Grand Canyon National Park: 2019 paleontology project after action report

Boudreau, Diana

The 2019 Paleontology Project reflects a pivotal time in the development of a paleontology program at Grand Canyon National Park. Each component of the 2019 project aided in creating a baseline for paleontological resources that will allow future resource managers to better preserve, manage, and provide outreach materials for paleontological resources at GRCA. The 2019 Paleontology Project team was able to accomplish many things during the 2019 Paleontology Project (Appendix A) including the compilation of the largest Paleontological Resources Inventory Report to date, conducting the second ever NPS PaleoBlitz event, and coordinating the National Fossil Day 10th anniversary celebration. These accomplishments were achieved due to the strong collaboration between team members, regular communication via phone calls and emails, foresight and planning to account for potential roadblocks, and positive affirmations for completed components. Having a central team dedicated to supporting the paleontology project was a crucial part of the success of the 2019 Paleontology Project. The work completed this year also highlighted the extensive nature of paleontological resources at GRCA. Each PaleoBlitz survey revealed new paleontological resources, sites, and localities. The wealth of information reported during these focused, short one- or two-day surveys indicates that conducting additional focused surveys for longer periods of time will produce many new paleontological resources. With the recent finalization of the Paleontology Programmatic Categorical Exclusion, GRCA staff are able to continue surveying for and preserving the park’s paleontological resources. The 2019 Paleontology Project at GRCA has also left a lasting impression on the interpretation, education, and outreach staff. Members of the staff continue to promote the Junior Paleontology Program, hand out fossil trading card sets, and incorporate paleontology resource information into ranger programs long after the National Fossil Day Celebration. Paleontology will be further promoted through a new Xanterra project. In 2019, the Maswick South Lodges were demolished to prepare for the construction of new lodges. Xanterra staff and members of the PSET team voted to name each lodge for four types of fossils: Trilobite (invertebrates), Shasta (vertebrates, for Shasta ground sloth), Fern (plants), and Burrow (trackways). In addition, Xanterra staff plan to incorporate interpretive elements into the design and landscaping of these new lodges. From the tiniest trilobites in the Bright Angel Shale to the Megactenopetalus shark teeth of the Kaibab Limestone, fossils of Grand Canyon National Park capture the imagination of visitors and scientists alike. The projects developed and executed during 2019 are just the beginning for the next 100+ years of paleontological exploration and discovery at Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon National Park: 2019 paleontology project after action report

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