Things are picking up at new national monument
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument will host its first official public event Saturday morning, when a group of volunteers gather to clean up trash from the site at the northern edge of the Las Vegas Valley.
The cleanup starts at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to draw at least 50 volunteers, including a contingent of local residents who fought for years to win protection of Tule Springs and the Upper Las Vegas Wash.
Those participating in the event will meet at the corner of North Aliante Parkway and Horse Drive in North Las Vegas.
The monument’s interim superintendent, Vincent Santucci, will be on hand for the cleanup.
“There are a few locations within the monument where the fossil-rich layers are concealed beneath illegally discarded trash and other debris. The upcoming cleanup will be the first of many such efforts to restore the natural landscape of Tule Springs for the benefit and enjoyment of our visitors, researchers and area wildlife,” said Santucci, who will return to his job as the National Park Service’s senior geologist and paleontologist once he finishes his 90-day assignment as Tule Springs’ first superintendent.
Nevada’s only national monument was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December.
The 22,650-acre area is prized by scientists for its wealth of ice age fossils spanning several hundred millenniums, allowing researchers to study how climate change impacted an array of animals that died out roughly 11,000 years ago.
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Find him on Twitter: @RefriedBrean.
