Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
A part of the fossil beds with Gass Peak in the background
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Nearest city	Las Vegas, Nevada
Coordinates	36.371°N 115.306°W / 36.371; -115.306
Area	22,650 acres (9,170 ha)
Established	2014
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, a United States National Monument near Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, was established in 2014 to protect Ice Age paleontological discoveries. The 22,650-acre (9,170 ha) monument is administered by the National Park Service.^[1]

Joshua trees at Tule Springs Fossil Beds NM

The national monument is located in the Upper Las Vegas Wash and protects part of the Tule Springs.^[2] The wash area also includes several patches of the rare Las Vegas bear poppy. The land was designated after a local campaign to permanently protect the landscape as a national monument.^[3][4][5]

Paleontology

Paleontology studies began at Tule Springs in 1933 when the bones of a Columbian mammoth were discovered by quarry workers.^[6] Other fossils found at the site include Camelops, ground sloth, dire wolf, Teratornis, Smilodon Fatalis and American lion, and range from 7,000 to 250,000 years old.^[7][8][9]

Legislation

The Tule Springs Fossil Beds passed both houses of Congress in December 2014 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 19, 2014, under Section 3092(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015.^[10][11]

Hiking and trails

The Tule Springs Fossil Beds have two official and temporary trails. One is the Tule Springs loop, a flat 1.7-mile loop around the first fossil bed, and the second is the Tule Springs long loop, a 2.3-mile loop around the entire fossil bed, which has the hiker climbing over the Fossil bed. These trails are accessible at the North end of Nth Durango Dr.

See also

• List of national monuments of the United States

References

1. Brean, Henry (December 19, 2014). Obama signs Tule Springs monument into law Las Vegas Review-Journal
2. "Tule Springs Story". Tule Springs Ice Age Park. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
3. Rogers, Keith; Choate, Alan (November 15, 2008). "Wash area conservation urged". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
4. "Official Website". Protectors of Tule Springs.
5. Knapp, George (November 15, 2007). "I-Team Investigation: Mammoth Mistake in Northeast Las Vegas". KLAS-TV. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
6. "History & Culture". National Park Service. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
7. A History of Discovery in this Fossil-Rich Area, Protectors of Tule Springs, 2014
8. Brean, Henry (April 10, 2015). "Things are picking up at new national monument". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
9. "Series: Prehistoric Life of Tule Springs". National Park Service. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
10. Tetreault, Steve (December 2, 2014). "Deal clears way for Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
11. Brean, Henry (December 19, 2014). "Obama signs Tule Springs monument into law". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.

External links

• Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
• Photo gallery from the Monument, free Creative Commons photos.