Paleontological resource monitoring at Fossil Point, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve: 2018 field report

Lanik, Amanda; Felling, Gregory; Ruga, Mikaela

Fossil Point is an exceptionally rich and scientifically important fossil locality found in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The rocks at Fossil Point are known for their abundant and well-preserved Middle Jurassic invertebrate fossils, including bivalves, ammonites, and belemnites. The abundance and quality, as well as the relatively easy coastal access, makes the fossils at Fossil Point vulnerable to unauthorized collection. Anecdotal evidence suggests that collection without a permit is occurring at Fossil Point and has been for decades. Beyond anecdotal evidence, the prevalence and scale of unauthorized fossil collection at Fossil Point has previously gone undocumented. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) assess visitation to Fossil Point throughout the summer season by installing two motion-activated cameras, and (2) document loss of paleontological resources over the summer season by conducting two paleontological resource surveys; one near the beginning and one near the end of the season. The findings of this study include the following: • The cameras documented 11 groups of visitors on 11 days between June 9, 2018 and September 20, 2018. Known visits to Fossil Point by NPS staff were not captured by the cameras, indicating that the cameras did not record every visitor to the site. Therefore the 11 groups of visitors represents the minimum visitation to Fossil Point. • Visitor group size ranged from one to 12 visitors (mean visitor group: 4.18 individuals), and visitor’s method of access showed that visitors were primarily accessing the point by boat (six groups) and aircraft (four groups). • Five visitor groups displayed behaviors suggesting unauthorized fossil collection, which included carrying buckets, hammers, and rocks. Four of the five visitor groups that displayed behaviors of unauthorized fossil collection were interpreted to be accessing the point by aircraft. • Nineteen fossils were identified during the first paleontological resource survey. During the second survey of those fossils, three specimens were rediscovered, one was possibly rediscovered, and four instances of definite fossil loss were identified. Erosion prior to the second survey significantly changed the beach in terms of distribution of rocks smaller than boulders, so the loss of fossils could be due to either illegal collection or erosion. • On-the-ground evidence of anthropogenic activity was identified during the surveys, which included four fossil cairns and one rock that appeared broken by humans. The results and lessons learned during this study led to changes in monitoring methods, which will be implemented next summer (2019). These include the following: • Time-lapse cameras will be deployed in addition to the two motion-activated cameras. The time-lapse cameras will be perched higher on the cliff to capture an overview and better document overall visitation to the area. • The paleontological resource surveys will be conducted at a more frequent rate to capture the loss of paleontological resources prior to storm events. Additionally, a more detailed initial survey will target areas that are more likely to receive visitors or are within the field of view of the cameras. This initial survey will utilize structure from motion techniques to quantitatively document change to the cliffs and beach due to erosion, and possibly identify fossils that have been removed via collection.

Paleontological resource monitoring at Fossil Point, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve: 2018 field report

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