Attachment_H_FOBU_FoundationDocument_2017.pdf

Foundation Document Fossil Butte National Monument Wyoming March 2017

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

North 1 Kilometer0

0 0.5 1 Mile

8084ft 2464m

To Cokeville

To Kemmerer

Historic Quarry Trail

Nature Trail

Picnic area

FOSSIL BUTTE

NATIONAL

MONUMENT

Spring

Chicken

Creek

Visitor Center

Interpretive pullout Foot trail

Unpaved road Seasonal use only

Administrative Use

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 4 Park Significance 5 Fundamental Resources and Values 6 Other Important Resources and Values 7 Interpretive Themes 8

Part 2: Dynamic Components 9

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 9 Special Mandates 9

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 10 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 10

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 22

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 26

Planning and Data Needs 27

Part 3: Contributors 33

Fossil Butte National Monument 33 NPS Intermountain Region 33 Other NPS Staff 33 Partners 33

Appendixes 34

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Fossil Butte National Monument 34 Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments 36 Appendix C: Traditionally Associated Tribes 37 Appendix D: Past and Ongoing Park Planning and

Data Collection Efforts 38

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Fossil Butte National Monument

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project.

The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Fossil Butte National Monument can be accessed online at:

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park Fossil Butte National Monument is near Kemmerer, Wyoming, north of Interstate 80 on U.S. Highway 30. The monument is a day-use area; overnight accommodations are available in Kemmerer and Diamondville and camping is allowed on adjoining Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands. National monument facilities include the visitor center, two self-guided interpretive hiking trails, a picnic area, maintenance building, seasonal housing duplex, and a 7.5-mile scenic drive. Many visitors stop at the national monument en route to Dinosaur National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, or Grand Teton National Park.

Fossil Butte National Monument presents a window into life in southwestern Wyoming 52 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch. Today’s high-desert environment of the monument is a stark contrast to the warm-temperate lake environment of the past. Fossil Lake, Lake Gosiute, and Lake Uinta interconnected to form a lake system now referred to as the Green River Lake System. The lakes were located in what are now the states of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The maximum size of ancient Fossil Lake was about 50 miles long (north/ south) and 30 miles wide (east/west). During its approximately 2 million year life, its length and width varied considerably.

Today, the national monument protects small portions of ancient Fossil Lake sediments. The monument consists of 13 square miles (8,198 acres) of the 1,500-square-mile (960,000 acre) area covered by ancient Fossil Lake. Scientists refer to the lake sediments, now rocks, as the Green River Formation. These rocks preserve a tremendous variety of fossils. In addition to the Green River Formation, the Wasatch Formation, composed of river and stream sediments, is exposed in the monument. The Wasatch Formation contains fossilized teeth and bone fragments of many Eocene bird, reptile, fish, and mammal species, including early primates and horses. These fossils indicate which animals lived near Fossil Lake, adding the shoreline environment to Fossil Lake’s story.

The fossil record preserved within the Eocene Green River Formation of Fossil Basin is world renowned. More than 125 years of continuous collecting has revealed a wide diversity of fossil fish, reptiles, birds, crustaceans, amphibians, mollusks, mammals, insects, and plants.

Discoveries of new fossil species from the ancient lake sediments continue to expand understanding of the paleoecosystem. Most notably, the extraordinary quality of fossil preservation is almost unparalleled in the fossil record. The quiet-water conditions, water chemistry, fine-grained lake sediments, and absence of scavengers combine to preserve articulated skeletons (all bones are in place rather than scattered). The delicate bones of rarely preserved fish, birds, and bats yield valuable scientific data.

Fossils from Fossil Lake are found in museums around the world. Active commercial fossil collecting in private quarries around the national monument yields tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of fossil fish each year. Fossil Butte National Monument’s strong relationship with several of the quarries helps the monument stay informed of new discoveries and scientific advancements in paleontology. The fossil fish found in the quarries near the national monument represent the most abundant articulated fossil vertebrates in the world.

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. The purpose statement for Fossil Butte National Monument was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its development.

The monument was established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was signed into law on October 23, 1972 (see appendix A for enabling legislation). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

The purpose of Fossil Butte NatioNal MoNuMeNt is to preserve a portion of Eocene Fossil

Lake deposits, which contain abundant and exceptionally well-preserved fossils, promote stewardship of the greater Green River Formation, and through exhibits and programs, increase public understanding of their significance.

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park unit’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Fossil Butte National Monument, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Fossil Butte National Monument. (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not reflect the level of significance.)

1. The extraordinary quality of fossil preservation within the Green River Formation at Fossil Butte National Monument is almost unparalleled in the fossil record. The unusual conditions of the ancient lake preserved complete skeletons of delicate and rarely preserved fish, birds, and bats. Fossil Lake sediments yield valuable scientific data such as the Earth’s only articulated freshwater stingrays, oldest articulated bats, and complete life cycles of fishes.

2. The Fossil Lake deposit contains more fossilized fishes than any other deposit on Earth.

3. The Fossil Lake deposits and the Greater Green River Formation contain one of the world’s most diverse Eocene assemblages of fossilized animals and plants, including the world’s most diverse bird fauna, illustrating an almost complete picture of the ancient aquatic and much of the terrestrial ecosystems.

4. Fossil Butte National Monument exhibits the greatest number of Green River fossils in the world, and provides a dynamic scientific interpretation of their geological, paleontological, and historical significance.

5. Scientific and commercial collecting of fossils has occurred in Fossil Basin since the 1850s. The understanding of paleontology and geology of the Green River Formation has grown through the efforts of and in collaboration with scientists and partnerships with quarries on private and Wyoming state lands.

6. Fossil Butte National Monument contains part of the widespread Green River Formation, which is Earth’s best-preserved warm-temperate Eocene lake system. This provides opportunities for research and understanding into the geologic processes that created the ideal conditions for preserving fossils.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park unit’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Fossil Butte National Monument:

· Fossil Lake Deposits of the Green River Formation within the Monument. The Fossil Lake deposit within the monument contains many fossil bearing zones, five of which are commercially produced outside the monument in private quarries. The fossil_bearing rocks are composed of very fine grained lime muds interbedded with paper-thin kerogen layers that are noted for preserving a variety of complete and detailed fossils spanning a 2 million year period. The monument’s collections contain representations of the more common fossils and a few rarer species.

· Museum Collections and Fossil Preservation. The monument maintains a museum collection of fossils and other significant monument resources for visitor display, scientific study, and historic record. The monument records fossils from surrounding quarries through pictures and/or casts to augment the monument collection and scientific data. The monument preserves fossils in situ and in its museum collection.

· Exhibits. Fossil Butte National Monument creates, updates, and maintains exhibits on site to assist visitors in understanding the significance and uniqueness of the monument’s resources. Although many of the most significant specimens are always on exhibit in the visitor center, others are frequently rotated with items in the museum collection.

· Fossil Quarriers and Geological/Paleontological Research Institutions. The monument is committed to telling the story of historic and current quarrying in the area and to the continuation of geologic and paleontologic research. The monument assists with ongoing research activities and interprets results and new discoveries to the public and commercial quarries.

· Programs, Education, and Public Outreach. The monument is one of the only places that provide programs to engage the public in the geology and paleontology of the Green River Formation. The monument continues to educate universities and research institutions, as well as school children and the general public, through on-site and classroom programs. The monument provides public outreach locally, regionally, and nationally.

Other Important Resources and Values Fossil Butte National Monument contains other resources and values that are not fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but are important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important resources and values” (OIRV). These resources and values have been selected because they are important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special consideration in park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Fossil Butte National Monument:

· Natural Resources. These resources include regionally unique vegetation, wildlife, and water resources.

· Scenic Values. The scenic values of Fossil Butte National Monument include both the views within the monument as well as the view from the monument out to the surrounding landscape. The monument also provides an opportunity for solitude and dark skies.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental and other important resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Fossil Butte National Monument:

· Fossil Butte National Monument provides an opportunity to study the abundant, diverse, and exquisitely preserved fossil specimens of Fossil Lake and the well-preserved rock record of the basin itself, enabling understanding and appreciation of the wide variety of plants and animals that inhabited this system of lake and terrestrial environments during the early Eocene Epoch.

· Fossils have garnered the interest of commercial and scientific collectors since their discovery in the 1850s in Fossil Basin. Fossil Butte National Monument provides a forum to discuss fossil collecting and the role of public–private partnerships in advancing paleontology.

· Climate change is evident when comparing the fossil evidence of a warm-temperate environment to the semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem of Fossil Butte National Monument today. Studying these fossils reveals how climate and life are intrinsically linked and continually changing, helping us better understand changes through time and explore how climate change continues to alter the landscape.

· Fossil Butte National Monument provides an increasingly rare opportunity to experience solitude, scenic views, and dark night skies.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental and other important resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process.

They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Fossil Butte National Monument.

Special Mandates

· Public Law 92-537, section 1 (October 23, 1972). The legislation establishing

Fossil Butte National Monument stated, “...except that at no time shall the boundaries encompass more than eight thousand two hundred acres.” In accordance with this section, the Secretary of the Interior has completed acquisition of lands resulting in a total acreage of 8,198 acres. Fossil Butte National Monument has proprietary jurisdiction.

· Public Law 92-537, section 4(a) (October 23, 1972). The legislation establishing Fossil Butte National Monument stated, “...That the use of lands within the monument for stock driveways shall continue in perpetuity at such places where this use will not conflict with administration of the monument (section 4(a) S.141).

· Public Law 81-787, 64 Stat. 849, section 1 (54 USC 104907) (September 14, 1950). The legislation that established Grand Teton National Park stated, “...That no further extension or establishment of national parks or monuments in Wyoming may be undertaken except by express authorization of the Congress.” Fossil Butte National Monument is able to enlarge its boundary through an act of Congress.

For more information about the existing administrative commitments for Fossil Butte National Monument, please see appendix B.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the monument’s fundamental and other important resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the monument’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to management of the identified resource or value.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Fossil Lake Deposits of the Green River Formation within the Monument

Related Significance Statements

All significance statements

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Cliffs are stable for the most part, although the underlying Wasatch Formation (made of mudstone) slumps when saturated with water and will carry overlying Green River Formation with it

• The monument monitors blocks of rock that occasionally slough off cliffs for fossil resources

• The current research quarry is nearly worked out of the rock; when it is complete the monument will begin to quarry an adjacent section

Trends

• Deposits are in stable condition with intermittent natural events that (permanently) damage the resources

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• There are occasional attempts to steal fossils from the field

• Geologic events such as earthquakes or the slumping of the Wasatch Formation could impact the integrity of the overlying Green River Formation

• There is a limited quantity of Fossil Lake resources contained within the monument, limiting the scientific information and research that can be conducted strictly within monument boundaries

• Increase in large storms, flooding, and erosion due to climate change may impact the formations

Opportunities

• Interpret the type section of the Fossil Butte Member, one of three formally described rock units of the Green River Formation in Fossil Basin and the only one within the monument’s boundaries

• Facilitate and encourage research on lands around the monument and establish criteria for which geologic research proposals will be accepted within the monument

• Evaluate rockfalls and slumps containing Green River Formation rock to determine if there are fossils of scientific or exhibit value that should be collected

Fundamental Resource or Value

Fossil Lake Deposits of the Green River Formation within the Monument

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• Geologic map

• Paul Buchheim 1981 report “Paleoenvironments and paleoecology of the Green River Formation in Fossil Basin (Fossil Butte National Monument), Wyoming ”

• Natural resource condition assessment

• NPS Geologic Resources Inventory geologic map, Stephanie O’Meara, Colorado State University, 2007

• Digital “Geologic Map of Fossil Butte National Monument and Vicinity, Wyoming ”

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Drill rock cores across Fossil Basin for use in scientific studies and for exhibit

• Monitoring and modeling of climate change stressors

• Paleontological research priority list

Planning Needs

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Climate change scenario planning

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 8 1) “Protection of Geologic Processes”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 8 2) “Management of Geologic Features”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 8 2 1) “Paleontological Resources and Their Contexts”

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 12-02, “Applying National Park Service Management Policies in the Context of Climate Change”

Fundamental Resource or Value

Museum Collections and Fossil Preservation

Related Significance Statements

Significance statement 4

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• There are currently three rooms that contain museum specimens in cabinets Each has an adequate environment for preserving rocks and fossils, although there is a need for a sprinkler system Additional collections are stored in facilities not originally intended as museum space, such as occupied monument housing

• The monument is expanding into additional space to house museum collections due to increasing collection size

• All monument collections, except small groups on loan for exhibit, are housed at the monument so that they are available for exhibition or scientific research in the visitor center

• Some fossils are in very good exhibit quality, whereas others are unprepared, e g , still embedded in rock, only partially visible, unstabilized

• Specimens are rotated through exhibit spaces as staff time allows

• Many fossils and casts are donated to the monument, primarily by private fossil quarry operators in the basin

• The monument has an air abrasion machine for fossil preparation and an additional machine on order that will improve ability to use newly available iron powder for higher quality fossil preparation

Trends

• The monument has increased the amount of contracting for fossil preparation as expertise and time are not always available in-house

• The monument has received an increased number of unprepared fossils requiring expert preparation (one or two a year)

• The on-site quarry continues to produce fossils, which contributes to the growth of the collection

Fundamental Resource or Value

Museum Collections and Fossil Preservation

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Inability to visit facilities that have borrowed specimens to verify that they are being cared for properly

• The lack of a sprinkler system in some collection storage spaces puts certain items at risk of fire damage

• There is a risk of damage to specimens while moving them between facilities for routine museum work or for other reasons, such as exhibit rotation

• The monument is running out of available storage space, which will at some point limit its ability to acquire specimens for exhibit and further scientific research

• Collections housed in certain monument facilities (such as monument housing) have threats related to the use of culinary water systems and increased fire hazard from other uses in adjacent rooms

• The monument is in an earthquake zone; an earthquake has had minor impact on museum collections in the past and could do so again

• There are ongoing concerns about security in the visitor center

• Major winter storms, power outages, powerline breakages, water lines leaking, etc , limit the ability to maintain appropriate environmental conditions for museum objects

• If the monument’s entire museum collection were to be consolidated at a remote location, such as Vernal, Utah, as recommended in an older museum storage plan, it would limit the ability of the monument to use the specimens effectively in exhibits and make scientific studies more difficult for visiting researchers

Opportunities

• Maintain relationships with partners (quarry operators and scientists) to stay informed of current discoveries and research activities occurring in the basin

• Improve the sprinkler system throughout the facilities where objects are stored (there is no system in the visitor center or in the monument housing and only half of the maintenance building has sprinklers)

• Possibility of engaging in a partnership with other national park sites or the Bureau of Land Management and U S Forest Service to create a multiagency museum facility in Kemmerer or Diamondville

• Leverage the Intermountain Natural History Association or develop a new friends group to improve current partnerships and fundraising to acquire fossil specimens

• Increase the number of objects acquired through donations by leveraging Intermountain Natural History Association’s ability to fundraise on the monument’s behalf and by installing a fossil purchase-specific donation box

• Use seasonal staff to show appreciation for those who donate fossils to the monument by updating the donor recognition book

• Explore options for where to best store museum collections, taking into consideration the current NPS Intermountain Region museum storage plan, which calls for Fossil Butte National Monument’s museum collections to be housed in Vernal, Utah, with the collections of Dinosaur National Monument if Fossil Butte National Monument cannot properly care for them

• Verify the existence and accuracy of documentation, cataloging, and field records from past collections on monument land that may not be housed in federal repositories

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• Museum management plan

• Scope of collections statement

• Museum housekeeping plan

• Museum emergency response pocket guide

• Collection condition survey

Fundamental Resource or Value

Museum Collections and Fossil Preservation

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Museum fire protection survey

• Forecasting for collection growth and estimated repository space required to house expected collections

Planning Needs

• Integrated pest management plan

• Museum security plan/assessment

• Museum facility plan (development concept plan )

• Collection management plan

• Climate change scenario planning

• Museum emergency operations plan

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1 6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 1 4) “Partnerships”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 2 3) “Natural Resource Collections”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5 3 5 5) “Museum Collections”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 14-02, “Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resources”

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 15-01, “Addressing Climate Change and Natural Hazards for Facilities”

Fundamental Resource or Value

Exhibits

Related Significance Statements

Significance statement 4

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Many of the monument’s exhibits contain museum collections so the analysis in the above table is also applicable here

• Exhibits can be changed in-house, and the time and resources required varies considerably depending on type and number of specimens There is an armature system that facilitates the exchange of items and the monument has all the equipment required

• Some waysides require conceptual or informational updates

• The monument has continued to have successful proposals for exhibit funding because it continues to provide strong projects that use Facility Management Software System data

Trends

• Exhibits are frequently updated to reflect the most up-to-date science

• The monument is exhausting space for exhibits inside the visitor center

• The monument has recently added more interactive exhibits and made improvements to accessibility in the exhibit space

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Security and safety systems are outmoded

• Inappropriate behavior by children puts some exhibit cases at risk, although the specimens themselves are well protected inside the cases

• Rodents commonly enter the visitor center but there is no sign of them getting into exhibit cases

• Vandalism and vehicle collisions with waysides (has not yet been a significant issue for the monument)

Opportunities

• Update conceptual errors in existing exhibits

• Continue to make exhibits accessible, e g , by including improved lighting and developing audio descriptions of internal and external exhibits

• Purchase exhibit hardware to ensure exhibits are kept current

• Update electronic exhibit content by purchasing off-the-shelf kiosk software and recreating the content Because the exhibit hardware may be nearing the end of its lifecycle, replacement may be required at the same time

• Design and install exhibits to better illustrate the processes of landscape and lake formation (part of a project formulated for fiscal year 2017)

• Acquire a rock core and display it as an exhibit

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• Draft wayside exhibit plan

• Long-range interpretive plan (2006)

• Interpretive media in the Facility Management Software System

• Library of information for exhibits

• GIS locations for all existing waysides

• Museum housekeeping plan

• Scope of collections statement

Fundamental Resource or Value

Exhibits

Data and/or GIS Needs • 3D representation of quarry

Planning Needs

• Building addition for new exhibits (development concept plan)

• Comprehensive interpretive plan

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1 6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 2 3) “Natural Resource Collections”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5 3 5 5) “Museum Collections”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

Fundamental Resource or Value

Fossil Quarriers and Geological / Paleontological Research Institutions

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The monument has a good relationship with the majority of the private quarry operators in the Fossil Basin, facilitating knowledge exchange and an occasional specimen donation, as well as opportunities to acquire fossils before they are offered on the open market

• Monument staff communicate regularly with private quarries to ascertain what types of specimens have recently been discovered and what new scientific information is emerging in the area

• There are 12 active fossil quarries in the basin and numerous inactive quarries; 4 quarries have become inactive within the last 30 years

• The majority of fossil quarrying in the basin happens outside of the monument

• The monument has collected data from some private quarries regarding the abundance of types of fossils found

• The monument facilitates communication between researchers and private quarriers regarding scientific studies and shares research results with quarriers

• The monument interprets Haddenham’s cabin and quarry and Craig’s Quarry, which can be seen across the valley on private land

• The monument interprets a quarry opened in 1968 through waysides

Trends

• There are an increasing number of quarriers working in the basin

• The amount of scientific research in the basin fluctuates annually

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Changing personnel could impact rapport between the monument and partners, because many of these relationships are longstanding and dependent on institutional knowledge

• Environmental (weathering) and vandalism threats to the historic Haddenham district

Opportunities

• Establish an agreement with a quarry in the basin for monument staff to provide interpretation to visitors

• Better interpret area quarries and the work done by the Field Museum of Natural History (which possesses the largest collection of Green River fossils)

• Maintain a good working relationship with the ranchers who own the land where the private quarries are located and develop a systematic, participatory relationship with private quarry operators

• Continue to promote research opportunities within the Green River Formation on private quarries, especially for graduate students, in order to advance the scientific understanding of geology and accurately portray it to visitors

• Continue hosting open houses where quarriers convene and build relationships with one another and with the monument

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• Map of all active quarries

• Historic structure report for Haddenham cabin (2014)

• Haddenham cabin’s National Register of Historic Places nomination (listed in 2003)

Data and/or GIS Needs • Wide variety of research projects to help better understand the ancient organisms and ecosystems and the exceptional fossilization process

Fundamental Resource or Value

Fossil Quarriers and Geological / Paleontological Research Institutions

Planning Needs

• Monument partner action strategy

• Haddenham district cultural landscape report

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Historic Sites Act of 1935

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1 6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 1 4) “Partnerships”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

Fundamental Resource or Value

Programs, Education, and Public Outreach

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 4 and 5

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The monument website is up to date and formatted in the current NPS standard

• There is a well-developed school program and the monument has regular school group visits

• Visitation levels spike from late June through mid-August

• Every year visitors come from all 50 states and about 30 foreign countries, and more than 50% of visitors are college educated

• The monument is not a primary destination for most visitors, but rather a “stopover” for visitors coming from or going to other parks in the area (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Dinosaur), and about 90% of visitors only see the visitor center; however, it is often a primary destination for geology and paleontology enthusiasts and college groups

• Monument-based geology and paleontology curriculum modules targeting middle schools are on the monument website

Trends

• Primary school group visits have declined with declining funds for field trips, especially in Utah, whereas college and homeschool group visits to the monument have increased

• The monument is better using school chaperones to assist with activities during school group visits, thus reducing demands on monument staff and improving the program quality for the children

• The monument has tried set times for ranger programs but visitation is not steady so the program has evolved to provide ongoing programs (fossil preparation demonstrations) during peak hours and on-demand programs (exhibit tours) when visitors are in the visitor center

• Visitor data show there has been an increase in shoulder season visitation

• Seasonal employees generally have completed geology or paleontology degrees to ensure high-quality ranger programs and informed answers

• There has been an improvement in outreach to target groups at rock shows through educational booths in cooperation with the Fossil Basin Promotion Board

• An increased effort to visit schools to reach the children who do not have fieldtrip opportunities

• There has been an upward tick in visitation over the past few years, but a generally downward trend since the 1990s

Fundamental Resource or Value

Programs, Education, and Public Outreach

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Further cuts to field trip funding at the state and local level could decrease the number of school groups visiting the monument

• Increased time used on website and social media may reduce staff time available to interact with the people visiting the monument in person but has the potential to reach a greater number of people of the general public that may never have the opportunity to visit the site

Opportunities

• Make the quarry accessible with a two-way audio-video connection for those who cannot (or do not have time to) get to the quarry

• Expand the use of social media, website, and possible future technology for distance education or programming

• Expand school outreach programs and partnerships with the Kemmerer recreation center (or other pertinent groups)

• Update content of the fossil education kit curriculum for second- and third-graders and make available on monument website

• Raise awareness in neighboring parks of Fossil Butte National Monument and encourage them to tell visitors to stop there as they continue their journey Implement creative strategies to improve visitation of all area parks (e g , place a map with nearby parks in bathroom stalls)

• Complete funding requests for additional exhibits

• Continue to engage in partnerships to increase visitation and stewardship

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• The monument has developed curriculum-based programming for schools

• Hockett, Karen, 2003, “Influence of interpretation along a nature trail on visitor attitudes and behavior towards fossils ” Ph D , Virginia Tech

• Social media strategy (2016)

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Detailed visitor survey

• Accessibility assessment

Planning Needs

• Plan for webpage content

• Monument partner action strategy

• Comprehensive interpretive plan

• Accessibility plan

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968

• “Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities;

Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines” (36 CFR 1191)

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in National Park Service Programs and Services

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values

Other Important Resource or Value

Natural Resources

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Physaria condensata, Astragalus lentiginosus, Lepidium integrifolium, pygmy rabbits, and sage grouse are species of concern found in the monument; P. condensata, A.

lentiginosus, and L. integrifolium are endemic to the region

• The monument protects a significant ungrazed section of sagebrush steppe in southwest Wyoming

• The monument is aggressively trying to control nonnative species; there are more than 70 invasives found in the monument and 15 are actively targeted, including cheatgrass, Canada thistle, and henbane

• A significant population of elk (as many as 700) frequents the monument seasonally, with numbers peaking during hunting season and waning in the spring, with no presence during the summer months Preliminary data on the impact of elk on aspen in the monument present highly variable results

• There is extreme predator control in land adjacent to the monument that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and private landowners

• The monument maintains boundary fences to exclude cattle and sheep (Wyoming is a “fence-out” state)

Trends

• Hunting activities (especially the use of all-terrain vehicles) has increased pressure on elk outside of the monument and has led to a significant increase in the number of elk within the monument

• The monument has increased predator concentrations due to severe predator control on neighboring lands

• The invasive creeping foxtail has recently increased in the monument wetlands, seeps, and springs

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Hunters attempting to hunt or poach wildlife within monument boundaries

• Area ranchers and state and federal agencies controlling predator populations within or adjacent to the monument

• Trespass livestock from adjacent lands can cause significant damage to the sagebrush steppe ecosystem through trampling and overgrazing particularly around water sources

• Elk and snow drifting lead to fence damage, which leads to more trespass livestock and requires maintenance staff to make repairs

• Climate change and resulting increases in the intensity and frequency of drought conditions, extreme heat events, large storms, flooding, erosion, invasive species, and a northward shift in ecosystems

• Demands on monument water from outside the boundary

• Browsing pressure on sensitive shrub communities; there are fewer sprouts per unit area in the monument than in the past, probably due to ungulates

• Nonnative and invasive species may be introduced to the monument during stock trailing activities, by staff and by visitors

• Sheep trailing brings in dogs, which may attack monument wildlife

• Wildlife diseases, especially white nose syndrome in bats, chronic wasting disease in ungulates, and tularemia in rabbits

• Future developments adjacent to the monument, such as wind farms, solar farms, and transmission lines, which have the potential to kill numerous birds and bats

• Natural communities are at risk for harmful effects of air pollution including nutrient enrichment from excess deposition of nitrogen and impacts on ozone sensitive plants The monument’s semi-arid shrubland and wetland are sensitive to the effects of nutrient enrichment, which can alter plant communities and reduce biodiversity

• Climate change drivers threaten to significantly alter the viewshed of the monument through native plant die-back, increase in invasive species, and northward shift in species ranges

Other Important Resource or Value

Natural Resources

Threats and Opportunities

Opportunities

• Better manage fences for wildlife crossing and livestock exclusion

• Maintain collaboration and cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and area ranchers

• Seek opportunities for funding to improve natural resource management

• Work with neighbors to ensure that any new developments or technology consider potential…