MODELING FOR FOSSIL RESOURCES ON FEDERALLY ADMINISTERED MULTIPLE USE LANDS NEAR MOAB, UTAH

Fossil fuels and fossil vertebrates are being discovered in close proximity, and multiple use mandates on federal lands require that one be extracted and the other preserved. Energy corridor development, mining, oil and gas extraction, and recreational activities are exerting considerable pressures on federal lands and the agencies charged with managing them. Nowhere is this more dramatically illustrated than on federally administered lands near Moab, Utah. The paleontological resources in the Cedar Mountain Formation are some of the most important in the world. Many dinosaur species are unique to the formation and new discoveries are being made every year. However, over the past year, oil and gas leasing has increased in this area at an unprecedented rate.

In response to these pressures, digital models have been developed that will assist land managers in planning for both small and large scale land surface disturbing activities. The Potential Fossil Yield Classification (PFYC) scheme is based on surface geology maps. When used in conjunction with known fossil occurrences, land managers are able to predict how and what resources may be impacted by proposed actions. Maps have been developed at many scales. However, 1:100,000 scale geological maps have been demonstrated to be the most useful for PFYC application. Actions that are shown to have the potential to disturb paleontologically sensitive strata will then trigger a paleontological survey by a paleontologist before activity will be permitted. Areas surrounding the Cedar Mountain Formation near Moab, Utah, have received this type of analysis and are illustrated here.