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Lucas, S.G. and Sullivan, R.M., eds., 2018, Fossil Record 6. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 79.
THE PALEONTOLOGY SYNTHESIS PROJECT AND ESTABLISHING
A FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE ARCHIVES AND DATA
VINCENT L. SANTUCCI1, JUSTIN S. TWEET2 and TIMOTHY B. CONNORS3
1National Park Service, Geologic Resources Division, 1849 “C” Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240, vincent_santucci@nps.gov;
2National Park Service, 9149 79th Street S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016, justin_tweet@nps.gov;
3National Park Service, Geologic Resources Division, 12795 W. Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80225, tim_connors@nps.gov
Abstract—The National Park Service Paleontology Program maintains an extensive collection of
digital and hard copy documents, publications, photographs and other archives associated with the
paleontological resources documented in 268 parks. The organization and preservation of the NPS
paleontology archives has been the focus of intensive data management activities by a small and
dedicated team of NPS staff. The data preservation strategy complemented the NPS servicewide
inventories for paleontological resources. The rst phase of the data management, referred to as the
NPS Paleontology Synthesis Project, compiled servicewide paleontological resource data pertaining to
geologic time, taxonomy, museum repositories, holotype fossil specimens, and numerous other topics.
In 2015, the second phase of data management was implemented with the creation and organization of
a multi-faceted digital data system known as the NPS Paleontology Archives and NPS Paleontology
Library. Two components of the NPS Paleontology Archives were designed for the preservation of both
park specic and servicewide paleontological resource archives and data. A third component, the NPS
Paleontology Library, is a repository for electronic copies of geology and paleontology publications,
reports, and other media. The NPS Paleontology Archives and Library has been an important investment
supporting data discovery, current and future resource management, protection, scientic research,
curation, education and other activities involving NPS paleontological resources.
INTRODUCTION
The National Park Service (NPS) Paleontology Program
provides servicewide support for a wide variety of paleontological
resource issues and technical assistance. The management of
non-renewable paleontological resources and their associated
data from NPS lands is required by federal law, regulations,
policy, and guidance documents. The Paleontological Resources
Preservation Act of 2009 mandates the management of fossils
using scientic principles and expertise. Servicewide inventories
for paleontological resources from NPS administered lands
have yielded extensive information and data conrming the
occurrence of fossils in at least 268 park units, including 17
parks with enabling legislation which references paleontological
resources (Appendix A). Despite the fact that 64% of all
NPS areas preserve fossils, fewer than 10 parks employ staff
paleontologists to support management issues involving that
park’s fossils. Two servicewide paleontologists within the NPS
Geologic Resources Division support paleontological resource
issues, needs, and data management for the remaining nearly
260 parks with fossils.
Using 1985 as a baseline year, the amount of information
pertaining to the scope, signicance, distribution, and management
issues associated with NPS paleontological resources has grown
steadily (Fig. 1). The year 1985 was selected based on when
the senior author began compiling servicewide paleontological
resources information, with the general understanding at the
time that there was a total of 12 NPS areas with paleontological
resources. Paleontological resource inventories and data mining
have contributed signicantly to the growth in number of
NPS areas identied with fossils. Between 2002 and 2012, the
NPS funded baseline paleontological resource inventories for
parks included in the 32 Inventory and Monitoring networks,
in the process generating large datasets for NPS paleontology
(Santucci et al., 2009; Santucci et al., 2012). Figure 2 is a pie
chart which shows the relative abundance of NPS areas with
documented fossils grouped by NPS region (Figure 3).
The justication, needs for, and benets derived from
undertaking paleontological resource inventories in the NPS
are substantial and not merely bureaucratic “bean counting.”
In addition to the fact that paleontological resource inventory
and monitoring are mandated by the Paleontological Resources
Preservation Act (2009), resource inventories are recognized
as important resource management strategies and practices
initially adopted for all NPS natural resources under the Natural
Resource Challenge during the 1990s. Resource inventories
increase the awareness and understanding pertaining to the
scope, signicance, distribution, and management issues
relative to park fossils and other resources. This increased
understanding helps to inform park managers involved with
planning and decision-making at the park, region, network,
or Washington ofce levels. This is particularly important for
NPS paleontological resources which sometimes experience
negligent management due to the predominant focus and
emphasis on modern biological and ecological resources by park
managers with little to no education, training, or experience with
the management of non-renewable fossils. This may be further
exacerbated by factors such as insufcient stafng and funding,
high rates of staff turnover, and the multitude of time-sensitive
demands and responsibilities facing park resource managers.
Park-specic fossil inventories undertaken since 1998 have
resulted in signicant fossil discoveries with new information
for dozens of NPS areas including, but not limited to: Aniakchak
National Monument and Preserve (ANIA), Arches National Park
(ARCH), Capitol Reef National Park (CARE), Denali National
Park and Preserve (DENA), Death Valley National Park (DEVA),
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA), Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area (GLCA), Grand Canyon National
Park (GRCA), Mesa Verde National Park (MEVE), Point Reyes
National Seashore (PORE), Salinas Pueblo Missions National
Monument (SAPU), White Sands National Monument (WHSA)
and Wupatki National Monument (WUPA).
Thematic servicewide paleontological resource inventories
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FIGURE 1. Graph showing the growth in the number of NPS
areas conrmed with paleontological resources between 1985
and 2018.
FIGURE 2. Pie chart showing the relative percentages of NPS
areas with conrmed paleontological resources grouped by NPS
region.
FIGURE 3. Map showing the seven regions of the U.S. National
Park Service.
have also been undertaken which assess the occurrence of
specic types of paleontological resources throughout the NPS.
Examples of thematic paleontological resource inventories
include the inventory for fossils from NPS caves (Santucci et
al., 2001) and an inventory of fossil sh from NPS areas (Hunt
et al., 2006). Future paleontological resource inventories in the
NPS will continue to expand the information associated with
park fossils and their management, further increasing the need
for a well-organized structure for data management for the NPS
Paleontology Program.
NPS PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE DATA
MANAGEMENT
A myriad of archives and records associated with the
history and science of NPS paleontology extends back more
than a century. The conservation and preservation missions for
the NPS apply not only to the fossils found in parks, but also
apply to the critically important scientic information and data
associated with these resources. It is through the associated
data that paleontologists are able to breathe life into dusty
old bones, shells, wood and footprints in order to understand
the diversity of ancient life and how the organisms interacted
over geologic time. Field notes, sketches, photographs, maps,
reports, publications and fossil specimens are the components
of the NPS paleontological legacy and are deserving of care and
preservation.
Life in the “Information Age” has presented tremendous
new technological advances which have changed the way we
do business, how individuals communicate, and has fueled
signicant cultural evolution. As with other elds of study,
paleontology is rapidly transitioning from paper to digital
records. Many questions, challenges and opportunities have
emerged in data preservation that have been contemplated and
implemented for NPS paleontology and associated archives.
The many sources of NPS fossil information must be considered
in order that “one of a kind” reports or photos are not lost or
forgotten. Collectively, hundreds of thousands of paleontology
records exist for the NPS, sometime lying dormant in parks le,
museum collections and other locations yet to be discovered.
A paleontological resource data management strategy was
conceptualized in 2012 in order to integrate the extensive hard
copy NPS Paleontology Archives with the growing digital records
for NPS paleontology. The NPS Paleontology Synthesis Project
(PSP) was initiated as a transitional step in data preservation for
NPS paleontology records and archives. A series of spreadsheets
piloted around 2000 were updated and systematically expanded
to integrate NPS paleontology data pertaining to geologic time,
taxonomy, holotype specimens, museum repositories, historic
and cultural context, and other categories of information.
Several years of data mining in support of the PSP project led to
the need to establish a permanent digital archive for organization
and preservation of a broad spectrum of NPS paleontological
resource information. The NPS Paleontology Archives was
created in 2015 with two distinct components: one for “park-
specic” paleontological resource information; and one for
“servicewide” NPS paleontological resource information.
A third component of the NPS Paleontology Archives
involves the organization of electronic scans of publications,
articles, reports, and other media from a variety of sources into
what is referred to as the NPS Paleontology Library. The scope
of this library is fairly broad and inclusive of many geology and
paleontology focused publications, with a focus on compiling
all known publications associated with NPS paleontology. Many
hard copy publications, reports and other archives have been
scanned to incorporate into this library. This includes rare gray
literature and internal NPS reports which may not be publicly
accessible. The library is organized alphabetically by the last
name of the rst author with separate folders for each letter of
the alphabet. Currently there are approximately 7,000 electronic
les (PDF’s, etc.) within the NPS Paleontology Library.
A “Finding Aid” has been developed for the NPS
Paleontology Archives (both park-specic archives and
servicewide archives) to facilitate their use in locating particular
types of records and archives. This “Finding Aid” continues
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to expand and incorporate information to allow users of the
archives to understand the organizational structure of this digital
archive and where to locate specic categories of records.
The NPS Paleontology Archives and Library are stored on a
dedicated server which continuously backs up the information to
ensure preservation of the archives and library. The records are
restricted access due to the sensitive paleontological resource
locality information available within some of the records. NPS
staff or researchers are able to contact the NPS Paleontology
Program in order to obtain copies of any records of interest.
GEOLOGIC TIME
The fossil record preserved within the 268 NPS parks
collectively span the geologic time scale from the Proterozoic
through the Holocene. The NPS Paleontology Archives include
a database which contains information on all of the geologic
time intervals represented as surface exposures for each park,
as well as, enabling the ability to search for all parks which
preserve fossils for a particular geologic time interval. This
servicewide park data is particularly useful for public education
and interpretation and scientic research. Figure 4 shows the
distribution of park records for fossils from a particular geologic
time interval.
The Precambrian is the geologic time interval which has
the fewest number of parks (8 parks) represented by fossils.
Conversely, the Pleistocene is the geologic time interval which
has the largest number of parks (121 parks) with documented
fossils. Table 1 provides a breakdown of the number and
identities of each park which preserves fossils from each geologic
time interval. The NPS Paleontological Archives maintains the
geologic time information in a database that subdivides each
time interval into early, middle and late.
Table 2 shows the NPS areas containing the most geologic
time intervals exposed that have documented paleontological
resources. DENA has the greatest number of fossiliferous
geologic time intervals with 15, with DEVA and YUCH close
behind with 14 geologic time intervals.
TAXONOMY
Collectively the NPS PSP has documented an extensive
diversity of fossil taxa from the 268 parks which are determined to
preserve paleontological resources. The taxonomic information
for NPS fossils is maintained within the NPS Paleontology
Archives under ve broad taxonomic categories: Plant Fossils
(Paleobotany), Invertebrate Fossils (Invertebrate Paleontology),
Vertebrate Fossils (Vertebrate Paleontology), Trace Fossils
(Vertebrate and Invertebrate Ichnology) and Other Fossils.
Within each taxonomic category are subcategories which
are based upon widely accepted taxonomic classication for
fossil and extant biota which are in accordance with the codes
established by the International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999) and the International Association
for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) (Turland et al., 2018). Within the
various subdisciplines of paleontology, specialists working on
specic taxonomic groups may have differing interpretations
on taxonomic identities and afnities which present some
challenges in determining placement of some fossil taxa within
our NPS Paleontology Archives taxonomic organization. An
additional challenge involves remaining current with revisions
of taxonomic nomenclature in instances where name-bearing
taxa undergo formal renaming of genera and/or species. As
these changes in taxonomic nomenclature are encountered the
information is amended in the NPS Paleontology Archives.
Although name-bearing fossil taxa are closely tied to this
discussion of fossil taxonomy, we have included a dedicated
section in this paper and within our organization of the NPS
Paleontology Archives to specically address NPS holotype
fossils. This discussion of taxonomy considers all fossil taxa
from NPS areas, regardless of their status as holotypes.
In some instances, the taxonomic identity of a fossil
specimen may not be feasible due to the lack of diagnostic
morphological characteristics. Weathering, erosion, transport,
metamorphism, mineralization, and other factors may contribute
to diminished preservation of fossil specimens. There are also
instances where taxonomic identication requires more rigorous
study or preparation of a specimen than may be feasible.
One common example is isolated pieces of petried wood.
Macroscopic examination of a specimen of petried wood
typically does not enable identication at the genus or species
level, which may be possible through microscopic examination
of cell morphology and structure. Therefore, a “catch-all”
subcategory for “unclassied petried wood”, documented in 77
NPS units, has been included in the NPS Paleontology Archives.
Plant Fossils (Paleobotany): The Plant Fossil
(Paleobotany) category includes taxa within the Kingdom
Plantae, primarily multicellular and photosynthetic eukaryotes.
Among the fossils are green algae, terrestrial plant macrofossils
such as leaves, wood, stems, and macroscopic seeds, as well
as plant palynomorphs which include pollen and spores. Many
forms of traditional “algae” often associated with plants are
excluded from Fossil Plants and instead are discussed in the
“Other Fossils” category. According to the NPS Paleontology
Archives, fossil plants are documented in 152 units of the NPS
and are divided into 19 subcategories (Table 3).
A more comprehensive inventory of plant fossils from NPS
areas needs to be undertaken in the future in collaboration with
professional paleobotanists and palynologists. Paleobotanical
research has been undertaken by a number of past and current
paleobotanists, including: Sid Ash, Erling Dorf, Frank H.
Knowlton, Leo Lesquereux, Steve Manchester, Herb Meyer,
William Tidwell, Lester Ward, Elizabeth Wheeler, David White,
Scott Wing, and Jack Wolfe. Santucci et al. (2014a) present an
example of a NPS region-wide inventory for fossil plants from
national parks within the National Capital Region in the District
of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Invertebrate Fossils (Invertebrate Paleontology):
The Invertebrate Fossil (Invertebrate Paleontology) category
includes invertebrate taxa within the Kingdom Animalia.
Invertebrates are animals which do not possess a vertebral
column and represent the majority of known animal species.
The protists and other prokaryotic heterotrophic mobile forms
outside of Animalia are discussed and organized in the “Other
Fossils” category. Fossil invertebrates are documented from 165
NPS areas and are organized into 34 subcategories in the NPS
Paleontology Archives (Table 3).
Research and eld collection of invertebrate fossils from
FIGURE 4. Graph showing the distribution and total number of
NPS areas that have documented fossils for each geologic time
interval.
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TABLE 1. The number and identication of parks, presented as four-letter acronyms, which have documented fossils from specic
geologic time intervals. See Appendix A for the names of parks associated with each park acronym used in the table.
areas currently administered by the NPS has been undertaken
by scientists including Warren Addicott, Robert Blodgett, Frank
M. Carpenter, Bill Cobban, T.D.A. Cockerell, Timothy Abbott
Conrad, Arthur Cooper, Thomas Dutro, George Girty, James
Hall, Ralph Imlay, Edwin McKee, Charles Merriam, Allison
Palmer, John Reeside, Reuben Ross, Charles Schuchert, Samuel
Scudder, Benjamin F. Shumard, Norm Silberling, Edward O.
Ulrich, Charles Walcott, Henry Wickham, and Ellis Yochelson.
Norr et al. (2016) represents the rst taxonomic inventory for
the NPS focused on a group of fossil invertebrates, reporting
on the occurrence of trilobites (Class Trilobita) preserved in
33 NPS areas. More than 120 species of trilobites are based on
fossils collected and described from NPS-administered lands.
Vertebrate Fossils: The Vertebrate Fossil (Vertebrate
Paleontology) category includes vertebrate taxa within the
Kingdom Animalia. Vertebrates are animals which possess
a vertebral column, including jawless sh (agnathans),
cartilaginous sh (chondrichthyans), bony sh (osteichthyans),
amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Conodonts are of
questionable afnity to vertebrates and are therefore included
within invertebrate fossils within the NPS Paleontology
Archives for taxonomy. Fossil vertebrates are documented from
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121 NPS areas and are organized into 27 subcategories in the
NPS Paleontology Archives (Table 3).
Notable vertebrate paleontologists who have undertaken
research and eld collecting in NPS areas include Larry
Agenbroad, Rachel Benton, Charles Camp, Dan Chure, John
Clark, Edward Drinker Cope, Earl Douglass, Nick Famoso,
Tony Fiorillo, Ted Fremd, Dave Gillette, Charles Gilmore,
Jim Kirkland, Wann Langston, Tom Lehman, Joseph Leidy,
Spencer Lucas, O.C. Marsh, Greg McDonald, Jim Mead, John
C. Merriam, Bill Parker, Olof Peterson, Charles Repenning, Eric
Scott, Morris Skinner, Kathleen Springer, and Chester Stock.
Several NPS-wide thematic paleontological resource
inventories involving vertebrate fossils have been completed over
the past two decades. The research and data mining associated
with these inventories has greatly expanded our understanding
of the diversity and distribution of fossil vertebrates within the
NPS. Hunt et al. (2006) inventoried the occurrences of fossil
sh from NPS areas yielding information on 42 parks with sh
fossils. Since this inventory was completed in 2006, at least a
dozen additional parks have been identied with the remains
of fossil sh. Servicewide vertebrate paleontological resource
inventories were undertaken for Mesozoic mammals and non-
mammalian therapsids (Tweet and Santucci, 2015) and for non-
avian dinosaurs (Tweet and Santucci, 2018).
Trace Fossils (Ichnology): The Trace Fossils (Ichnology)
category includes biogenic features and structures preserved in
sediments through activities (bioturbation) of past organisms.
Trace fossils record the activities and behaviors of ancient
invertebrates, vertebrates and plants resulting in a wide
variety of traces that can be preserved in a geologic context.
Fossil footprints, tracks, trails, burrows, nests, middens, eggs/
egg shells, coprolites/dung, root casts, rhizoliths and biogenic
sedimentary structures such as stromatolites are examples of
trace fossils. Collectively trace fossils are also referred to as
ichnofossils, with distinct ichnotaxa which include ichnogenera
and ichnospecies. Trace fossils are documented from 127
NPS areas and are organized into 17 subcategories in the NPS
Paleontology Archives (Table 3).
Scientists Erwin Barbour, Matthew Bennett, David Bustos,
Don Curry, Charles Gilmore, Steve Hasiotis, Adrian Hunt,
Martin Lockley, Andrew Milner, Torrey Nyborg, and Jack
Wood are among those who have studied NPS ichnofossils.
Inventories for fossil vertebrate tracks preserved in NPS areas
have identied at least 32 parks (Santucci et al. 1998; Santucci
et al. 2006). During 2012, inventories for coprolites (Hunt et
al., 2012) and packrat middens (Tweet et al., 2012) from NPS
administered lands were completed.
“Other Fossils”: The Other Fossils category includes a
diverse spectrum of fossil biota, many of which are microfossils.
Ediacaran biota, foraminifera, radiolarians, acritarchs,
coccoliths, diatoms, dinoagellates, and fungi are among the 15
subcategories of Other Fossils documented in 104 NPS areas.
This total number of parks likely represents an undercounting
because of the microscopic nature of these types of fossils,
which make them difcult to observe, collect, identify, and
study without proper techniques and equipment. No specic
inventories have been undertaken for any subcategory within
the Other Fossils category.
NPS FOSSIL HOLOTYPES
The establishment of name-bearing type specimens of fossil
taxa is a fundamental practice in the science of paleontology.
The classication of fossil ora and fauna is derived from the
principles and practices of Linnaean taxonomy rst proposed
by Carl Linnaeus in his publication Systema Naturae (Linnaeus,
1735). Modern biological and paleontological taxonomic
classication and taxonomic nomenclature are dened by
the codes established by the International Commission on
Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999) and the International
Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) (Turland et al., 2018).
The dening, description and naming of fossil genera and
species enables the ability to recognize the diversity of life
preserved in the fossil record, the relationship between fossil
taxa, evolutionary changes in taxa over time, paleobiogeographic
distributions of taxa, and other important scientic information
pertaining to fossils. The name-bearing type fossil specimens
serve as the “blueprint” for the design and structure of the
fossil record of life on Earth. Therefore, the value of the fossil
specimens selected to dene a paleontological genus or species
warrants careful protection and curation of holotype fossil
specimens.
Identication of holotype fossil specimens collected from
lands administered by the NPS has been one of the objectives of
the NPS PSP. Tweet et al. (2016) presented the rst servicewide
compilation of name-bearing holotype fossil specimens
collected from NPS administered lands. Based on over two
decades of research, at least 2,293 holotype fossils have been
conrmed as originating from 71 NPS areas and one abolished
national monument. This total reects holotype fossil specimens
collected either before or after the establishment of a given
park since the locality from which the specimen was derived is
now managed by the NPS. The preservation of paleontological
resource locality data, regardless of whether a fossil was
collected prior to NPS administration, is a critical component
of the NPS strategy for the management of non-renewable
paleontological resources in parks.
In addition to the 2,293 holotype fossil specimens conrmed
from NPS areas, another 2,556 holotype fossil specimens
potentially were collected on NPS lands, but remain unconrmed
(Table 4). As discussed in Tweet et al. (2016), non-conrmation is
usually the result of ambiguous or missing locality information,
an issue which is particularly problematic from the beginning of
paleontological studies in the United States through the 1920s.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is the NPS area with
the largest number of holotype fossil specimens with 430 types
conrmed and another 1,315 potential holotypes which are not
yet conrmed from the monument. The other NPS areas with
high numbers of conrmed holotype fossil specimens include
TABLE 2. NPS areas containing the most exposed geologic time
intervals that preserve paleontological resources.
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TABLE 3. Categories of fossil plants, invertebrates, vertebrates and trace fossils used within the organization of the NPS Paleontology
Archives. Some categories that are used in the archives have been lumped together for ease of reading. Some taxonomic groups
are broken down in more detail than others, due in part to relative abundances of diagnostic fossils across parks. Categories and
subcategories are subject to change in response to fossil discoveries and taxonomic reassessment.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (219 holotypes), John Day
Fossil Beds National Monument (198 holotypes), Yellowstone
National Park (175 holotypes), and Grand Canyon National
Park (162 holotypes).
MUSEUM REPOSITORIES
The eld collection of paleontological specimens is critical
to the science of paleontology. The preservation and curation
of fossil specimens collected from units of the NPS and other
federal lands is based on federal laws, policies, guidance
documents and professional museum standards. The care of
paleontological specimens in museum collections and the
accountability of the repositories, including those maintained
within NPS areas, are recognized as essential responsibilities to
ensure the preservation of the scientic and educational values
of fossils.
As of July 2018, the total number of cataloged specimens in
the servicewide NPS paleontology collections is 640,845. These
fossil collections are curated and maintained in individual park
museums, regional NPS curatorial centers, and in at least 185
museum repositories outside of the NPS. At least 19 museum
repositories with NPS fossil collections are located in foreign
countries. Badlands National Park (BADL) holds the distinction
of having fossil collections in the highest number of outside
repositories, totaling 27 museums, compared to all other NPS
areas (Table 5).
The regional NPS curatorial centers provide facilities for
a large number of parks, within a dened geographic area, to
maintain collections of park objects and specimens. The Western
Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC) is located
in Tucson, Arizona, and maintains fossil collections from
34 NPS areas mostly from the Intermountain Region (IMR)
parks. The Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) is located
in Omaha, Nebraska, and maintains fossil collections from at
least 21 NPS areas primarily in the Midwest Region (MWR)
parks. The Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) is located
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in Tallahassee, Florida, and maintains fossil collections from at
least 16 NPS areas located within the Southeast Region (SER)
parks. Finally, the Museum Resource Center (MRCE) is located
in Landover, Maryland, and maintains fossil collections from at
least 10 NPS areas located within the National Capital Region
(NCR) parks.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
(USNM) is the museum institution which curates and maintains
paleontological collections from more NPS areas than any other
museum (Table 6). USNM has fossil specimens from at least 72
conrmed NPS areas, with another possible 7 parks which are
not yet conrmed. There are also fossil collections at the USNM
from the abolished Fossil Cycad National Monument, South
Dakota, which are not counted as part of the 72 conrmed NPS
areas. The USNM and the University of California, Museum of
Paleontology each maintains a large collection of fossils obtained
by U.S. Geological Survey geologists and paleontologists.
The NPS has undertaken some limited inventory of these U.S.
Geological Survey fossil collections and have identied many
fossil localities in parks which are currently not known by NPS
staff (Santucci et al., 2014b).
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE CONTEXT
The history of NPS paleontology extends well before the
creation of the NPS in 1916, and even the establishment of
Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Santucci (2017) presented
a detailed overview of the history of paleontology associated
with the NPS which includes the discovery of fossil localities
in areas before they were national parks. There is an important
historical story regarding an abolished NPS unit (Fossil Cycad
National Monument, South Dakota) and how the loss of all of
the fossils at the surface led to the site being deauthorized as a
unit of the NPS in 1957 (Santucci and Ghist, 2014).
The occurrence of fossils within a cultural resource context
presents some interesting human dimensions of paleontological
resources (Kenworthy and Santucci, 2006; Santucci et al., 2016).
A variety of fossils have been documented from archeological
sites and in conjuction with archeological excavations. Projectile
points made from petried wood, crinoids and other fossils used
in the manufacturing of jewelry by ancient people, and efgies
carved into fossils are examples of fossils in an archeological
resource context.
Fossils are also occasionally found within the building
stones of historic structures (Kenworthy and Santucci, 2006).
Many of the monuments and memorials in the nation’s capital,
including the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument,
contain fossils, especially those in which the fossiliferous
Indiana Limestone is used in the building stone. The stone bridge
over Plum Run along South Confederate Avenue at Gettysburg
National Military Park contains several Triassic vertebrate
footprints (Santucci and Hunt, 1995). The foundations of the
Theodore Roosevelt Lodge at Yellowstone National Park and
the Painted Desert Inn at Petried Forest National Park are
constructed of local petried wood.
Fossils in a cultural resource context have been included
in our NPS paleontological resource inventories and within the
NPS Paleontology Archives since these fossils require some
management action and preservation.
ADDITIONAL ARCHIVES AND DATA MANAGEMENT
The NPS Paleontological Resource Archives include several
other categories of information and data which either have begun
to be compiled or are planned for the future. These categories
may be important sources of information for individual parks
and/or collectively in agency wide evaluations. Below are a few
paleontological resource categories which will be the focus of
development and data mining in the future:
Stratigraphy—The compilation of paleontological
resource data pertaining to fossiliferous stratigraphic units
exposed in NPS areas has already been demonstrated in two
multi-park research projects including “The Morrison Formation
Extinct Ecosystem Project” (Turner et al., 1996; Engelmann and
Callison, 1998) and “The Chinle Formation Extinct Ecosystem
Project” (Martz et al., 2017). Both the Morrison (Jurassic) and
Chinle (Triassic) formations research were multidisciplinary
studies which involved the evaluation of the geology and
paleontology of the respective fossiliferous formations across
TABLE 4. Total number of conrmed and possible holotype
fossil specimens from NPS administered lands (Tweet, et al.
2016).
TABLE 5. National Park Service areas with the highest number of outside repositories which maintain paleontological collections
from that park. IMR = Intermountain Region; MWR = Midwest Region; CHDN = Chihuahuan Desert Network; NCPN = Northern
Colorado Plateau Network; NGPN = Northern Great Plains Network; ROMN = Rocky Mountain Network; SCPN = Southern
Colorado Plateau Network.
596
numerous NPS areas in which those formations were exposed.
Evaluating the paleontology for an individual geologic formation
over a wide geographic area may enhance the opportunities for
scientic interpretations and public education as it pertains to
that geologic time interval.
Paleontological Research—Another category of
paleontological resource information for the NPS is associated
with scientic research conducted in parks. Sources of existing
paleontological research information are able to be searched
through the NPS Research Permit and Reporting System (RPRS).
The RPRS website (https://irma.nps.gov/rprs/Home) provides
access to the NPS research permit database which extends back
to 1991. RPRS enables searches for NPS research permits based
on keywords, park name, investigator name, and year.
A second source of research information within the NPS
RPRS database includes access to Investigator Annual Reports
(IAR) (https://irma.nps.gov/rprs/Iar/Search). IARs are summary
abstracts of work undertaken in the NPS through a research
and collecting permit. These annual summaries of research and
accomplishments are required from all investigators issued a
NPS research permit, although there is not 100% compliance
to completing IARs by researchers. Both the RPRS permit
database and the Investigator Annual Reports database provide
information on paleontological research which may not be
available through other sources, since some research projects
are not always accompanied by formal scientic publications.
E&R Reports—An important unpublished source of NPS
paleontological resource information are the “Examination and
Report on Referred Fossils” or E&R reports created by USGS
geologists and paleontologists since the late 1800s. Originally,
E&R reports were informal documents produced by geologists
and mappers working in the eld and identifying fossil
localities. Some were intended as a means for communication
with specialists to help determine relative age of undescribed
geologic units in the eld or for correlation of fossiliferous strata.
The E&R system was eventually formalized as a two-part
process including a form sent by the transmitting geologist in the
eld and a reply by a USGS geologist or paleontologist who was
familiar with the fossils of a particular time period, stratigraphic
unit or taxonomic group. In some instances the fossil
identications were incorporated into publications, but in many
cases this information was never published. E&R reports include
the documentation of many paleontological localities within
current NPS areas. This information is often unknown to NPS
staff. In many instances the E&R reports were generated prior to
the establishment of the NPS unit. Regardless of when the report
was generated, the information is relevant to the management of
paleontological resources that are managed today within NPS
areas. Beginning in 2014 the NPS was extended access to the
primary E&R archives at the USGS Center in Reston, Virginia.
The systematic review of E&R reports which potentially contain
paleontological locality data associated with current NPS areas
has resulted in the recognition of hundreds of fossil localities
which were not previously known to the NPS (Santucci et al.,
2014b). E&R reports which provide paleontological resource
locality within or just adjacent to NPS areas are maintained in
the NPS Paleontology Archives and are organized by both the
NPS unit and the investigator associated with the report.
Theft and Vandalism—The NPS-wide compilation of
data involving incidents of paleontological resource theft and
vandalism dates back to 1988 with the implementation of the
NPS servicewide Natural Resource Crimes Assessment and
Action Program. The NPS Ranger Activities Division (RAD)
in Washington, D.C. was preparing a budget request from the
TABLE 6. List of museum repositories that maintain paleontological collections from the highest number of National Park Service
areas.
597
NPS seeking funds from Congress to support the assessment
and evaluation of resource crimes in parks. A team of resource
specialists with backgrounds in specic types of natural
resources (wildlife, vegetation, fossils) were assembled to
gather baseline information related to natural resource crimes
in the NPS. The loss of paleontological resources due to human
activities, including unauthorized fossil collecting in parks, was
viewed to be a critical resource protection issue for the NPS. The
senior author of this publication was selected to coordinate the
assessment of NPS paleontological resource crimes including
the theft and vandalism of non-renewable fossils.
The initial resource crimes assessment was completed in
1992 and reported that between 1989 and 1991, a minimum of
1,638 fossil specimens were illegally collected in NPS areas.
During this period, 154 citations were issued collectively
totaling $5,920 in nes. Additionally, ve arrests were reported
during this period associated with paleontological resource
crimes in parks. One of the conclusions resulting from the
1989–1991 paleontological resource crimes study was that there
was a general under-reporting of fossil-related incidents and
paleontological resource protection training was recommended
by RAD.
A similar servicewide paleontological resource crimes
assessment was conducted between 1997 and 1999. A total of 721
fossil crime incidents were reported, resulting in 421 citations
being issued and six arrests. The total nes for paleontological
resource crimes during this period totaled $119,925. Although
it is not possible to accurately report the reason for the increase
in citations between the rst study (1989–1991) and the second
study (1997–1999), it is assumed that the increased training and
awareness for over 700 NPS rangers may have contributed to the
increase in fossil crime citations being issued.
Beginning in 2000, the NPS has formally included annual
reporting for paleontological resource crimes, and these data
are maintained in the NPS Paleontological Resource Archives.
Observation of the paleontological resource crime data for
approximately 18 years (2000-2018) suggests that there is still
an under-reporting of fossil-related incidents.
Planning documents—The NPS has historically generated
a variety of planning documents to support park and resource
management activities. These include General Management
Plans (GMPs), Resource Management Plans (RMPs), Resource
Stewardship Strategies (RSSs) and more recent planning
documents referred to as Foundation Documents. Planning
documents are important tools, sometimes required by law, to
support planning in parks which allow public input. GMPs have
been the standard for comprehensive park planning dening
the direction of park management for a span of 10 to 20 years.
However the considerable time and expense for developing
GMPs has limited the ability to produce these documents for
all the parks that need this planning. Within the past decade the
NPS has adopted a new and more efcient planning strategy with
the development of park Foundation Documents. Foundation
Documents are viewed as mini-GMPs for parks, which require
much less time and funding to produce.
Similarly, the NPS has discontinued producing the
traditional park Resource Management Plans (RMPs) and have
developed a new planning strategy for resource managers called
the Resource Stewardship Strategy (RSS). RSSs are planning
documents which provide guidance to park managers integrating
resource management, research, and resource education as the
core components. A central focus of the RSS is to dene the
desired condition of park resources and to implement strategies
in order to assess, monitor and maintain desired resource
conditions.
Paleontological resources are included, where appropriate,
in park Foundation Documents and Resource Stewardship
Strategies. Park Foundation Documents identify and make
recommendations for where baseline data and planning are
needed for particular resources, including fossils. As of the date
of this publication, 340 NPS areas have recently completed
Foundation Documents. A search of the NPS Foundation
Document database, containing data for the 340 parks with
completed Foundation Documents, revealed at least 86 park
requests for paleontological resource data needs and at least 19
park requests for paleontological resource planning needs. As
the remaining 77 park Foundation Documents are completed,
the number of paleontological resource data and planning needs
will likely increase.
Photoarchives and Photogrammetry—The NPS
Paleontology Archives also maintains photographs and
photogrammetric images associated with NPS paleontological
resources. Tens of thousands of NPS geology and paleontology-
themed photos are maintained in the archives, mostly distributed
within individual park folders designated for photos. Recent
work by the NPS Paleontology Program has led to the acquisition
of photogrammetric images of fossil specimens from several
dozen NPS areas (Wood and Santucci, 2014). These images
were obtained of specimens in situ at parks and of specimens
curated within museum collections. Photogrammetry creates
an electronic model of specimens which supports scientic
research, resource management, monitoring, and interpretation
and education by parks and cooperating partners.
CONCLUSION
Each year the paleontological resource information
associated with the NPS continues to expand through new
scientic research, resource management, inventory and
monitoring, curatorial activities, educational outreach and other
factors. As with other NPS resources, the NPS Paleontology
Program strives to preserve park fossils and their associated
information for the benet of future generations, especially
Junior Paleontologists of all ages.
The holistic approach to paleontological resource data
management for the NPS is much more than “bean-counting”
by federal bureaucrats. Our role as federal land and resource
managers is to consider all values and management needs
association with these non-renewable resources. Although
research is extremely important, it does not represent the full
spectrum of responsibilities we are required to address as
stewards of the NPS fossil record. Maintaining this body of
historic, scientic and other information will prove to be useful
to those who will inherit the care of NPS fossils in the future.
We also must recognize that we need to communicate our
goals, objectives and information to individuals who may not
be paleontologists, geologists or even scientists. We must also
continue to consider and be prepared to adapt to the evolving
technologies that will likely become available in the future. The
labor-intensive efforts we put forth now to preserve the broadest
range and most comprehensive information and data tied to NPS
paleontological resources will empower our future paleontology
stewards.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Over the course of compiling NPS paleontological resource
information, photos and other information since 1985, there
have been a large number of individuals who have contributed
to this long term effort. Scores of museum curators and
collection managers, both in parks and outside repositories,
have consistently been tremendous sources of information
related to NPS paleontological resources and collections. Kathy
Hollis (USNM), K.C. McKinney (USGS), Erica Clites (UCMP),
Colleen Hyde and Kim Besom (GRCA), Erin Eichenberg
(LAKE and TUSK), and Mike Antonioni (NACE) are just a few
museum curators among many who have helped to expand our
NPS paleontology archives.
598
We are greatly indebted to the generous support from
USGS Nancy Stamm and David Soller to discover the wealth
of NPS paleontology information contained in the USGS E&R
reports which represent an important component of the NPS
Paleontology Archives. We want to extend our appreciation
to retired NPS Historian Harry Butowsky for championing
NPS geology and paleontology through his NPS History
website. Additional thanks to Erin Eichenberg (TUSK) and J.P.
Hodnett for providing valuable feedback through review of this
manuscript.
In recent years the development of the NPS Paleontology
Archives and Library has been supported by the leadership
within the NPS Geologic Resources Division (GRD) including
Hal Pranger, Dave Steensen and Lisa Norby. Additionally, we
want to acknowledge Jim Wood, Jack Wood and the late John
Ghist from GRD for contributing their time, energy and ideas
to develop new innovations for NPS paleontology through
outreach, education and the use of new technologies.
I have been very fortunate to work with, and for, three
outstanding superintendents who recognized the value of NPS
efforts beyond individual park boundaries. I will always be
indebted to Dave McGinnis (BADL & FOBU), Gary Cummins
(PEFO) and David Vela (GWMP) for allowing me to work on
servicewide NPS paleontological resource issues.
Finally, one of my fond memories from my NPS career
took place in a surplus FEMA trailer that we obtained for our
Resource Management Program at FOBU in the late 1990s and
early 2000s. I was working half time between FOBU and the
NPS GRD, as the rst servicewide NPS paleontologist. I spent
some formative early days mapping out the goals, objectives
and dreams for the NPS Paleontology Program with Jason
Kenworthy and Alison Mims. One of our important discussions
involved how we should compile, organize and preserve all the
NPS paleontology data we were amassing for the parks. Jason,
Alison and I shared lots of great ideas, some of which have
been implemented and some of which served as the foundation
and road map for the work we are doing today in the NPS
Paleontology Program.
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599
APPENDIX A
List of 268 NPS units, organized by NPS region, in which fossils occur in situ within a geologic context, in museum collections,
and / or within a cultural resource context.
Asterisks (*) identify the 17 NPS units reference paleontological resources in their enabling legislation.
Alaska Region (14)
ANIA Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
BELA Bering Land Bridge National Preserve*
CAKR Cape Krusenstern National Monument
DENA Denali National Park and Preserve
GAAR Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
GLBA Glacier Bay National Monument and Preserve
KATM Katmai National Park and Preserve
KEFJ Kenai Fjords National Park
KOVA Kobuk Valley National Park
LACL Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
NOAT Noatak National Preserve
SITK Sitka National Historical Park
WRST Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
YUCH Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve*
Intermountain Region (74)
ALFL Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument
AMIS Amistad National Recreation Area
ARCH Arches National Park
AZRU Aztec Ruins National Monument
BAND Bandelier National Monument
BEOL Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
BIBE Big Bend National Park
BICA Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
BITH Big Thicket National Preserve
BLCA Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
BRCA Bryce Canyon National Park
CACH Canyon de Chelly National Monument
CAGR Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
CANY Canyonlands National Park
CARE Capitol Reef National Park
CAVE Carlsbad Caverns National Park
CEBR Cedar Breaks National Monument
CHCU Chaco Culture National Historical Park
CHIC Chickasaw National Recreation Area
CHIR Chiricahua National Monument
COLM Colorado National Monument
CORO Coronado National Memorial
CURE Curecanti National Recreation Area
DETO Devil's Tower National Monument
DINO Dinosaur National Monument*
ELMA El Malpais National Monument
ELMO El Morrow National Monument
FLFO Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument*
FOBO Fort Bowie National Historic Site
FOBU Fossil Butte National Monument*
FOLA Fort Laramie National Historic Site
GICL Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
GLAC Glacier National Park
GLCA Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
GOSP Golden Spike National Historic Site
GRCA Grand Canyon National Park
GRSA Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
GRTE Grand Teton National Park
GUMO Guadalupe Mountains National Park
HOVE Hovenweep National Monument
HUTR Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
JODR John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway
LAMR Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
LIBI Little Bighorn Battleeld National Monument
MEVE Mesa Verde National Park
MOCA Montezuma Castle National Monument
NABR Natural Bridges National Monument
NAVA Navajo National Monument
ORPI Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
PAIS Padre Island National Seashore
PAAL Palo Alto Battleeld National Historic Site
PECO Pecos National Historical Park
PEFO Petried Forest National Park*
PETR Petroglyphs National Monument
PIMA Hohokam Pima National Monument
PISP Pipe Spring National Monument
RABR Rainbow Bridge National Monument
RIGR Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River
ROMO Rocky Mountain National Park
SAAN San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
SAGU Saguaro National Park
SAPU Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
TICA Timpanogos Cave National Monument
TONT Tonto National Monument
TUMA Tumacacori National Historical Park
TUZI Tuzigoot National Monument
VALL Valles Caldera National Preserve
WACA Walnut Canyon National Monument
WACO Waco Mammoth National Monument*
WHSA White Sands National Monument
WUPA Wupatki National Monument
YELL Yellowstone National Park
YUHO Yucca House National Monument
ZION Zion National Park*
Midwest Region (38)
AGFO Agate Fossil Beds National Monument*
APIS Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
BADL Badlands National Park
BUFF Buffalo National River
CHRO Chimney Rock National Historic Site
CUVA Cuyahoga Valley National Park
EFMO Efgy Mounds National Monument
FOLS Fort Larned National Historic Site
FOSC Fort Scott National Historic Site
FOUS Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
GWCA George Washington Carver National Monument
HEHO Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
HOCU Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
HOSP Hot Springs National Park
IATR Ice Age National Scientic Reserve/Scenic Trail
INDU Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
ISRO Isle Royale National Park
JECA Jewel Cave National Monument
JEFF Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
KNRI Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
LIBO Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
LIHO Lincoln Home National Historic Site
MISS Mississippi River National River & Recreation
Area
MNRR Missouri National Recreational River
NIOB Niobrara National Scenic River
600
OZAR Ozark National Scenic Riverways
PERI Pea Ridge National Military Park Riverway
PEVI Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
PIRO Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
SACN Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
SCBL Scotts Bluff National Monument
SLBE Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
TAPR Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
THRO Theodore Roosevelt National Park
ULSG Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site
VOYA Voyageurs National Park
WICA Wind Cave National Park
WICR Wilson’s Creek National Battleeld
National Capital Region (24)
ANAC Anacostia Park
ANTI Antietam National Battleeld
BAWA Baltimore Washington Parkway
CHOH Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical
Park
FODU Fort Dupont Park
FOFO Fort Foote Park
FOWA Fort Washington Park
FRDO Frederick Douglas National Historic Site
GWMP George Washington Memorial Parkway
GREE Greenbelt Park
HAFE Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
LINC Lincoln Memorial
MANA Manassas National Battleeld Park
MLKM Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
MONO Monocacy National Battleeld
NAMA National Mall & Memorial Parks
OXCO Oxon Cove Park/Oxon Hill Farm
PISC Piscataway Park
PRWI Prince William Forest Park
ROCR Rock Creek Park
SUIT Suitland Parkway
THJE Thomas Jefferson Memorial
WAMO Washington Monument
WHHO White House – President’s Park
Northeast Region (32)
ACAD Acadia National Park
ALPO Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
ASIS Assateague Island National Seashore
BLUE Bluestone National Scenic River
BOHA Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
CACO Cape Cod National Seashore
COLO Colonial National Historical Park
DEWA Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
FIIS Fire Island National Seashore
FOMC Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic
Shrine
FOMR Fort Monroe National Monument
FONE Fort Necessity National Battleeld
FRSP Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military
Park
GARI Gauley River National Recreation Area
GATE Gateway National Recreation Area
GETT Gettysburg National Military Park
GEWA George Washington Birthplace National
Monument
HATU Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National
Monument
INDE Independence National Historical Park
KAWW Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument*
MABI Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical
Park
NERI New River Gorge National River
PETE Petersburg National Battleeld
PINE Pinelands National Reserve
RICH Richmond National Battleeld Park
ROVA Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites
SARA Saratoga National Historical Park
SHEN Shenandoah National Park
SPAR Springeld Armory National Historic Park
EDIS Thomas Edison National Historical Park
UPDE Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
VAFO Valley Forge National Historical Park
Pacic West Region (41)
CABR Cabrillo National Monument
CHIS Channel Islands National Park*
CIRO City of Rocks National Reserve
CRLA Crater Lake National Park
CRMO Craters of the Moon National Monument and
Preserve
DEVA Death Valley National Park*
EBLA Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve
FOVA Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
GOGA Golden Gate National Recreation Area
GRBA Great Basin National Park
HAFO Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument*
HALE Haleakala National Park
HAVO Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
JODA John Day Fossil Beds National Monument*
JOMU John Muir National Historic Site
JOTR Joshua Tree National Park*
LABE Lava Beds National Monument
LAKE Lake Mead National Recreation Area
LARO Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
LAVO Lassen Volcanic National Park
LEWI Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
MANZ Manzanar National Historic Site
MOJA Mojave National Preserve
MORA Mount Rainier National Park
NEPE Nez Perce National Historical Park
NOCA North Cascades National Park
OLYM Olympic National Park
ORCA Oregon Caves National Monument
PARA Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument*
PINN Pinnacles National Monument
PORE Point Reyes National Seashore
PUHO Pu’ Uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historic Park
REDW Redwood National and State Parks
SAJH San Juan Island National Historical Park
SAMO Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation
Area
SEKI Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
TUSK Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument*
VALR World War II Valor in the Pacic National
Monument
WAPA War in the Pacic National Historical Park
WHIS Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
YOSE Yosemite National Park
Southeast Region (40)
ABLI Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic
Site
BICY Big Cypress National Preserve
BISO Big South Fork National River and Recreation
Area
601
BISC Biscayne National Park
BLRI Blue Ridge Parkway
BRCR Brices Cross Roads National Battleeld Site
BUIS Buck Island Reef National Monument
CANA Canaveral National Seashore
CAHA Cape Hatteras National Seashore
CALO Cape Lookout National Seashore
CARL Carl Sandberg Home National Historic Site
CASA Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
CHCH Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military
Park
CONG Congaree National Park
CUGA Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
CUIS Cumberland Island National Seashore
DESO De Soto National Memorial
DRTO Dry Tortugas National Park
EVER Everglades National Park
FODO Fort Donelson National Battleeld
FOFR Fort Frederica National Monument
FOMA Fort Matanzas National Monument
FOPU Fort Pulaski National Monument
FORA Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
FOSU Fort Sumter National Monument
GRSM Great Smoky Mountains National Park
GUIS Gulf Islands National Seashore
LIRI Little River Canyon National Preserve
MACA Mammoth Cave National Park
NATR Natchez Trace Parkway
OBED Obed Wild and Scenic River
OCMU Ocmulgee National Monument
RUCA Russell Cave National Monument
SARI Salt River National Historical Park & Ecological
Preserve
SHIL Shiloh National Military Park
STRI Stones River National Battleeld
TIMU Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
TUIN Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
VICK Vicksburg National Military Park
VIIS Virgin Islands National Park
National Trails (5) (within multiple regions)
APPA Appalachian National Scenic Trail
LECL Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
OREG Oregon National Historic Trail
POHE Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
SAFE Santa Fe National Historic Trail
