REPOSITORIES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND THE CREATION OF THE PALEONTOLOGY ON PUBLIC LANDS ASSOCIATION

Managing the complexities of vertebrate fossil sites, specimens, and associated factors for Federal lands has involved a complex network of Federal and non-Federal partnerships for decades. Non-Federal partners enable agencies and researchers to negotiate resource shortfalls, establish collections-based research centers, and promote the missions and mandates of the agencies in ways that are often not possible using agency resources alone. The passage of the Paleontology Resources Preservation Act in 2009 initiated a process of formal regulations and implementation standards for most of the land management agencies in the Federal sector. This in turn has highlighted the need to create standards for the repository partners in order to ensure compliance, accountability, data tracking, and access at all appropriate levels. In response to the need for advocacy on these issues, as well as the need for standards and best practices, the Paleontology on Public Lands Alliance was formally incorporated as a non-profit entity in 2015. The mission of the PPLA is "To support and promote the responsible management of paleontology resources using scientific principles and expertise on public lands." This presentation will review the issues leading to the creation of the PPLA, the goals and objectives of this group in fostering productive Federal/non-federal partnerships in the management of vertebrate paleontological resources, and the need for formulating strong standards and best practices to ensure the highest levels of management of and access to these resources for the public.