Cultural and Fossil Resources on the Public Lands United States Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management
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cultural and fossil resources on the public lands United States Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management your fragile In the vast expanse of the Nation's public lands lies an irre placeable, fragile legacy—the fossil and cultural resources that belong to all of us. Sometimes buried by centuries of change, sometimes hidden under a wisp of sand, and sometimes lying open and exposed, these pieces of the past represent a common heritage from our prehistoric and historic predecessors. These resources are invaluable clues to unlocking the secrets of the past, but they also help us understand our present and wisely plan for our future. Management of this fragile public legacy is a responsibility of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Manage ment (BLM). It is also BLM's job to provide information about these resources, enabling people to understand what they are, what they mean, how to protect them, and how to enjoy them. This publication is designed to help toward that understanding cultural fossil resources resources Cultural resources may be anything that Fossil resources are any remains, impres shows evidence of having been made, used, sions, or traces of animals or plants from a or altered by humans. They can be either former geologic age, as in a skeleton or foot prehistoric (accomplished before written print. They may be almost as old as the earth records) or historic (accomplished after itself, some dating back more than three bil written records), representing a part of the lion years. Public lands have produced fossils continuity of events from the earliest evidence of dinosaurs, mammoths, predatory cats, and of human existence to the present day. In the countless other creatures that once roamed BLM, the study of cultural resources is jointly the continent. From these remains, paleon carried out by archaeologists, who examine tologists, who study fossils, have been able to and interpret the physical evidence of pre reconstruct, in surprising detail, a world in vious cultures, and historians, who examine habited by plants and animals no human has and interpret the recorded accounts of the ever seen. past. Cultural resources range from ancient Indian ruins to historic ghost towns, and from small scatters of arrowheads or stone tools to abandoned cross-country wagon trails. z £ C E z E o> L .-. z u c z JZ links to the past, present and future It is sometimes hard for people to under place is critical to understanding our present stand how a musty ruin left by a race of peo situation as well as providing important in ple that lived many generations ago, or a sights for future planning. footprint of an extinct animal etched by time Cultural and fossil resources are not only into stone can have any significance to today's important to the scientific community, but to world. Yet all of us, regardless of how little we the public at large interested in the Nation's recognize it, are products of the past. In some cultural and paleontological heritage. Certain measure, our environment has been altered cultural resources also hold special religious by every creature that has inhabited the and social significance for Native Americans, North American continent and every creature including Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts. has been altered by its environment. Discov ering how and why this interaction takes cultural resources yours to protect... yours to enjoy. The public lands could be compared to a removals. The large expanses of public lands Although archaeological and historical re huge, outdoor museum that chronicles human make it difficult for the BLM to adequately sources need to be protected, they can also events on this continent. Spread across mil protect archaeological and historic sites, be enjoyed. For the more adventuresome, a lions of acres are invaluable pieces of the past, especially when professional pothunters are trip to the public lands to view and experience important and fascinating in themselves, but encouraged by the high prices some private your cultural legacy can be exciting and inter also important in the context of their location citizens are willing to pay to possess original esting. However, many public land sites are in in or on the ground. Where they're found artifacts. Public cooperation is needed to remote areas and trips should be carefully and what is found near them supply infor report these thefts and to limit the pothunters' planned. Local BLM offices can offer informa mation critical to interpreting tbe human profit motivation by refusing to buy stolen tion and advice on interesting sites and safety activities that occurred there. goods. precautions. Viewing these sites in their na Cultural resources on the public lands are Public education is also the key for casual tural locales, even though you can't take disappearing at an alarming rate. Although collectors. Some people pick up artifacts home any souvenirs, can be a very memor some losses are unavoidable due to erosion, without realizing their importance or under able experience. decay, and other natural processes, large standing their scientific and cultural values. If you're a less hardy traveler, museums can numbers of sites and artifacts are being Publications like this, other information also provide you with a sense of the past destroyed or illegally removed by people— materials,and person-to-person communica through interpretation of public land artifacts either willful scavengers who take them for tions all help to spread the word about these collected by scientists. Sometimes, public personal profit, or casual collectors who don't important resources and about the need to land developments and uses such as roads, understand they should be left undisturbed. leave them in their rightful place on the powerlines, dams, mines, and other legitimate The scavengers, sometimes called "pot public lands. purposes make it necessary for cultural sites hunters," are by far the most serious offenders to be excavated by professional archaeologists. because their knowledge enables them to locate and plunder choice sites. Profit moti vates them to remove rapidly as many artifacts as possible, sometimes using bulldozers and other mechanized earth-moving equipment which can destroy a centuries-old site in a matter of hours. Human burial sites, many of them sacred to Native American Indians, are particularly sought after as quickly exploited sources of loot. Such thefts and vandalism are occurring despite Federal laws such as the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the 1979 Archaeological Resources Protection Act which authorize stiff penalties for illegal fossil resources yours to protect. yours to enjoy. When such excavations take place, scientifi Fossil resources are also protected under Exploring the public lands to collect com cally valuable artifacts are carefully removed Federal law but, because of their very nature, mon fossils or view rarer specimens can be an and catalogued for study. These artifacts are they are handled somewhat differently. Since enjoyable form of recreation. Many types of placed in museums so the public as well as the fossils are really plant or animal remains or fossils, such as clam and snail shells and petri scientists can have access to them. These impressions embedded in or with the proper fied wood, can be collected in small amounts public museums, which range from small local ties of stone, their importance or value for personal use in most areas of the public operations to larger, more renowned institu depends on how rare or common they might lands. tions, provide interesting interpretations to be. Dinosaur bones embedded in a mountain When you check with the local BLM office, help you expand your understanding and side could be extremely rare and scientifically personnel there can give you information interest in the subject. important, while small pieces of petrified about the known fossil resources in the area, Cultural resources can also be enjoyed by wood could be very common and hold little as well as critical advice about off-road vehicle the armchair traveler. Numerous excellent scientific value. use, camping guidelines, and fire and safety books and technical articles about archaeo Because of these tangible differences, regulations. If you're out on the public lands logical and historical resources on the public Federal law allows some fossils, like petrified and discover a fossil you think may be scienti lands have been written and are generally wood, to be freely collected in small amounts. fically important, report it and its location to available through public libraries, bookstores, Others, such as dinosaur bones, are protected the BLM. and from government agencies. So even by some of the same laws governing cultural For those not given to climbing through the though you may not be able or inclined to resources. hills, or those who want to learn more about travel onto the public lands or to venture To find out more about Federal laws regard the creatures they've collected or seen, through museums, you can still enjoy and ing fossils, you should drop in at your nearest widely available publications on the subject learn about your public land heritage. BLM office. Personnel there can tell you about can help bring a long-dead world back to life. fossils in the area and advise you about the Fossils from the public lands are also found kinds that can be collected and the kinds that in numerous museums throughout the United should be left in place for scientific study. States. In addition, if you ever get the chance to visit museums in Liverpool, England; Geneva, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; or Edinburgh, Scotland, you may wish to stop in and say hello to a previous public land resident—museums in each of these cities contain Allosaurus fossils from the Cleveland- Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry on public lands in Utah.