Park Paleontology, Winter 1999  Page 1

PARK

PALEONTOLOGY

Volume 5, No. 1 Winter 1999

I

f you have not yet heard, President

Clinton has signed the NPS Omni

bus Bill of 1998. In Section 207;

Confidentiality of Information, there is

language pertaining to disclosure of paleontological information.

Section 207.

Confidentiality of

Information

Information

concerning the nature and specific location of a National Park System resource which is endangered, threatened,

rare, or commercially valuable, of mineral or paleontological objects within

the units of the National Park System,

or of objects of cultural patrimony

within units of the National Park System, may be withheld from the public in

response to a request under section 552

of title 5, United States Code, unless the

Secretary determines that:

(1) disclosure of the information

would further the purposes of the unit

of the National Park System in which

the resource or object is located and

would not create an unreasonable risk

of harm, theft, or destruction of the resource or object, including individual

organic or inorganic specimens; and

(2) disclosure is consistent with

other applicable laws protecting the resource or object.

1998 NPS OMNIBUS ACT PROTECTS FOSSIL SITES

Information concerning the nature and specific

location of...paleontological objects within the units of the

National Park System...may be withheld from the public

source

Table of Contents

1998 NPS Omnibus .................................... 1

GIP FY98 Yearbook ................................... 2

Morrison Fm. Ecosystem Project ............... 3

DEVA Paleo Survey .................................... 4

Fossil Forum ............................................... 5

Park Paleo Recognition Pins ...................... 6

FOBU Previews Expanded Web Site ......... 6

The most relevant points of this

amendment are safeguarding paleontological resource localities from disclosure under the Freedom of Information

Act. The phraseology  or paleontological objects within units of the National

Park System ... (section 207) sanctions

the long sought protective status for

these resources.

The Research Mandate for the

NPS in section 202, and a requirement

that the Secretary take such measures...

necessary to assure the full and proper

utilization of the results of scientific

study for park management decisions

in section 206, advocates examination

and assessment based on scientific investigations.

Encouragement of collaboration

with academic institutions in section 203

authorizes to enter into cooperative

agreements with colleges and universities ... to establish cooperative study

units to conduct multi-disciplinary research and and develop integrated information products on the resources of the

National Park System. Research conducted with academia taps into new

springs of knowledge and innovative

ideas. These types of partnerships

nuture science and allow for more research to be completed.

Section 204 states, The

Secretary shall undertake a

program of inventory and

monitoring of National Park

System resources .... This

wording reinforces the necessity for baseline paleontological surveys which provide the

tools for effective and informed land

management decisions. This is powerful material. Protection of paleontological resources within the NPS is instrumental to their preservation and conservation. n
Page 2  Park Paleontology, Winter 1999

The following are Geologist-inthe-Park paleontology experiences for the year 1998.

Torrey Nyborg agreed on very

short notice to assist Death Valley National Park with the management of

their fossil resources. He did field work

in temperatures (120 degrees) that would

have most of us running to our air-conditioned offices. Torrey says that, I reminded myself that I was doing field

work in an area of scientific research that

I have spent the last fours years studying. A Geological Society of America

internship recipient, Torrey documented

and inventoried a fossil track locality

within the park. He produced a GPS

map of the fossil localities, accurate

photo points, and detailed descriptions

of about 50 sites for future research.

Tessa Watson, a recent graduate of

Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado, spent the summer as a Geological

Society of America intern at Denali

National Park and Preserve. Tessa

expanded the paleontological database

created last year by locating and evaluating literature cited and selecting sites

to field check. She stated, I learned that

geology isnt all fieldworkthat a considerable amount of time must be spent

in the office planning and doing paper

workand that patience and persistence

will get you a long way.

Ta-Shana Taylor, a junior at Northeastern University, Massachusetts, was

a paleontology intern at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. She excavated, prepared, and cataloged fossil

specimens. Ta-Shana also developed a

database for the parks paleontological

references.

John Fraser is a geology lab instructor at Harvard University. He assisted Herb Meyer, a Florissant Fossil

Beds National Monument paleontologist, with documenting the parks fossil

collection. John collected and photographed specimen information, and did

a reference check to document cited publications of park fossils in Harvard

Geologist-in-the-Park FY98 Yearbook staff writer

continued on page 3

Universitys Museum.

J.N. DiBenedetto continued the

paleontology graduate work that he

started last year in Badlands National

Park. Joe discovered the first recorded

fossil tree stump found in situ in the

park. He also assisted with the reopened fossil quarry, known as the Pig

Dig, where he interacted with park

visitors and educated them about the

parks fossil resources. Joe felt that his

time spent in the park was a great opportunity to explore the park scientifically.

Matt Hoskins is a senior this fall

at Boston College, Massachusetts. As

a Geological Society of America-supported intern at Badlands National

Park, Matt interpreted the parks geology to the public. He showed visitors

how to excavate fossils at the Pig

Dig, an active fossil quarry. Matt felt

that the timing of this internship was

perfect and learned a lot about geology that you just cant get from a textbook. Matt enjoyed his experience

so much that he is considering changing his major from Environmental Science to Geology.

Jack Rogers was able to earn college credits for his work this summer

at Petrified Forest National Park. After retiring from the army, Jack is pursuing a second career as a paleontologist. He assisted with the parks geologic research and air quality monitoring, prepared fossil samples, and measured stratigraphic sections. Jack also

assisted Dr. Adrian Hunt, Mesa Technical College, with fieldwork that focused on searching for evidence of early

dinosaur fossils. The highlight of his

field experiences was working in the

Late Triassic dinosaur locality in the

park. Jack is starting graduate school

this year and hopes to do more paleontological work in other parks.

Linda Riggins, a graduate student

at New Mexico Tech, spent the summer assisting with geologic research at

Hagerman Fossil Beds National

Monument. Linda was involved in a

geologic mapping project of various

sedimentary units. She measured and recorded stratigraphic sections and transferred this data into the parks GIS database.

Arvid Aase assisted Geologic Resources Division paleontologist, Vince

Santucci, last winter with servicewide

paleontological projects at Fossil Butte

National Monument. They provided

technical assistance to Grand Teton,

Yellowstone, Big Bend, and

Guadalupe Mountains National

Parks. Arvid also formatted the Park

Paleontology Newsletter, designed a

logo for the National Park Paleontology

Suvey and developed a fossil fish game

to be used as an educational activity.

Several volunteers and NPS employees

are wearing the paleontology pins that

Arvid designed while he was a GIP.

Arvid is now a seasonal and has just

completed his Masters thesis from the

University of Kansas.

Merry Bacon recently completed

her Masters degree from Georgia College. She is working with NPS paleontologists and cave specialist on a project

involving paleontological resources occurring in NPS caves. She is also assisting in identifying outside repositories

with park cave fossils. Merry worked

in the Fossil Butte National Monument

Scientific Quarry. She also led hikes and

presented educational programs at

FOBU Quarry.

Marikka Hughes, a junior at Yale

University majoring in geology and geophysics, with special interests in paleo

related topics, spent the summer at Fossil Butte National Monument working

in the park museum. Marikka updated

the catalogue eliminating the back-log

of paleontology specimens from the previous years. Marikka initiated development on a new FOBU web page.

Marikka is currently working at the

Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Park Paleontology, Winter 1999  Page 3

continued from page 2

Tom Olson, a senior at Northern

Arizona University majoring in paleontology, spent the summer at Fossil

Butte National Monument. Tom prepared a database of the all the stratigraphic units within the National Parks.

Tom has been fascinated with paleontology for most of his life and has had

many exceptional finds, such as a previously unknown species of crinoid and

the skull of a Metopasaur . He is looking forward to working at a museum as

a paleontologist after graduation.

Aimee Painter, a student at Southern Utah University, spent the summer

at Zion National Park, implementing

a paleontological survey. Aimee prepared GPS information on both existing track localities and on several new

sites. She and other researchers discovThe Morrison Extinct Ecosystem

Project is a joint NPS-USGSfunded interdisciplinary study to

reconstruct the Late Jurassic predominantly terrestrial ecosystem throughout

the Western Interior during deposition

of the Morrison Formation. This colorful formation is known worldwide for

the skeletons of large giant sauropods,

which have been recovered from the

west and displayed in many museums

throughout the world. The formation is

exposed in many NPS units including,

Arches NP, Bighorn Canyon NRA,

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM,

Capitol Reef NP, Colorado NM,

Curecanti NRA, Devils Tower NM, Dinosaur NM, Glacier NP, Glen Canyon

NRA, Hovenweep NM, Wind Cave NP,

and Yellowstone NP. The goal of the

project is to improve NPS interpretive

programs and resource management

strategies by applying modern research

approaches. This will yield an improved

understanding of the habitat that existed

when the Late Jurassic dinosaurs

roamed the western U.S.

The multidisciplinary approach to

ered. She also spent many days in the

field researching fossil localities

throughout the park and compiled the

information in a database format.

Rex Taylor spent the summer at

Zion National Park . Rex used GPS

to set the parameters on fossil localities

throughout the park, especially the track

localities. The primary task was to initiate a paleontological inventory of Zion

National Park. Rex took detailed field

notes and measurements of the existing

fossil localities. This information has

been compiled in a database for

futureworkers. Rex is currently working with BLM in Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument.

Christian George, a senior at

Franklin & Marshall College, worked

at Timpanogos Cave National Monument working on the paleontology of

Pleistocene mammals. He spent the

month of May excavating parts of the

cave. Christian was able to excavate

pack rat middens from several locations

in and near the cave: Organ Pipe Room,

Hidden Mine Cave, and Boneyard, as

well as a test in the Grotto. He is now in

the process of identifying the pack rat

bones. Christian is working with

mammologists at the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia. His analysis of this site will focus on the

taphonomy. It appears that there may

have been two species of packrat,

Neotomacinera and Neotoma sp. Besides determining what differences may

lie in their two assemblages, Christian

is also attempting to characterize the biometric differences between these two

species.n

Interdisciplinary Late Jurassic Morrison Formation

Extinct Ecosystem Reconstruction

 staff writer

research intergrated various aspects of

the rock and biostratigraphic record for

the Morrison Formation, with various

lines of evidence leading to an integrated picture. The investigations included studies of regional tectonics, regional stratigraphic framework, radiometric and paleontologic dating, sedimentology, paleosols (fossil soils), dinosaur bio-stratigraphy, trace fossils,

taphonomy (processes that occur between the death of an organism and discovery as a fossil), invertebrates, microfossils, and isotopic analysis of teeth

and paleosol nodules.

The synopsis of the habitat for the

Late Jurassic Morrison Formation was

a broad alluvial plain in the rainshadow

of highlands that bordered the plain to

the west. The presence of large

dunefields, evaporites, intermittent

streams, and development of a large alkaline, saline lake at various times during Morrison deposition all indicate that

the Morrison experienced times of considerable aridity. In spite of the semiarid to arid climate, life-giving water

was delivered to the plain by several

means. These included seasonal or intermittent precipitation, perennial and

intermittent streams that drained the

western highlands, and shallow groundwater that was delivered by aquifers recharged by infiltration in the highlands.

Riparian vegetation was largely supported by water from perennial streams

and substream flow within intermittent

streambeds. Vegetation on the floodplain

had to depend primarily on direct precipitation (which may have been largely

seasonal) and the ability to tap shallow

aquifers. The large herbivorous dinosaurs could range across the plain in

search of water and vegetation, whereas

many of the smaller animals would have

found water and shelter in riparian habitats. Scattered lakes and ponds across the

alluvial plain supported a variety of

aquatic life.

Thus, although the Morrison climate

was much drier than originally interpreted, the Morrison ecosystem supported a considerable diversity of life,

including the largest herbivores that ever

lived.n
Page 4  Park Paleontology, Winter 1999

Composite fossil tracks

of a Miocene felid

Death Valley National Park Paleontological Survey

staff writer

Death Valley National Park

(DEVA) safeguards 3,336,000

acres that include world renowned and scientifically important paleontological resources. DEVA preserves an extensive geologic record ranging from the Precambrian through the

Holocene epoch. Overcoming the high

temperatures and limited available funding, a comprehensive inventory of all

known sources of information regarding

Death Valleys geology and paleontology

was initiated in 1998.

Over a dozen fossiliferous stratigraphic units have been identified at

DEVA containing fossil plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and trace fossils including:

 Possible Ediacara fauna

equivalent

 520-million-year-old trilobites

 Devonian fish

 Eocene titanotheres

 Mammal and bird tracks in Miocene and Pliocene sediments

 The significance and diversity of DEVA

paleontology resources is demonstrated

in this survey.

Undertaking the enormous assignment of assessing the paleontological resources of DEVA is Torrey Nyborg and

Invitation for

contributions

To keep Park Paleontology News

letter fresh and informative we

would like to hear from you. If

you have paleontological news relevant

to the national parks please write a few

paragraphs and send to:

Vince Santucci

Fossil Butte National Monument

P.O. Box 592

Kemmerer, WY 83101

VINCENT_SANTUCCI@nps.gov

Park Paleontologys schedule is

quarterly. The spring issue is planned

for publication in April 1999. n

Vince Santucci. In April 1988, GRD

Paleontologist Vince Santucci first visited DEVA and began an initial assessment. Torrey Nyborg was recruited as

a paleontology intern through the GIP

program during the summer of 1998.

An area of particular interest at

DEVA is Copper Canyon. This locality is exceptionally rich in fossil vertebrate tracks and is considered one of the

gems of the park service. Sporadic conservation techniques have been implemented by the park staff since the discovery of the site in 1937. The fossil

bearing strata is susceptible to a variety of natural and human-related threats,

leading to the loss of paleontological

resources. An inventory of the paleontological resources serves as a baseline

for a paleontological resources management program. Management actions are

addressed in NPS-77 for paleontological resource sites which include monitoring, cyclic prospecting, patrols, and

closure.

This report will include the first

comprehensive stratigraphic column for

the park. Compilation of reference data

and a paleo-species list were an important product of this study. Field documentation and photos of fossil localities collected by the researchers were

utilized to create fossil locality maps in

Paramyid Tooth from YELL Recovered

staff writer

Aparamyid tooth that was collected from Yellowstone National Park in the 1980s was

recovered recently. The rodent tooth is

encased in volcaniclastic rocks of the

Absaroka Volcanic Supergroup. Information is a bit sketchy, but several

sources indicate the tooth may of been

collected near Specimen Ridge in the

Lamar River Formation in YELL. This

fossil forest has been studied extensively for paleobotanical significance,

but lacks information regading Eocene

mammals. Therefore, this specimen is

ly valuable from a scientific standpoint.

The tooth is being studied by a collaboration of scientists and will be further prepared by researchers. The tooth

will then be curated into the YELL

collection.n

an effort to provide information for paleontological resource management.This publication will be dedicated

to H. Donald Curry, who in 1935 became

the first naturalist/geologist for Death

Valley. Don Curry was also one of the

first professional geologists to wear the

ranger uniform. The DEVA paleontological survey has increased park staff

awareness of the occurrence and significance of the paleontological resources

within the park. This, in turn, will serve

to enhance the experience of Death

Valley National Park.n
Park Paleontology, Winter 1999  Page 5

FOSSIL FORUM

Aholisitic multidisciplinary approach

to managing paleontological re

sources provides the greatest opportunities to interpret the ancient landscape.

Paleontologists interested in conducting research within National Park Service areas

should employ holistic strategies as part of

their field collection of fossils and the associated geological and paleoecological data.

The significant values and information

associated with a fossil are often not fully

understood until long after the remains have

been collected from the field. Appropriate

field collecting techniques combined with

detailed field data acquisition are essential

in the science of paleontology.

Museums around the world contain fossils that have inadequate associated data. Past collecting habits have

generated cabinets full of fossils that

lack important scientific information.

Attempts to reconstruct missing information can result in compromising the

scientific integrity of the data.

As new methods and technologies

reshape the paleontologists approach

to excavating fossilized remains, the

ability to assimilate new levels of information increases. In some cases,

conservation paleontology or preserving fossils in situ is the preferred

resource management decision. This

strategy is based upon the assumption

that future technology may be able to

extract greater amounts of information

from the paleontological resources.

A paleoecological approach to

managing non-renewable paleontological resources is a holistic strategy to

research and field collection. The study

of paleoecology, like modern ecology,

considers the relationships between organisms and the environment. Thus ecosystems

and paleoecosystems are defined by both

biological and physical components. In our

efforts to define an ecosystem, or even a

paleoecosystem, we attempt to define the

natural boundaries. Researchers and resource managers are cognizant that ecological boundaries do not generally coincide with

adiminstrative boundaries (i.e., ranges of biPALEOECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MANAGING PALEONTOLOGICAL

RESOURCES

son, grizzlies or wolves and the boundary of

Yellowstone National Park).

Since ecosystems are dynamic entities,

the boundaries can continually be reestablished. The interrelationships between organisms and the changing environment will

be redefined. A paleoecological perspective incorporates a temporal component to

understanding ecosystems. The paleoecological perspective provides an opportunity

to assess the factors related to temporal

changes such as climatic trends or extinction events.

There is some value in viewing ecosystems from a dual-uniformitarian perspective.

This view recognizes that the present is the

key to the past and that the past is the key

to the future. Our ability to best understand

our universe, from the limited slice in time

we occupy, is enhanced from any knowledge

gained from the past.

A multidisciplinary approach to understanding past ecosystems is the recommended approach to managing paleontological resources. Research collecting should

look beyond the fossilized flora and fauna.

All paleontological resource collecting

should require that researchers obtain all associated geologic or paleoecologic data.

This associated information can enable

greater levels of interpretation of ancient

sedimentary environments, past climates,

historical biogeography of paleospecies, and

other valuable information. Just as modern

ecosystems do not end at park boundaries,

likewise, paleoecosystems extend beyond

these same geographic boundaries.

Fossil Butte National Monument preserves approximately 8,000 acres of ancient

Fossil Lake. Within the park boundaries are

important exposures of the deep water

portion of the fossiliferous Green River

Formation. Fossil rich deposits representing near shore and shallow water

portions of the lake are not represented

in the monument and provide a different assemblage of organisms. Since the

fossil record does not end at the park

boundary, research should consider the

resources outside of the park.

In 1994, The Morrison Formation

Extinct Ecosystem Project, was initiated as a multidisciplinary endeavor designed to determine the nature, distribution, and evolution of ancient ecosystems that existed in the Western Interior of the United States during the

Late Jurassic. A team of specialists

were assembled to gain a more complete picture of the Morrison ecosystem. Isotopic dating, regional tectonics, and trace fossil analysis were some

of the lines of evidence used to interpret the ancient climate and changes in

the paleohydrology.

The value of a multidisciplinary,

beyond the park boundaries approach to understanding the ancient landscape provides

greater opportunities for interpreting this information to the public. Part of the responsibility within the National Park Service is

to provide the highest level of scientific understanding to the park visitor. Presenting a

broad perspective of the ancient setting can

often be a very effective means of interpreting paleontological resources to the park

visitor.n

Figure from Benton and Spencer. 1995. Fossil Reptiles of Great Britain
Page 6  Park Paleontology, Winter 1999

FOBU Previews Expanded Web Page

staff writer

Through the talents of David

Hays, a former Systems Engineer for Apple Computers, Fossil Butte National Monument has a

snazzy, newly expanded web site. Dave

is a paleontology

intern at FOBU

and has used his

extraordinary

web skills to create this display.

The home

page opens up with a dynamic depiction of Fossil Lake in the Eocene. A

winter scene and FOBU information are

included on this page. Links to Park Paleontology, Geologic Resources Division, and National Park Service websites

run as headers across the top on all

pages. Additional links expand on topical information. Other pages such as

general information dispenses basic

park information with links to maps and

a site to pose questions. The principal

scientific investigators at FOBU have a

page with connections to their work and

published articles. Dave introduces the

I

ndividuals making noteworthy con

tributions to promote paleontology

in the national parks and to the National Park Service Paleontological Resource Program are recognized and rewarded with gold pins modeled after the

Park Paleontology Resource logo.

Steve Shackleton, a NPS Ranger

and a Tony Bevinetto fellow in Washington, D.C., has worked on the Omnibus Bill featured on the front page as

well as several other notewothy pieces

of legislation that protect paleontological resources.

Mark Hertig, paleontologist at

AGFO, and Tom Ulrich, Chief Ranger

at FLFO, have revised the Cenozoic

Age of Mammals on the commonside

NPS brochure.

Christine E.Turner, USGS-NPS

researcher, is one of the leaders on the

interdisciplinary Morrison Extinct Ecosystem Project that focuses on reconstructing the extinct ecosystems in the

Late Jurassic.n

Park Paleontology

Recognition Pin

staff writer staff at FOBU with a photo exhibit and

a short biography. A photo gallery exists with encouragement to send in images with relevant photographic information. The fossil site provides geologic history and

interpretation of

both Fossil Lake

and the Green

River Formation.

The activities

page informs the

web visitor on FOBU trails, guided

tours, and visitor center programs. The

education site has teacher programs, Jr.

Ranger programs, and volunteering and

internship information. Other sites includes links to NPS and related sites,

museums and science institutions, the

Oregon Trail Association, and various

sites related to FOBU. The local

weather conditions can always be accessed as there is a connection to the

Weather Channel weather data.

Dave has provided access to a wide

array of information on paleontology in

and outside of FOBU. Take a look!n

Dr. Watson ponders the mystery of why the fossil record ends

at the park boundary

FOBU website at

http://www.webasic.com/

fobuweb

Park Paleontology

c/o Fossil Butte NM

P.O. Box 592

Kemmerer, WY 83101