Paleontological resources are any fossilized remains, traces, or imprints of organisms, preserved in or on the earth's crust, that are of paleontological interest and that provide information about the history of life on earth.

--read more about Logan Butte in this Northwest Passage article: www.blm.gov/or/nwpassage/articles/NWP_17_Secret_History_W...

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regards paleontological or fossil resources as a fragile, nonrenewable scientific record. The history of life on earth is an important component of America's natural heritage. If these resources are damaged, destroyed or improperly collected, their scientific and educational value may be greatly reduced or lost forever.

Many kinds of fossils can be found on the BLM-managed public lands in Oregon and Washington, some world-class in scientific importance. Fossils are the remains and traces of once-living organisms, preserved in rocks of the Earth's crust. BLM managed lands in Oregon have fossil resources ranging from near-shore Oligocene marine species along the margins of the Willamette Valley to the well-preserved, remarkably complete fossil record of plants and animals within the heavily eroded volcanic deposits of the scenic John Day River basin.

Fossil deposits in eastern Oregon, in particular, represent a time when primitive mammals began to change and adapt to new environments and show a slow transition into faunas that we recognize today. Researchers from institutions such as the University of Oregon, the University of California-Berkeley, University of Nebraska, University of Florida, and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology conduct studies on public lands to study ecological and evolutionary changes of the past 50 million years.

Two areas on public lands have been designated Areas of Critical Environmental Concern to protect paleontological resources: Logan Butte and Fossil Lake.

To learn more about these amazing resources on your public lands head on over to:

www.blm.gov/or/resources/heritage/paleo.php