Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
teries about the site will be destroyed. As a result, knowledge about
the magnificent animals that lived at Auca Mahuevo 80 million
years ago could be forever lost, and our priceless view through Auca
Mahuevo's window on the past could be forever clouded.
Fortunately, some initial steps have already been taken to protect
this unique paleontological resource. Led by the efforts of our col-
league Rodolfo, the government of the province of Neuquen in
Patagonia is purchasing all the land containing the site and declaring
it a fossil preserve. Eventually, plans call for a small field laboratory to
be built at the site, which will be staffed by a government ranger to
patrol the area and help carry on the research. Through efforts like
this, paleontologists around the world have protected important fos-
sil sites, unique repositories for our own natural heritage. Examples
include Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, which was des-
ignated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations, and Egg Moun-
tain in Montana, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy. We
hope that, through their being declared a fossil preserve, the rugged
badlands of Auca Mahuevo will continue to yield new discoveries of
fossils and related geologic insights for decades to come, and that
these new fossil treasures will be available for all to see and ponder.
Only in this way can Auca Mahuevo be preserved to inspire the next
generation of paleontologists to continue our explorations and fill the
gaps in our knowledge about past life on earth.
