In the summer of 1969, a federal district court in Denver, Colorado, heard arguments in one of the nation’s first explicitly environmental cases, in which the Defenders of Florissant, Inc. opposed real estate interests intent on developing lands containing an extraordinary set of ancient fossils. This book, the first account of the fight to preserve the Florissant fossil beds, tells a story of environmental activism that remains little known more than forty years after the coalition’s victory. The principal author, Estella Leopold, was a major participant in the process.
The Florissant formation's fossil beds and petrified forest are interesting in themselves but also shed light on questions of paleoecology, macroevolution, and taphonomy (the study of the process of fossilization). Meyer (National Park Service. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado) and Smith (U. of Colorado Museum of Natural History--Paleontology/geological sciences, UC, Boulder) introduce 11 papers examining Florissant fossil flora, fauna, mineralogy and geochemistry through different periods and via a model of the role of microbial mats in its preservation. An integrated database/Web site to further related research is also discussed. The monograph is well-illustrated with geologic maps and images of historical figures in the field and specimens, but is not indexed.
Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press This is the story of the other side of Colorado's best-known mountain- the region west of Pikes Peak. It includes stories of the first settlers and the founders of towns. It also tells of the bust years between world wars when the railroad tracks were pulled up and many communities vanished.
For the last 20 years there has been a growing interest in the geosciences for topics related to geoheritage: geoconservation, geotourism and geoparks. Geoheritage: Assessment, Protection, and Management is the first and only reference book to cover these main topics as well as the relationship of geoheritage to other subjects such as landscapes, conservation, and tourism. The book also includes methodologies for assessment, mapping, and visualisation, along with case studies and colour images of some of the most important global geosites. This book is an essential resource for geoscientists, park and geopark managers, tourism and regional planning managers, as well as university students interested in geoheritage, geosites, geomorphosites, geoconservation, and geotourism. It also includes critical information on UNESCO's Global Geoparks, World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve sites, national parks and protected areas in general, land-use planning and nature conservation policies, and in the general contribution of geodiversity for sustainable development. - Winner of the 2019 AESE Award for Outstanding Publication - Written by a panel of 46 authors from 14 countries in all continents - Based on conceptual, methodological, and applied research carried out by academics and practitioners - Includes 160 colour images and maps of geoheritage sites - Features six case studies from sites in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America
This comprehensive systematic revision of the Bridge Creek flora is based on large collections of megafossil specimens from the John Day and Crooked River basins. The flora was found to be more diverse than previously recognized, with at least 125 species. At least 11 genera are extinct, but the majority are extant members of deciduous forests. The flora was derived from a variety of sources and represents a classic example of the broadleaved deciduous forests that became widespread at mid-latitudes following the Eocene-Oligocene climatic cooling.
The most diverse fossil bed in the United States provides a unique picture of what life was like 34 million years ago. In the rocks of Florissant, Colorado, lying in the shadow of Pike's Peak, is the evidence of a long-lost world. Encased by the ash of volcanoes that erupted tens of millions of years ago, animals such as insects, fish, and mammals were fossilized in the same deposits as flowers, trees, and the delicate leaves of plants. This amazing collection of animals and plants from the same place at the same time providse a rare, uniquely comprehensive glimpse of life in the past. Through more than 200 color photographs and vivid descriptions of the fossils, Herbert Meyer brings the fossils of Florissant, Colorado to life, not only providing background on the plants and animals, but also exploring the warm environment in which they lived. The site was once a treasure trove for paleontologists who acquired the fossils for museums around the world; it is now protected as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Meyer’s book reveals the beauty of both the site and its delicate fossils, and offers a compelling story of life long ago.
