Paleontological Resource Management
Paleontology is the study of fossils to better understand the ecologies of the past. Fossils are paleontological resources and include the remains, imprints, or traces of once-living organisms preserved in rocks, sediments, tar, amber, and other settings. The bones and teeth of reptiles such as dinosaurs, as well as skeletal and soft tissue remains of fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals have all been fossilized. Shells of mollusks and insects, wood, leaves and flowers, footprints, burrows, and remains of microscopic organisms have all been fossilized too.
Paleontological resources are protected under an array of federal, state, county, and city laws and ordinances. The Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies have developed regulations for the management, protection, education, and recreational uses of fossils on the lands they administer. This includes permitting requirements and mitigation guidelines for ground-disturbing projects.
Paleontological resources are protected under an array of federal, state, county, and city laws and ordinances. The Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies have developed regulations for the management, protection, education, and recreational uses of fossils on the lands they administer. This includes permitting requirements and mitigation guidelines for ground-disturbing projects.
Services
- Paleontological records searches at the University of California Museum of Paleontology and other institutions
- Paleontological sensitivity analysis and mapping
- Literature research/geologic map reviews/museum and agency file searches
- Construction mitigation monitoring/site damage assessment
- Document review and preparation
- Production of interpretive and educational exhibits
- Worker's Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) training for project workers, community members, government and tribal agencies