Volunteers’ Perseverance Leads to Tule Springs Fossil Beds 5-Year Anniversary
LAS VEGAS - Dozens of community leaders and park supporters celebrated the fifth anniversary of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Dec. 19 at the Los Prados Golf & Country Club.
The event, hosted by the park’s official friends group, the Protectors of Tule Springs, highlighted the perseverance that it took to establish the national monument.
In 2006, when a small group of North Las Vegas residents discovered that the last undeveloped portions of the Upper Las Vegas Wash basin were rich in paleontological fossils and rare native plants, they banded together to protect the area from being developed.
They met with elected officials at city, county, state and federal levels; worked with the Bureau of Land Management; and canvassed the community with information about the irreplaceable resources spread across the 22,650 acres.
As they hit milestones, their membership grew, and in 2012, they became a formal non-profit corporation - the Protectors of Tule Springs. Their hard work continued and became even more impactful.
In June of 2012, U.S. Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., introduced the Las Vegas Valley Public Land and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Act. Simultaneously, U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., introduced a bill in the House.
Although the bills didn’t pass the 112th Congress, they were re-introduced by the 113th Congress by Reid and Heller, U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., Dina Titus, D-Nev., Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and Joe Heck, R-Nev.
The bill, which officially designated the area as a national monument managed under the National Park Service was passed and signed into law Dec. 19, 2014.
“I am so happy and proud to all of you who have come together as the Protectors of Tule Springs to make this accomplishment happen. We would not be here without your advocacy," said Horsford via a special 5-year anniversary video message. “I was so proud during my first term to have played a part in making sure that that historic legislation was passed through Congress, and I will continue to work with each one of you until we are able to bring this park to full fruition."
Additional congratulatory and thank you videos were played at the event by Reid and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.
“To think this is the fifth anniversary of having accomplished this says it all," said Reid. “Here in Las Vegas, high desert, to have buried in the ground from eons ago all the bones of these old, old animals. It’s unbelievable that we have it, and we do, and I’m glad that I had a little bit to do with it.
“It’s really a wonderful, wonderful monument for not only the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, state of Nevada but it’s for the country," he added.
District representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., U.S. Reps. Titus and Susie Lee, D-Nev., were also present at the 5-year event.
While the establishment of the park depended largely on grassroots efforts and national support, the future of the park depends on support from the local community. That support was endless at the anniversary event.
Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, former Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Michele Fiore and North Las Vegas City Councilman Richard Cherchio were in attendance.
Support was also shown by paleontologists from the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Las Vegas - Nevada, and representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Parks, Get Outdoors Nevada, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Opportunity Village, the Nature Conservancy and more.
Over the past five years, these groups have been instrumental in surveying the park’s paleontological, archeological and biological resources; educating Las Vegas Valley youth to promote conservation stewardship; conducting cleanups and coordinating plans for future nearby developments.
“Protectors is proud to have been part of the effort to protect this unique paleontological treasure. We will continue to support the NPS as they create the management plan and vision for the monument's future," said Jill DeStefano, president, Protectors of Tule Springs.
“We want to thank Jill and all of the Protectors as none of us would be celebrating this fifth anniversary if not for their hard work and perseverance," said National Park Service representative Beth Ransel, the deputy superintendent at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. “Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is now part of the National Park System, and is protected today, and for future generations."
For more information about Tule Springs Fossil Beds, visit nps.gov/tusk. For more information about the Protectors and to join a guided hike or cleanup, visit protectorsoftulesprings.org.
Tags: volunteer fossils
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
