Preserving The History Of National Park Service Paleontology Through Oral History Interviews

Article by Vincent L. Santucci, NPS Senior Paleontologist (retired)

The National Park Service (NPS) preserves a rich and diverse fossil record documented from within at least 288 parks. The history associated with the discovery, research, field collection, and stewardship of NPS fossils extends back in time to before the bureau was established in 1916. To capture and preserve first-person accounts involving fossil related activities and stories within national parks, the NPS Paleontology Program initiated an oral history project in 2016 in conjunction with the NPS Centennial. Over the next decade more than 60 oral history interviews were completed with geologists, paleontologists, curators, NPS staff, and others to preserve important, often undocumented, historical information pertaining to NPS paleontology (see table).

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List of participants and dates of interviews for the NPS Paleontology Program oral history interviews.

Participants and dates of interviews for the NPS Paleontology Program oral history interviews.

Name Of Interviewee	Affiliation	Date of Interview(s)

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The NPS Paleontology Program Oral History Project implemented best practices for each interview. Digital audio files for each interview were recorded, interview transcripts were completed, release forms were signed by interview participants, and often associated documents and photographs were provided by individuals to support their narratives and further expand the historic record.

In 2022 the NPS Paleontology Program began a partnership with the NPS History Collection at Harpers Ferry Center to professionally manage the NPS paleontology records, including the oral history interviews, for long-term preservation and access. Under the supervision and coordination of NPS History Collection Archivist Nancy Russell, project archivists Molly Williams and Emma Squire were recruited through the National Center for Preservation Education (NCPE) to process, arrange, and describe over 87 linear feet of documents and 1.64 GB of electronic documents, including oral histories. In addition to the standard archival work, the team (Fig. 1) created Section 508 compliant version of the oral history transcripts for universal access and uploaded them to an album in the NPGallery digital access management system for public access. Each interview was summarized in the finding aid and each name linked directly to the corresponding transcript to facilitate access. The NPS Paleontology Program Records, including the oral history interviews, is available online.

Figure 1. The team who helped to create the NPS Paleontology Program Archives including Nancy Russell (right), Molly Williams (center), and Emma Squire (left) on the morning the first group of records were delivered to Harpers Ferry Center.

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Figure 2. Interview with Dr. Vance Haynes, University of Arizona, regarding his work and observations during the Tule Springs Expedition (1962–1963).

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The first oral history interview was completed on May 10, 2016 with geologist Vance Haynes, University of Arizona, on May 10, 2016 (Fig. 2). Haynes was assigned to coordinate a multi-disciplinary team supporting the Tule Springs Expedition during 1962 and 1963. Portions of the excavations are preserved within Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument establish by Congress in 2014. The expedition was dispatched to document evidence of co-existence of humans and Pleistocene fauna. The project utilized bulldozers to excavate long trenches exposing sedimentary strata of the Las Vegas Formation. Haynes worked closely with team members including Willard Libby, who received a Nobel Prize for his work to develop radiocarbon dating. During his interview Haynes provided first-person accounts on the field work and team members involved with the Tule Springs Expedition, which is an important historic event the NPS will interpret at the monument.

Dave McGinnis served as superintendent at Fossil Butte National Monument for nearly 25 years, the longest-tenured superintendent at the monument.

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Several NPS employees with strong ties to paleontology and fossils also participated in oral history interviews. Two interviews were completed with retired NPS superintendent and park ranger Dave McGinnis on November 13 and 16, 2020 (Fig. 3). Dave began his career at Mammoth Cave National Park in 1972 and devoted 42 years to the NPS. McGinnis also worked at Badlands National Park, Fossil Butte National Monument, and an acting assignment at Dinosaur National Monument. His experiences resulted in him taking a leadership role advocating for the management and protection of NPS paleontological resources.

Figure 4. NPS paleontologist Ted Fremd (retired) who served at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and Fossil Butte National Monument and supported paleontological resource projects in other units of the NPS.

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Another interview was completed with retired NPS paleontologist Ted Fremd (Fig. 4) on December 11, 2021. Ted served as the first paleontologist at Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming, and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon. Fremd served as the science advisor to the Pacific West regional director and supported several park projects related to paleontological resources.

Figure 5. Dr. Jim Kirkland, Utah State Paleontologist, supported paleontological resource inventory and monitoring in NPS areas within the State of Utah.

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Many were undertaken with paleontologists working in academia, museums, or other government agencies. These include paleontologists who were involved in significant paleontological research in NPS areas, among them Tony Fiorillo (Southern Methodist University), Jim Mead (Northern Arizona University), Dave Parris (New Jersey State Museum), and others.

Jim Kirkland, Utah State Paleontologist, was interviewed on July 13, 2020, to share recollections of his extensive field work and research involving NPS areas in Utah and Colorado (Fig. 5). Jim supported paleontological resource inventories at Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Zion National Park, as well as helping to pioneer paleontological resource monitoring at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Figure 6. Dr. Robert Blodgett, who worked for the USGS Branch of Paleontology and Stratigraphy prior to this program being abolished in the middle 1990s.

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For more than one hundred years the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintained the Branch of Paleontology and Stratigraphy, employing many taxonomic specialists in paleontology. Some of the USGS paleontologists supported mapping and other projects involving fossils from federal lands, including the NPS. In 1995, the USGS Branch of Paleontology and Stratigraphy was abolished, leaving a void in the professional paleontology community supporting work on federal lands. Several geologists and paleontologists who worked for the USGS were interviewed regarding their work and experience in NPS areas. Interviews were conducted with Christine Turner, who helped coordinate the Morrison Extinct Ecosystem Project, Rob Weems, and Kathleen Springer, who currently works for the USGS. Two interviews were completed with paleontologist Robert Blodgett, who worked for the Branch of Paleontology and Stratigraphy (Fig. 6). Blodgett’s interviews included discussion of his work in Alaska NPS areas, as well as his extensive knowledge related to the Branch of Paleontology and Stratigraphy and the paleontologists who worked for the USGS.

Figure 7. U.S. Senator Harry Reid, who was instrumental in the enactment of the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009) and the establishment of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (2014).

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Significantly, a short interview was completed with retired U.S. Senator Harry Reid on May 6, 2020 (Fig. 7). Senator Reid was the majority leader in the Senate during the legislative review and enactment of the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009) and the legislation establishing Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument as a unit of the NPS.

The 60 interviews collected to date capture important history and context for NPS paleontology, but more work remains. Several new interviews are planned for Fall 2025. Once completed and transcribed, these and future interviews will be archived with the NPS History Collection and available through the NPS Paleontology Program Archives website.