The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | February 12, 2008
Read former Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument intern J.J. Huie’s full article in the Spring 2008 Friends newsletter! With Deep Roots in Colorado: The Ponderosa Pine by J.J. Huie I like running in Colorado when the sound of my breathing is drowned out by a wind so violent it causes the arms of the ponderosa [...]
The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | October 9, 2007
It’s hard to forget the eerie sound of an American bull elk bugling–the sound is almost completely unlike a bugle, but rather a high, unearthly wail. Elk bugling is a common sound at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in the fall, when elk rut (seek mates). American elk (Cervus canadensis*), which once numbered 10 million [...]
The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | August 31, 2007
Our last major stop for the day on the Gold Belt Byway was Indian Springs Ranch, a ranch and campsite owned by the Thorson Family. The Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site is a National Natural Landmark (NNL) protected by the federal government, but it is owned by the Thorson Family and you must have permission and be accompanied by a family member to visit the site. Tours may be arranged by calling ahead.
The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | August 21, 2007
Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus) is a small genus of deciduous shrubs or small trees, currently placed in the rose family (not closely related to true mahoganies, in the Meliaceae family). In addition to growing throughout the Rocky Mountain region today, mountain mahogany is a relatively common Tertiary (65 to 1.8 million years ago, the time between the extinction of the dinosaurs and the first Ice Age) fossil found in the Florissant and Antero Formations, as well as at Creede, Webber Lake in the Sierra Nevada of California, the Desert Peak Formation of Nevada, Oligocene sediments in Mexico, and many other localities.
The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | August 15, 2007
Dr. Wayne Shepperd’s aspen ecology seminar on August 11th finished the summer seminar series. The seminar was well-attended by local teachers, who had a chance to go out in the field to see different aspects of aspen ecology and discuss possible conservation methods for encouraging growth in different types of stands.
The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Friends of the Park group supporting Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in its mission to protect and interpret the park's resources for future generations.
