National Fossil Day 2011

In the Spotlight: 
Celebrate with the BLM's Prehistoric Trackways National Monument  

National Fossil Day   BLM's National Fossil Day Activities   Fossil Education and Information   On October 12, 2011, as part of Earth Science Week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is celebrating the second annual National Fossil Day. National Fossil Day is a celebration organized to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational value. Fossils discovered on the nation's public lands preserve ancient life from all major eras of Earth's history, and from every major group of animal or plant. Learn more >>> Paleontological resources are the remains or traces of any organism preserved in the Earth’s crust. Through the careful collection and study of fossils, we can learn the stories of life, death, and change played out over 3.5 billion years of the Earth’s history. Scientists get clues about life on Earth from some of the tiniest fossils left by ancient bacteria to fossils of some of the largest creatures that ever roamed the Earth over 65 million years ago. These clues help us solve the fascinating riddles of how life on Earth evolved. Some of the most exciting discoveries found on BLM-administered lands include:   The oldest fossil beaver found in North America found in Oregon. Learn more>>> Over 100 new species of dinosaurs and other species found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Learn more>>> One of the most intensively documented dinosaur tracksites in the world located in northern Wyoming; the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. Learn more>>> Some of the earliest primate and bird fossils found in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico. Pterodactyl trackway sites in Wyoming and the West. Ankylosaur footprints from the Jurassic time period in Colorado.     Many fossils can be found on public lands managed by the BLM and other federal agencies. Many of the vertebrate fossils in America's public museums came from these lands. These fossils are national treasures to be preserved and protected for all Americans. Learn more >>>

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