THE
FOSSILS
THE
PEOPLE
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The
Western Interior Paleontological Society (WIPS) conducted another trip
to Douglas Pass, Colorado for fossil plants and insects in the Eocene Upper
Parachute Member of the Green River Formation. The fossils
shown here were found during the WIPS trip from 6/30/04 to 7/4/2003 (and
beyond). The primary dig was conducted under a permit from the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM), Grand Junction Office. This field trip
is an annual event conducted by WIPS members Michael Graham & Bill
Bateman. All rare specimens are placed in the permanent repository
at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS).
DMNS recently
released on online identification database for fossil plants of the Green
River Formation, Parachute Creek Member on their website at:
http://greenriver.dmns.org.
This specimen,
(collected 7/6/2004, after the WIPS trip),
displays a
beautiful symmetry of a large Macginitiea wyomingensis
surrounded
by two other species, each with stems pointing outwards.
Specimen #SW00087
Douglas Pass,
CO
Garfield county,
CO; Jul '04
Fires are
an ever-present threat in western Colorado.
One such fire
exploded just over the ridge from our campsite.
A call to
911, with a transfer to the BLM fire squad led
to slurry
bombers and smoke jumpers within 35 minutes.
Cooperating
institutions and key contacts:
-
Denver Museum
of Nature & Science (DMNS) - Dr. Kirk Johnson
-
Western Interior
Paleontological Society (WIPS) - Michael Graham & Bill Bateman.
-
Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Grand Junction Office
Note:
Anyone visiting Douglas Pass should be aware that the main Radar Dome excavation
site is off limits due to an environmental impact study being conducted
by BLM. There are several issues contributing to the closure of this
site: (1) damage/erosion; (2) emitted radiation from the dome; and (3)
security of the dome. For updates on the status of this site, contact
the BLM, Grand Junction office.
If you find
any errors in identification, please contact Steve
Wagner.
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