National Parks:
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant, Colorado -- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located in central Colorado, just west of Pikes Peak. The Monument's 6,000 acres of rolling hills and grassy meadows cover one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. For over 130 years, scientists have searched the layers of fossil-bearing rocks beneath the Florissant valley and have discovered volumes of information about life on earth, 34-35 million years ago.

Self-guided trails, ranger-led programs, and exhibits afford visitors the opportunity to experience the remnants of ancient life. Visitors touring the park can walk right past massive stumps of petrified Redwood trees, some of which are twelve feet high and approximately twelve feet in diameter. The stumps are the petrified remains of trees that may have been nearly 250 feet high. A volcanic mudflow buried the ancient trees in 12-15 feet of mud, which later turned to mudstone. Encased in stone, the stumps underwent the process of permineralization, which turned them into the petrified wood we see today.

In the Visitor Center, large displays of fragile and detailed insect and plant fossils pique our curiosity about prehistoric life. These fossils were preserved in shale that formed at the bottom of an ancient lake that stretched for twelve miles. Ancient Lake Florissant was created when volcanic mudflows formed a dam and impounded an ancient stream. Collectively, the fossils at Florissant Fossil Beds indicate that the Florissant valley was once a mixed-hardwood forest, complete with towering Redwoods, thriving in a warm-temperate climate, much different from today's Montane forest and cool temperate climate.

The fossils of the Florissant valley have attracted scientists and tourists for well over 100 years. For decades after its discovery by the early settlers, the area was heavily depleted of its famous fossils. Visitors carted off large chunks of petrified wood, and commercial operations provided the opportunity to buy as well as dig for fossils. Gradually over the decades, scientists and the public realized that the resources of the area would soon perish if they were not protected. The movement to create a monument lasted for decades. Due to the efforts of the public, the science community, and government officials, the area was spared from an impending housing development and on August 20, 1969 was designated a National Monument by President Richard Nixon.

DID YOU KNOW

• Florissant is one of thirteen National Park areas that specifically mention fossil resources in its enabling legislation. However, 160 National Park areas out of the 387 have fossils in them.
• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is one of the richest and most diverse fossil localities in the world with up to 1,700 described species. Approximately 1,500 of these described species are insects, which make it one of the premier insect fossil localities.
• The world's only known fossil record of the Tse Tse fly, the only known occurrence of a petrified trio of Sequoia Trees, and close to a third of the known species of fossil butterflies all came from the Florissant Formation.
• The massive petrified Sequoia stumps at Florissant are some of the largest diameter petrified trees in the world.

DON'T MISS ATTRACTIONS

• The Visitor Center houses a large display of the delicate plant and insect fossils that have been found in an ancient lakebed beneath the Monument.
• Behind the Visitor Center is the Time Preserved Exhibit Area. This outdoor exhibit provides an opportunity to see petrified Sequoia trees and to learn about the ancient ecosystem of the Florissant area.
• The Petrified Forest Loop is a self-guided, one-mile trail that leads past numerous petrified stumps and a historic excavation pit. Guides for the trail are available in the Visitor Center.
• Between June 7 and Labor Day, ranger-led programs are offered daily. These programs include talks, walks, demonstration programs, and junior ranger programs.
• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument recently completed an online fossil database, which can be accessed from the website. The database is largely the result of years of work by Dr. Herb Meyer, who works as a paleontologist for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. In addition to his work with the database, Dr. Meyer also completed the book, The Fossils of Florissant, which was recently published by Smithsonian Books.
• Every summer, the Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds host the Summer Seminar Series. These daylong seminars are offered to the general public and also to teachers for graduate credit. Subjects may include geology, paleontology, natural and cultural history, fire ecology, and even writing and journaling. Some of the areas most talented and foremost authorities on their subject teach these engaging learning experiences.
• Twice a year, the Monument presents an open house at the 1878 Hornbek Homestead, which is located within the Monument. During this two-day event, visitors are transported back into the 1870s. Local artisans demonstrate period crafts, children play games and help make butter, and visitors can tour the homestead. These events generally take place during the last week of July, and the first week of December.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRIORITIES

On a recent site visit, the Intermountain Region Safety and Occupational Health Manager found a level of mice infestation in the Monument's office work environment unacceptably high. As a result of this finding, the Monument's staff will complete and implement a Hantavirus Mitigation Plan. The Plan will call for the replacement of the aging, infested office trailer with a new administration building.

The loss of fossil resources to theft is a continual issue at the Monument. Protection Rangers are working with other national parks with similar issues in an attempt to increase the Monument's effectiveness in reducing the loss of the resource.

The land acquired to create Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument was originally carved out of various ranch and private lands. As a result, the Monument shares its boundaries with 87 private landowners. This poses a particular challenge when trying to manage the Monument's natural systems, including reintroduction and management of fire. The Monument is seeking to work with state government and local landowners to reduce hazardous fuels along its boundary.

Source: National Park Service