CRETACEOUS DINOSAURS IN DENALI—A NEWLY DISCOVERED RESOURCE REQUIRES A NEW MANAGEMENT PLAN

Dinosaur and other faunal trace fossils and floral material have recently been found in abundance in Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA). These fossils represent one of the best-preserved, Late Cretaceous polar continental ecosystems in the world. Since the first footprint discovery in 2005, thousands of trace fossils of fish, pterosaurs, theropods, hadrosaurs, aves, and terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates have been found in the lower Cantwell Formation. Site occurrences range from large bedding planes with hundreds of tracks, to single footprints with skin impressions, coprolites, and other isolated traces, found at accessible and remote locations. This newly discovered resource represents an enormous challenge to DENA to provide for research, public education, and protection from both natural and human impacts. Recognizing this vast new paleontological resource, the NPS is developing a Paleontology Management Plan (PMP) to provide the appropriate guidance in the near future to understand and protect this resource.

Plant and invertebrate fossils are long known from Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in DENA. An inventory of the paleontological literature in 1998 recorded ten phyla of marine macroinvertebrates, five kinds of microfossils, a variety of plants, and some trace fossils, representing over 1,000 records and some 275 localities. The recent discovery of dinosaur trace fossils has increased the number of localities by at least 100 or more. Localities range from entire mountain slope trackways to individual blocks.

The PMP includes legal authorities, background geology and paleontology, paleo-inventory and monitoring status, resource (impact) concerns, relationships with other park divisions, permit and collections procedures, and educational and access conditions. The plan is intended to provide guidance to management regarding inventory and research, protection and public access, educational opportunities, and support needs. A principal constituent of the plan is the suggested development of Paleo Locations of Management Concern (PLMC), which are area designations of unique or concentrated specimens, or areas of environmental or human risk, that may need additional management attention.