Reconstructing the past at the GSENM Paleontology Lab

Most of the locals and tourists that ex­plore the Kanab area have hiked to places displaying evidence of the past. Dinosaur tracks litter slabs of rock, and any geolo­gist would have a field day dissecting the lay­ers and formations within the mountains. It is apparent that the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument area is full of long kept secrets from the past, some that can be found in the form of extremely well-preserved fossils of ancient terrestrial creatures, specifically those from the latter part of the Age of the Dinosaurs, the Creta­ceous Period. The pres­ence of these amazing fossils called for a place where they could be protected, preserved and prepared for study. This created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Paleontology Lab at Kanab’s local Bureau of Land Management headquarters.

Left to right:

• Addyson Andrews volunteering in the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument Paleontology Lab. Photo by Katja Knoll, Lab Manager.

• Dinosaur tracks located east of Kanab. Photo by Harry Barber.

The paleontology lab does just about every­thing to uncover the fossils and process them into scientific information that can be used to further man­kind’s understanding of the past. This starts with a few volunteers and a paleontologist going out into the field and hiking through rough terrain looking for fossils that are sci­entifically important.

After the specimens are collected they are labeled and stored away until they can be processed. A team of volunteers and pa­leontologists will then stabilize the material and meticulously re­move the bone from the surrounding rock using a variety of tools, a process that takes a great deal of time and focus to perform suc­cessfully. In the end these bones are made available for study at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City.

The incorporation of volunteers into this work makes the pro­cess extra special. It is impressive just how hands-on the volun­teers can be with this delicate work, which allows for a greater connection for each individual. This brings the thrill of scientific discovery and the pur­suit of knowledge off of the pedestal that many put it on and down to where it belongs, in the hands of the com­munity.

The science that the community is able to partake in is nothing to be scoffed at either. Entirely new speci­mens and species are discovered on a regular basis, and each new discovery sheds light on the past. Paleontol­ogy is a science that helps us to understand how the ancient Earth functioned, from large systems such as tec­tonic plates and overall climate, to the ecosys­tems of specific areas and how organisms in­teracted within them. Katja Knoll, manager at the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument Paleontol­ogy Lab, says that the work conducted by the paleo program helps to “unravel some of the mysteries of an­cient life on Earth.” And understanding the past may help to understand what the future might hold.