Andrew Cattoir / National Parks Service
For thousands of years, melted winter snow from the mountain ranges near Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument has helped fill or recharge underground aquifers that feed nearby springs.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 11:18 a.m.
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is joining the Western National Parks Association to assist in education and preservation efforts, officials said today in a statement.
The 22,650-acre site — an urban park on the northern edge of the Las Vegas Valley — was designated a national monument in 2014 by President Obama to protect ice age paleontological discoveries. It is administered by the National Parks Service.
With opportunities for ecological study, scientific research and development of future park stewards, Tule Springs' rich fossil record makes it a significant location in need of support, the Western National Parks Association said in a statement.
The partnership will help preserve the story of an ever-changing ecosystem dating back about 570,000 years, the association said.
The association, a nonprofit education partner of the National Parks Service, will help enhance and protect the Tule Springs monument experience through direct financial aid, updated publications, funding for park-related research, interpretive retail, community events and outreach and marketing, it said.
The group has been serving national parks for more than 85 years.
“We are inspired and excited by the opportunity to support this important resource,” Marie Buck, the association president and CEO, said in a statement.
The association is “committed to supporting parks as places of learning and belonging for everyone, and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument will continue to play an important role in sparking future park stewardship and advancing our understanding of the past to help protect the future,” she said.
The partnership will allow Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument to be further preserved, which is imperative for researchers studying ice age fossils and the impact of climate change.
“Linking past, present and future, the monument provides opportunities to understand how research can inform both scientists and the general public as they seek to learn how the world they see today came to be and to look to the future with greater wisdom,” the National Park Service said.
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is the 72nd national park to align with Western National Parks Association. The associated has provided $147 million to aid parks and monuments.
“We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Western National Parks Association,” Derek Carter, superintendent of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, said in a statement.
The group’s “commitment to education and preservation aligns seamlessly with our mission, and we look forward to the positive impact this collaboration will have on our park and its visitors,” he said.
