Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 16, No. 2, Fall 2024

All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. Park Paleontology news provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources.

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• Glacier National Park

  Article 1: New Mammal Fossils from Glacier National Park Shed Light on the Rocky Mountains 28 Million Years Ago

  

  Glacier National Park in northwest Montana is known for its rich fossil record of plants, insects, mollusks, and fish, but also mammals from the Eocene. In a recent publication, a team of scientists describes the first Oligocene-aged fossil mammals, the youngest fossil mammals ever discovered in the park. Read more

• Article 2: A Long Time Coming: A Shared Paleontologist Comes to the Southern Network

  

  This year, for the first time, the NPS hired a shared paleontologist to support multiple parks in the same region. Dr. Aubrey Bonde was selected as the Southern Network Paleontologist to support five parks throughout Southern Nevada and California. Read more

• Big Bend National Park

  Article 3: Ancient Environments and Fossil Plants of Big Bend National Park

  

  Big Bend National Park preserves an important fossil record spanning the Cretaceous / Paleogene boundary. Both marine and terrestrial strata preserve a diversity of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants and trace fossils. A recent inventory of NPS fossil plants from across the national parks includes the important fossil record of flora from Big Bend National Park. Read more

• Article 4: Paleontology and Geology of John Boyd Thacher State Park National Natural Landmark

  

  John Boyd Thacher State Park National Natural Landmark in eastern New York is one of the newest NNLs. It is notable for its extensive middle Paleozoic stratigraphic section and the many invertebrate fossils found in the rocks, both of which have been studied since the early 19th century, making it a noteworthy scientific and historic site. Read more

• Article 5: Public Works Programs and Paleontology in the Early Years of the NPS

  

  During the 1930s, public works programs helped uncover paleontological resources at numerous parks. Projects at Big Bend National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, the former Fossil Cycad National Monument, and Grand Canyon National Park are highlighted here from the many stories. Read more

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Article 6: Developing a Regional Paleontology Geodatabase – 350 Million Years in the Making

  

  Currently, there is no standardization for paleontological resource information between park units. To address this, the Intermountain Regional Office, the NPS Paleontology Program, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area have been working to develop a database to manage geospatial information. Read more