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National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation TULE SPRINGS FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT News Release For Immediate Release: July 10, 2015 
JON BURPEE SELECTED AS SUPERINTENDENT OF TULE SPRINGS FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT LAS VEGAS –The National Park Service has selected Jon Burpee to serve as the first permanent superintendent of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in Las Vegas. Burpee will lead the establishment of one of the nation's newest national parks. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was established in December 2014 to conserve an exciting collection of fossils that are up to 200,000 years old. Burpee will officially take the reins at the national monument Sept. 6. "Jon brings a wealth of knowledge, can-do spirit and a unique perspective to this position," said Patricia Neubacher, acting regional director for the NPS Pacific West Region. "As a National Park Service congressional fellow, Jon had a personal hand in crafting the legislation that led to the creation of the park." Burpee and his family will head west this summer after spending two years in the nation's capital, where he served as a National Park Service Bevinetto Congressional Fellow. The fellowship included spending a year as a Senate Energy and National Resources Committee staff member and another year working in the NPS's Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. "It is a rare opportunity to see a national park idea come to fruition," said Burpee. "I am looking forward to calling Southern Nevada my home and working with our community partners to make Tule Springs another cherished jewel in Las Vegas' crown of premiere destinations." Burpee has worked for the National Park Service since 1996 when he started as a volunteer at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Washington state. He was later hired on at Fort Vancouver as a seasonal park ranger. Over his career, he has worked at Death Valley National Park, Fort Frederica National Monument in Georgia and Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in Florida. Prior to his fellowship, Burpee was the chief of interpretation and education for Fort Frederica and Castillo de San Marcos national monuments. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Washington and has completed work toward his master's degree in resources interpretation at Stephen F. Austin State University. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was established as the 405th unit of the National Park Service Dec. 19, 2014. It was established to "conserve, protect, interpret and enhance for the benefit of present and future generations the unique and nationally important paleontological, scientific, educational and recreational resources and values of the land." The monument is 22,650 acres, and is located just north of Las Vegas. It stretches along US Highway 95 north of Aliante and Centennial Hills to Creech Air Force Base. The paleontological period represented at Tule Springs Fossil Beds ranges from 3,000 to 200,000 years ago. It is rich with significant paleontological resources from the ice age, including the Columbian Mammoth, extinct horses, camels and bison, and the dire wolf. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/tusk. -NPS- |
Last updated: July 10, 2015