NPS Paleontology Program

 

The principal mission of the National Park Service is the preservation, protection, and stewardship of natural and historic resources “in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Fossils and the natural geologic processes which form, preserve, and expose them are included in this mission.

Paleontological resources, or fossils, are any remains of past life preserved in geologic context. There are two main types of fossils: body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils are parts of an actual organism (shells, bones, teeth, plant leaves, etc.) while trace fossils (burrows, coprolites, footprints, trackways, etc.) preserve evidence of an organism’s activity or behavior. Fossils are non-renewable natural resources that possess great scientific, educational, and interpretive value.

More than 180 National Park Service areas are known to contain fossils either in situ and/or in museum collections, although only 14 parks were established to preserve paleontological resources. Fossils from these parks collectively span nearly every period of geologic history from Precambrian stromatolites at Glacier National Park to Ice Age fossils in various Alaskan parks. Many are truly unique, rare, type, or nationally and even globally significant specimens and assemblages. Millions of visitors are attracted to NPS units by the spectacular fossils they preserve.

The NPS Paleontology Program serves to integrate the scientific principles of paleontology with the stewardship and interpretation mission of the National Park Service. The Paleontology Program’s core function is to provide parks the guidance and tools necessary to understand and manage their paleontological resources. The program also coordinates response to assistance requests as a liaison between parks, the Geologic Resources Division, and outside institutions.