Cultural Heritage and Paleontology
Touren Pope poses for a photo with the fossilized turtle he discovered on BLM with a blue sky

11-year-old Touren Pope discovers ancient turtle fossil on BLM land in Wyoming

Last fall, a routine day of rockhounding on Bureau of Land Management–managed public land in southwest Wyoming turned into an extraordinary discovery. While exploring public lands overseen by the BLM Wyoming Rock Springs Field Office, 11-year-old Touren Pope spotted what would later be identified as a fossilized turtle dating back nearly 48 million years.
Read More
Curator of Paleontology John Scanella, Paleontology Lab and Field Manager Lee Hall, and Senior Director of Exhibitions and Planetarium Scott Williams discuss tooth gouges on an Edmontosaurus skull on display at the Museum of the Rockies Hall of Horns and Teeth. The gentlemen were on hand to crack open the display case for some close up photography on a recent visit by the DOI/BLM.

Snapped enamel and crushed bone: A Moment Frozen in Time

Discovered in 2005 in the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Miles City Field Office, the skull was remarkably complete.
Read More
Rock-strewn desert landscape with a large, rounded rocky hill under a partly cloudy sky.

Preserving the past across the Plains: BLM Montana-Dakotas Cultural Resources staff safeguard America’s storied history

As part of its annual reporting responsibilities, the BLM-MT/DKs State Office produced a summary of accomplishments for fiscal year 2025. The numbers tell a compelling story of stewardship, collaboration, and dedication.
Read More
Milky Way galaxy showing in a night sky

Popular posts: BLM's most viewed blogs of 2025

With the end of 2025 upon us, we thought we'd take a quick look back at some of the Bureau of Land Management’s most viewed blog posts from this year.
Read More
Two people are working on a hillside with a helicopter flying in the background

Using science to uncover mysteries of the Mesa archaeological site in Alaska

Prior excavation and ongoing interpretation of archaeological resources at the Bureau of Land Management's Mesa site in Alaska showcase the BLM’s multiple-use land management mission in action.
Read More
Looking down on a river flowing through a canyon. Many types of plants are in the foreground including large saguaro and spiky ocotillo.

Agua Fria National Monument: A desert oasis with a rich history and a vital present

The Agua Fria National Monument celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. While the monument is young, the landscape includes a rich history across centuries of human habitation as well as rich natural communities.
Read More

Most Recent Stories