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National Park Service TULE SPRINGS FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT News Release For Immediate Release: April 8, 2015 NEVADA’S NEWEST NATIONAL PARK NAMES TEMP SUPERINTENDENT,
PLANS FIRST CLEANUP LAS VEGAS - The National Park Service’s Senior Geologist and
Paleontologist, Vince Santucci, is calling Southern Nevada home for 90 days as
he serves as the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument’s first
Superintendent. Congress established the park as a unit of the National Park
Service Dec. 19, 2014, to protect and interpret the nationally important
paleontological, scientific, educational and recreational resources in the
park. Santucci explored Tule Spring Fossil Beds several times
before the monument was established and is excited about the opportunity to
setup a new park. “Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is the first
area of the National Park Service specifically dedicated to the preservation,
public education and scientific study of Ice Age fossils,” said Santucci. “The
new monument fills an important gap in the fossil record represented by the
national parks.” The highly published paleontologist began his 23-year career
with the park service as an interpretive ranger in Badlands National Park in
South Dakota. He continued his career in the resources management divisions at
Petrified Forest National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. He then went on to serve as a commissioned law enforcement
ranger for 16 years, including as Chief Rangers at Fossil Butte National
Monument and George Washington Memorial Parkway. With a bachelor of arts in anthropology and biology and a
master of science in geology and paleontology from University of Pittsburgh,
Santucci has served as the National Park Service’s Senior Geologist and
Paleontologist since 2011. He arrived at Tule Springs Fossil Beds March 23, and will
serve on a temporary detail for 90 days. “The enthusiasm about the new monument extends well beyond
the Las Vegas Valley into classrooms and museums around the country,” he said.
“In this spirit, we hope to create an ‘Ice Age Paleontological Park’ which
draws visitors from around the world.” Santucci will have the opportunity to work even more closely
with the community April 11, as he hosts the park’s first volunteer cleanup.
Around 50 local residents who fought for years to establish the park will meet
at the park’s boundaries to pick up litter that has been dumped among the ice
age fossils. “There are a few locations within the monument where the
fossil-rich layers are concealed beneath illegally discarded trash and other
debris. The upcoming cleanup will be the first of many such efforts to restore
the natural landscape of Tule Springs for the benefit and enjoyment of our
visitors, researchers and area wildlife,” said Santucci. To volunteer to participate in the cleanup, please call
702-293-8714 to pre-register. MEDIA ADVISORY WHAT WHEN WHERE VIDEO/PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES |
Last updated: April 11, 2015