waysides also offer a medium for visitors to make the connection with people traveling 

the Oregon Trail and that the travelers were aware of the fossils

• Partnerships with Oregon Trail partners offer opportunities to expand and enhance 

interpretation of the trail segments (no reenactments on portions of the Oregon Trail 

within the park)

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

OIRV

• Fire management plan

• Climate change scenario planning

Data and/or GIS Needs

• A National Register of Historic Places nomination needs to be completed for these 

segments and submitted to the Idaho state historic preservation officer for evaluation of 

national register significance and possible inclusion in the national register

Planning Needs • Fire management plan for the park needs updating
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

37

Other Important 

Resource or Value The Oregon Trail

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the OIRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the OIRV

• Antiquities Act of 1906

• Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act of 1935

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979

• Museum Act of 1955, as amended (54 U.S.C. §102501-102504, 16 USC 18f

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, 

Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management (1998)

• Director’s Order 28A: Archeology (2004)

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic 

Preservation
Foundation Document

38

Other Important 

Resource or Value Scenic Geologic Landscape

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• Visitors are able to see the resources from afar

• Panoramic views allow visitors to see the park and the surrounding geologic landscape

• Wind turbines are very noticeable along the western boundary

• Evidence of erosion can be seen, particularly in areas associated with steep slopes

Trends

• Potential for increased development of transmission lines that would run near the park

• Increased fire potential resulting from fuel loading (primarily from invasives) and climate change

• River levels are now fluctuating due to a change in how the power company manages 

the dam. These changes are in response to the requirement to use power generated from

wind turbines installed nearby

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Switching between turbines and hydropower generation leads to greater (~2 feet) 

reservoir level fluctuations (increasing the potential for shoreline erosion)

• Unauthorized recreational use (i.e., off-highway vehicles, motorcycles, and unauthorize

social trails) degrades the landscape by damaging vegetation and the scenic viewshed

• Based on climate model projections, mean annual temperature is projected to increase 

with fire frequencies increasing up to 25% by 2100 and the number of heavy rain events 

could double for the region that includes the park. This could impact landscape’s natural

hydrologic regimes, geomorphic processes, and biotic processes, including increases in 

nonnative species

• Air quality is diminished due to nearby animal feed operations and other surrounding 

agricultural activity that contributes to dust and air pollutants

Opportunities

• Interpretation of climate change would enhance visitor understanding of altered fire 

regime, loss of species, and increase of invasive species

• The scenic geologic landscape provides a setting for birding and wildflower viewing

• The scenic geologic landscape offers an environment for boating activities and associated 

views of the park

• The low light pollution at the park contributes to excellent night sky viewing 

opportunities

• Expand interpretative and educational tools to communicate the connections between 

climate change, scenic views, natural sounds, night skies, park resources, air quality, and 

human health

• Improve park sustainability and environmental leadership by continuing the focus 

on becoming a Climate Friendly Park. Address related needs in the Environmental

Management System (Director’s Order 13A)

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

OIRV

• Inventory and monitoring sagebrush steppe monitoring plan

• Water resource management plan

• Soils resource inventory completed

Data and/or GIS Needs • Scenic inventory
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

39

Other Important 

Resource or Value Scenic Geologic Landscape

Planning Needs

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Fire management plan

• Updated long-range interpretive plan

• Scenic resources management plan

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the OIRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the OIRV

• The Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et seq.) gives federal land managers the responsibility

for protecting air quality and related values, including visibility, plants, animals, soils, 

water quality, cultural resources, and public health, from adverse air pollution impacts

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.4) “Park Management

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (3.1) “General

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7) “Air Resource Management

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• Director’s Order 13A: Environmental Management Systems
Foundation Document

40

Other Important 

Resource or Value Modern Flora and Fauna Communities

Current Conditions 

and Trends

Conditions

• The condition of the sagebrush steppe is poor. The sagebrush steppe is a recovering area

from previous agricultural use. Additionally, fire has impacted (reduced) the sagebrush

steppe ecosystem

• The park currently is targeting the management of invasive species such as Russian olive, 

thistle, etc., through possibly conducting controlled burning and masticatio

• The park contains very small sections of riparian and wetland areas, which are in relatively 

good condition

• Unknown impacts on habitat, soils, and fire frequency from nonnative plant species

Trends

• Riparian and wetland areas are generally stable; however, tamarisk, Russian olive, and 

other nonnative species threaten to displace native vegetation

Threats and 

Opportunities

Threats

• Fire is a threat to the sagebrush steppe and riparian and wetland areas. Riparian and

wetland areas recover much faster after a fire than sagebrush steppe

• Invasive species displace (outcompete) native vegetation

• Water drawdown may contribute to shoreline erosion, reducing shoreline habitat

• Fluctuating temperatures and precipitation resulting from climate change can potentially 

influence species composition

• Increased rates of erosion; disturbed soils

• Based on climate model projections, mean annual temperature is projected to increase, 

with fire frequencies increasing up to 25% by 2100, and the number of heavy rain 

events could double for the region that includes the park. This could impact the

landscape’s natural hydrologic regimes, geomorphic processes, and biotic processes, 

including increases in nonnative species

Opportunities

• Rehabilitate the pumping station area back to sagebrush steppe wetland area 

(transitional area) and reduce manmade hazards from past developments

• Work with local schools to reintroduce native species in a small area in order to establish 

native seed islands, along with educating the public to the importance of native plants

The park has entered into a cooperative agreement through a grant for this project 

(Haven’s project)

• Provide opportunities for the public to assist with data collection

• Encourage public recreation and enjoyment of park trails to enhance the visitor 

experience

Existing Data and 

Plans Related to the 

OIRV

• The Inventory and Monitoring Program has completed their inventories. They have

initiated monitoring of the sagebrush steppe. They revisit the vegetation plots every four

years to understand trends

• The Intermountain Exotic Plant Management Team provides yearly data report on 

increases or decreases of nonnative plants within the park

Data and/or GIS Needs • Conduct baseline inventory of natural resources and monitoring to support future 

management decisions

Planning Needs • Climate change scenario planning
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

41

Other Important 

Resource or Value Modern Flora and Fauna Communities

Laws, Executive 

Orders, and 

Regulations That 

Apply to the OIRV, 

and NPS Policy-level 

Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the OIRV

• Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended

• National Invasive Species Act

• Migratory Bird Treaty Act; 16 USC 703-712

• Eagle Protection Act; 16 USC 668

• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; 42 USC 4321

• Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended

• Clean Water Act

• The Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et seq.) gives federal land managers the responsibility

for protecting air quality and related values, including visibility, plants, animals, soils, 

water quality, cultural resources, and public health, from adverse air pollution impacts

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (pending, Senate Bill S.263), USC Title 9,

chapter 79, 5937

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, 

Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1) “General Management Concepts

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.1.4) “Partnership

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.4.1) “General Principles for Managing Biologica

Resources”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4.7.2) “Weather and Climat

• NPS Director’s Order 18: Wildland Fire Management

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• NPS Wildland Fire Management Reference Manual 18

• Director’s Order 13A: Environmental Management Systems
Foundation Document

42

Appendix D: Recent and Ongoing Park Planning and Data Collection Efforts

Document or Data Collection Effort Date

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Museum Management Plan 2000

Historical Overview: Upper Salmon Falls to Lower Salmon Falls, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 2000

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Wildland Fire Management Plan 2001

Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem of Southwest Idaho – A Preliminary Conservation Strategy 2002

Water Resources Management Plan: Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Idaho 2003

Report for Subagreement No. 20 to Cooperative Agreement No. CA9000-95-018 2003 Vertebrate Inventory

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

2003

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Bell Rapids Documentation Study 2004

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Geologic Resources Evaluation Scoping Summary 2004

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Bat Research Team Summary of Findings 200

Inventory of Upper Columbia Basin Network Fire Information 2005

Hagerman Fossil Beds: Museum Collection Emergency Operation Plan 2005

Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring: Upper Columbia Basin Network 2005

Weather and Climate Inventory National Park Service Upper Columbia Basin Network 2006

Upper Columbia Basin Network Vital Signs Monitoring Plan 2007

Museum Management Plan: City of Rocks National Reserve, Minidoka Internment National Monument, Hagerman 

Fossil Beds National Monument, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

2008

Classification of the Plant Communities of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho 2008

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Climate Change in the UCBN 2008

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Monitoring Sagebrush-Steppe Vegetation in the UCBN 2008

Integrated Pest Management Plan: Museum Collections. City of Rocks National Reserve, Craters of the Moon National

Monument and Preserve, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Minidoka National Historic Site

2009

Monitoring Sagebrush-steppe Vegetation in the Upper Columbia Basin Network: 2008 Annual Monitoring Report

City of Rocks National Reserve, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

2009

Vegetation Classification and Mapping: Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. Moscow, ID and Galena, IL 200

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: GMP Implementation Plan Meeting 2009

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Monitoring Sagebrush-Steppe Vegetation in the UCBN 2009
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

43

Document or Data Collection Effort Date

Upper Columbia Basin Network Climate Change Resource Brief 2009

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Geologic Resources Inventory Report 2009

Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Monitoring in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Hagerman Fossil 

Beds National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

2009 Annual Report

2010

Vertebrate Inventory of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 2003, Upper Columbia Basin Network 2010

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Monitoring Sagebrush-Steppe Vegetation in the UCBN 2010

Northern Rocky Mountains: Invasive Plant Management Plan. Intermountain Region 201

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Rare Plants and Climate Change 2011

Evaluation of the Sensitivity of Inventory and Monitoring National Parks to Nutrient Enrichment Effects from 

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition: Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN)

2011

Evaluation of the Sensitivity of Inventory and Monitoring National Parks to Acidification Effects from Atmospheric 

Sulfur and Nitrogen Deposition: Main Report

2011

Evaluation of the Sensitivity of Inventory and Monitoring National Parks to Acidification Effects from Atmospheric 

Sulfur and Nitrogen Deposition: Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN)

2011

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Climate Change at Hagerman Fossil Beds 2011

Upper Columbia Basin Network Resource Brief: Wildland Fire and Climate Change 2011

Upper Columbia Basin Network Inventory and Monitoring Sagebrush Steppe Monitoring: Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument

2012

Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Monitoring in Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 2012 Annual Report 2012

Natural Resource Condition Assessment: Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 2012

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Value Analysis - Mini Va. Replace Obsolete Maintenance Facility 201

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 2015

Archeological Overview 2015
Foundation Document

44

Appendix E: Administrative Commitments

Name Start 

Date

Expiration 

Date Stakeholders Purpose

Memorandums of Agreement (MOA)

Structural fire suppression 

agreement between National 

Park Service, Hagerman Fossil 

Beds National Monument, 

and Hagerman Fire Protection 

District, Hagerman, Idaho

06/03/13 06/03/18 Safety representative Structural fire response

Bliss Fire Department 05/27/13 05/27/18 Safety representative Structural fire response

General Agreements

Lease agreement for visitor 

center and administrative 

building complex

01/04/12 01/04/22 

(early 

termination 

available in 

2017)

Superintendent

Lease of buildings in the 

town of Hagerman

Southern Idaho Tourism Board

08/27/14 09/02/18 Superintendent For Twin Falls Welcome 

Center collaboration; 

agreement between all four 

southern Idaho national park 

system units

Interagency Agreements

Southern Idaho Regional 

Communications Center (BLM 

wildfire agreement)

04/29/15

Updated 

annually

04/29/16 Superintendent Allows BLM and its partners 

to address wildland fire and 

fuel loads at the park, along 

with aviation and other 

non-fire logistical matters; 

authority noted in the plan

USFWS Interagency agreement 

for interpretation

06/16/14 05/23/16 Superintendent of Hagerman 

Fossil Beds National 

Monument and Minidoka 

Internment National 

Monument, with concurrence 

from superintendents of 

Craters of the Moon National 

Monument and Preserve and 

City of Rocks National Reserve

Twin Falls Welcome Center 

support
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

45

Name Start 

Date

Expiration 

Date Stakeholders Purpose

Cooperative Agreements

Discover Your Northwest N/A – this 

agreement 

is held by 

the Pacific 

West 

Regional 

Office

N/A Chief of Interpretation Cooperative agreement for 

education, interpretation, 

and research

Hagerman IDEA 09/23/10 09/23/15 Chief of Interpretation Assistance with education 

and interpretation

Sister park agreement with 

Sibiloi National Park, Kenya

06/27/14 08/27/19 Superintendent Kenya Wildlife Services and 

National Museums of Kenya

Rights-of-Way

Idaho Power:

• Bell Rapids power line 

• Bell Rapids transfer 

station 

• Upper Salmon Falls/Bell 

Rapids Road power line

• County Highway Division

• Bell Rapids Road

04/28/71 In perpetuity Local and state citizens The Idaho Power transmission 

line that supplied electricity 

to the Bell Rapids irrigation 

facility; that power line sits 

within an easement granted 

in 1970 by the State of Idaho 

(who owned the land at 

that time) to Idaho Power; it 

is, essentially, a permanent 

easement

Special Use Permits

Research – as needed As 

indicated 

on special 

use permit

As indicated 

on SUP

Chief of integrated resources 

and park paleontologist

Research approved by the 

NPS (park)
Foundation Document

46
Pacific West Region Foundation Document Recommendation

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

September 2015

This Foundation Document has been prepared as a collaborative effort between park and regional staff and 

is recommended for approval by the Pacific West Regional Director

RECOMMENDED 

Judy Geniac, Superintendent, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Date

APPROVED 

Martha J. Lee, Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region Dat

As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most 

of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land 

and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving the environmental 

and cultural values of our national parks and historic places; and providing for the enjoyment of life 

through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to 

ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging stewardship and 

citizen participation in their care. The department also has a major responsibility for American Indian 

reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

HAFO 300/128763 

October 2015
Foundation Document • Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR