Daniel Grenard; Kenneth Carpenter; Andrew Smith; Melissa Smeins
Abstract
The Garden Park National Natural Landmark in central Colorado U.S.A. was established for 40 acres (0.16 sq. km) by the U.S. National Park Service in 1973 in recognition of its historical and paleontological significance. It was here that rather complete dinosaur skeletons were first discovered ...
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The Garden Park National Natural Landmark in central Colorado U.S.A. was established for 40 acres (0.16 sq. km) by the U.S. National Park Service in 1973 in recognition of its historical and paleontological significance. It was here that rather complete dinosaur skeletons were first discovered in great abundance and diversity in the late 1800s, sparking a growth in worldwide interest in dinosaurs. The dinosaur quarries played an important part in the "Bone Wars" in the early history of American paleontology. Despite the National Natural Landmark designation, human-caused environmental deterioration continued. Not until passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) in 1976 did the Bureau of Land Management reassess the negative environmental impacts of public lands in Garden Park. A series of studies led to incremental protection of the environment and paleontological resources, beginning with the establishment of a Research Natural Area in 1987, then a larger Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1996, and finally a greatly expanded National Natural Landmark in 2013. The multipurpose land usage mandated by FLPMA has at times resulted in conflicting goals in Garden Park. Over time, the local BLM has gradually increased protection of the paleontological resources, geological scenery and rare plants, while also providing educational and recreational opportunities.
Kenneth Carpenter
Abstract
The quarry museum at Dinosaur National Monument, which straddles the border between the American states of Colorado and Utah, is the classic geoconservation site where visitors can see real dinosaur bones embedded in rock and protected from the weather by a concrete and glass structure. The site was ...
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The quarry museum at Dinosaur National Monument, which straddles the border between the American states of Colorado and Utah, is the classic geoconservation site where visitors can see real dinosaur bones embedded in rock and protected from the weather by a concrete and glass structure. The site was found by the Carnegie Museum in August 1909 and became a geotourist site within days of its discovery. Within a decade, visitors from as far as New Zealand traveled the rough, deeply rutted, dirt roads to see dinosaur bones in the ground for themselves. Fearing that the site would be taken over by others, the Carnegie Museum twice attempted to take legal possession of the land. This had consequences far beyond what the Museum intended when the federal government declared the site as Dinosaur National Monument in 1915, thus taking ultimate control from the Carnegie Museum. Historical records and other archival data (correspondence, diaries, reports, newspapers, hand drawn maps, etc.) are used to show that the unfolding of events was anything but smooth. It was marked by misunderstanding, conflicting goals, impatience, covetousness, miscommunication, unrealistic expectation, intrigue, and some paranoia, which came together in unexpected ways for both the Carnegie Museum and the federal government.
