National Park Service investigating theft of fossil footprints from Death Valley
The National Park Service is seeking help from the public to solve the recent theft of fossilized animal tracks from Death Valley National Park.
The fossils were reported stolen about a month ago by researchers who visited the site to see the footprints left in a muddy lake shore by birds and mammals as long as 5 million years ago.
The Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch is not saying exactly when, how or from where the fossils were taken within the 3.4 million-acre park. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Park spokeswoman Linda Slater also declined to say where the fossil site is located or describe how much material was stolen.
But as a result of the thefts, she said, future park visitors will never be able to see the fossilized tracks, and scientists will no longer be able to study them in the context of where they were formed.
As Death Valley Superintendent Mike Reynolds put it in a statement: “It’s illegal to collect fossils, rocks, or anything else in National Parks. The purpose of National Parks is to conserve the landscape and everything it contains for the next generation.”
Before you damage something or pick it up as a souvenir, Slater said, “Think about what you’re doing and multiply that by 1.2 million, because that’s how many people are coming to the park.”
Investigators released photographs of backpackers who were in the area around the time the fossilized tracks were taken and might have witnessed the crime or have information about those responsible.
Asked what someone might do with stolen fossils, Slater said: “You might check eBay.”
The Park Service said anyone with information about the case — or any other open investigation — can submit a tip by phone (1-888-653-009), text (1-202-379-4761), email (nps_isb@nps.gov) or visiting www.nps.gov/isb and clicking on “Submit a Tip.”
Stolen Fossils by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com. Follow @refriedbrean on Twitter.
Park police blotter
Death Valley National Park has seen rash of high-profile incidents of vandalism and theft over the past year.
The most recent cases involved people driving in places they aren’t supposed to, including a van that got stuck on the salt pan at Badwater Basin earlier this month and a vandal who scarred Racetrack Playa during an illegal, 10-mile joyride in late August.
In April 2016, three men broke into Devils Hole, a water-filled cavern in Nevada on federal land that’s managed by the national park, and damaged critical habitat for an endangered fish.
In June, a San Diego artist pleaded guilty to damaging government property after she drew and painted on rocks at seven National Park sites, including Death Valley, as a part of month-long graffiti spree in 2014.
In August, a man from Mono County, California, pleaded guilty to illegally collecting Indian artifacts from Death Valley and other sites over a 20-year period.
And in January, five Canadian men were banned from all National Park sites for five years for posting videos of themselves breaking rules in several parks, including Death Valley.
