Park News

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Paleo Center Funded

As part of the Fiscal Year 2002 budget the President and Congress agreed to provide $8.4 million for the construction of the long awaited and much anticipated Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. This facility will allow a substantial expansion of our interpretive and paleontology programs.

We are very excited about its potential. The facility will be an 11,000-sq. ft. visitor center and paleontological laboratory. It will overlook Sheep Rock, the geologic icon of the national monument, approximately 8 miles from Dayville and 40 miles from John Day.

One of the exciting aspects of the facility will be that visitors will be able to watch fossils being prepared by park scientists through glass walls, which will be the only separation between the interpretive facility and the paleontological laboratory. In addition, numerous interpretive exhibits, films, and prepared fossils will be on display in the facility. In spring and fall months, the center will also be used to support the statewide education program of the monument, which corresponds to the Oregon K-12 statewide curriculum guidelines. Last year over 600 students went through this program.

We are expected to begin construction in May of 2002 and have the new facility open sometime in 2004.

Prescribed Fire Completed South of Sheep Rock

1300 acres of the Sheep rock Unit were ignited by helicopter on October 2nd. The Monument's second prescribed fire greatly reduced the amount of juniper and sagebrush. This will allow a revival of the grass- and forb-dominated historic landscape. We also want to reintroduce the natural process of fire to the ecosystem.

Helping complete the burn were personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and local fire contractors.

The fire burned in a mosaic pattern leaving islands of vegetation that provide a contrast for us to use when studying long term fire effects. Fire monitors recorded information about the behavior and intensity of the fire at long term study plots. Additional fires are being planned.

Contact Kendall Derby if you would like a tour or have questions.

Non-Native plants are wildfire in slow motion.

Introduced invasive plants continue to receive our dollars and attention. The weed crew this year consisted of Michael Fischer, Ken Hyde, Kendall Derby and Tom Buce, and most of the effort went into hand pulling, spraying and mapping populations of introduced noxious weeds. An Integrated Pest Management Plan is nearly completed; our most extensive invaders are cheatgrass and toadflax. Up and coming invaders are medusahead brome, diffuse knapweed and yellow star-thistle. A youth crew gathered native grass seeds. When planted, the grasses will compete with the invaders on specific sites. In the coming year we will work to increase public outreach.

Weeds are like wildfire. They are dangerous and very expensive to combat. When left unchecked, weeds destroy a native ecosystem. Wildfire only changes it. The best suppression effort we can make is prevention.

Don't the Fossils Belong to Me?

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a unit of the National Park System, a system of 385 units nationwide that preserves the nation's superlative natural and scenic resources as well as its cultural and historic icons. Congress establishes units of the National Park System for specific purposes. In 1975, Congress indicated that the preservation of fossils and the associated geologic record were the main reasons for the creation and existence of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Units of the National Park System are administered by the National Park Service for the enjoyment of the American people as a whole.

Since the fossils belong to the American people, shouldn't you be able to take a few home with you?

Fossils disturbed from their resting- place lose the geologic context in which they were formed. When paleontologists locate and remove a fossil for scientific study they collect all the scientific information relating to its geologic context. In what geologic time period did this animal or plant live? What was the climate and weather like at the time the animal or plant lived? What caused the animal or plant's death? The answers to these important questions and others give us insight into the natural history of our planet, continent, and country.

The National Park Service uses the scientific knowledge gained from the Monument's fossils to help us all understand such concepts as evolution, geologic time, and species interaction with the climatological patterns of the planet. Every small piece of missing information represents a lost opportunity for humans to understand, adapt to, and survive the changing climate that our planet continually experiences.

Removing or disturbing fossils is also illegal.

It is illegal to disturb fossils or to remove them from the Monument. Person(s) violating this prohibition are subject a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment up to 6 months, or both, plus monetary penalties equal to the value of replacing the resource(s) disturbed and/or removed.

The act of removing or disturbing fossils is inconsiderate to your fellow citizens.

Removing fossils is inconsiderate to your fellow citizens because the fossils belong to them just as much as they belong to you. The resources of the Monument belong to the people as a whole, not as individuals. Visitors to the Monument come from all over the world. Imagine spending a lot of your personal time and money to go on vacation to see something that belongs partially to you, but when you get there most of what you came to see has been collectively removed by others that came before you. The monument receives approximately 100,000 visitors every year. Even if only a small percentage of our visitors remove fossils, the cumulative effects start to be realized quickly. This translates into less potential for you to see fossils during your visit, and less opportunity for your children or your children's children to come back one day to see fossils or benefit from the scientific knowledge they provide.

MUSEUM/PALEO NEWS

In addition to maintaining a program of cyclic prospecting and baseline investigation, the Paleontology Division has recently represented John Day Fossil Beds National Monument at three high-profile conferences: the North American Paleontological Conference; the Sixth Conference on Fossil Resources; and the annual meetings of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

North American Paleontological Conference, Berkeley, CA, June 26 - July 1. In addition to nearly 20 presentations that featured paleobotanical, paleopedological, and geological resources from the John Day Basin, the special symposium Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the John Day Basin, Oregon, convened by Ted Fremd, featured 18 papers that brought to bear the latest advancements in the knowledge of paleontology and geology in the John Day Basin. Park paleontology staff members Ted Fremd, Scott Foss, and Matt Smith were authors of multiple papers.

Sixth Conference on Fossil Resources, 2001: A fossil odyssey, partners for a new millennium, Grand Junction, CO. September 10-14. As a conference dedicated to paleontological management, interpretation, and research on federal lands, this conference served to share information between federal land management agencies (including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and United States Forest Service) and professional research institutions.

Topics included not only paleontological land management, but also research, education, legislative mandates, and technological advances. Park paleontology staff members Ted Fremd, Scott Foss, Matt Smith, and Lia Vella delivered nine separate presentations.

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), Bozeman, MT, October 3-6. The SVP is the flagship society for professional vertebrate paleontologists and meets annually.

This meeting boasted the largest attendance so far. Park Paleontology staff members Ted Fremd, and Scott Foss delivered two separate presentations.

Conveying the results of scientific investigations by park staff is critical in order to keep various scientific disciplines updated on the latest information regarding the paleontology and geology of the John Day Basin. With over two dozen researchers from around the world investigating the geology and paleontology in the John Day Basin, these conferences, symposia, and their related publications serve to keep the scientific community adequately informed about the latest discoveries and insights into the Geology and Paleontology of the John Day Basin. By assembling widespread baseline data, conducting rigorous scientific investigation, and staying on the forefront of field and laboratory methods, the John Day Paleontology staff does more than just facilitate research; it actively nurtures high quality professional interest in the John Day Basin.

Monument welcomes new employees

The staff at JODA would like to welcome two new employees on board.

Our new NWIA bookstore manager, Sue Vanier enjoys the dramatic change in lifestyle enhanced by living in Dayville and owning a ranch. After coming from California and a twenty- five year career in publication design, she enjoys the slower pace of Oregon and the hospitality of the people themselves. Sue shares the ranch with her husband, Jeff, three dogs, three horses, one donkey, a smattering of cows, and Holly - the cat that is really the master of that household.

Administrative Support Clerk Patti Kimball is the monument's latest permanent employee, having come on board in October. Patti grew up in Dayville and now resides there with her family. Her family includes husband Randy, sons Jay and Jon, 5 horses, 3 dogs and 3 cats. Anybody needing a dog or cat should give Patti a call.

Chapman Takes New Position

New Junior Park Rangers

Ian Clark, Bend OR
Andrew Christensen Oregon City. OR
Lee Elder, Bend OR
Bryant N Fong, Corvalis, OR
Wesley C Henderly, Eugene OR
Anne Reinarz, Koln Germany
Lisa Reinarz, Koln Germany
J.J. Lewis, Redmond OR
Phillip Milner, Vancouver WA
Jeffrey Milner, Vancouver WA
Mitchell Petrell, San Jose CA
Nicole Petrell, San Jose CA
Chantell Petrell, San Jose CA
Sam Quinn, Bend OR
Max Quinn, Bend OR
Josh Schrock, Bend OR
Mackenzie Smith, Tigard OR
Robert Wylie, Bend OR

Congratulations new Junior Park Rangers!

Maintenance Projects for 2002...

Maintenance has numerous projects this year beyond the normal day to day maintenance of our facilities. They will include some new picnic tables and trash cans, trail brushing and repair, foundation under the Goose Rock quarters, piping of the Cant Ranch ditch and new trail bridges in Blue Basin on the "Island in Time Trail." All of this combined with the construction of the new Thomas Condon Paleontological Center, will make this the busiest year in Fossil Bed's history for maintenance staff We hope everyone has a chance to come out and observe the progress on these projects over the next year!

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Address
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
HC 82 Box 126,
Kimberly, Oregon, 97848

Phone
541-987-2333

Fax
541-987-2336

E-mail
joda_interpretation@nps.gov

Website
www.nps.gov/joda

Editor
Sarah Herve

Chief of Interpretation
John Fiedor

Contributors
Scot MeElveen. Jim Hammett, John Fiedor Scott Foss, Patti Kimball, Sue Vanier, Kendall Derby, Ed Pitman

Comments? Write to:
Jim Hammett
Superintendent
John Day Fossil Beds NM
HC 82 BOX 126
Kimberly OR 97848

The National Park service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

Postage and production of the paper edition of this newsletter was funded by The Northwest Interpretive Association, in cooperation with the National Park Service.