Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, a United States National Monument near Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, was established in 2014 to protect Ice Age paleontological discoveries. The monument is administered by the National Park Service.Brean, Henry (December 19, 2014). Obama signs Tule Springs monument into law Las Vegas Review-Journal
The national monument is located in the Upper Las Vegas Wash and protects part of the Tule Springs. The wash area also includes several patches of the rare Las Vegas bear poppy. The land was designated after a local campaign to permanently protect the landscape as a national monument.
Paleontology Paleontology studies began at Tule Springs in 1933 when the bones of a Columbian mammoth were discovered by quarry workers. Other fossils found at the site include Camelops, ground sloth, dire wolf, Teratornis, Smilodon Fatalis and American lion, and range from 7,000 to 250,000 years old.A History of Discovery in this Fossil-Rich Area, Protectors of Tule Springs, 2014
Legislation The Tule Springs Fossil Beds passed both houses of Congress in December 2014 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 19, 2014, under Section 3092(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015.
Hiking and trails The Tule Springs Fossil Beds have two official and temporary trails. One is the Tule Springs loop, a flat 1.7-mile loop around the first fossil bed, and the second is the Tule Springs long loop, a 2.3-mile loop around the entire fossil bed, which has the hiker climbing over the fossil bed. These trails are accessible at the north end of N. Durango Drive.
See also List of national monuments of the United States
References
External links Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Photo gallery from the Monument, free Creative Commons photos.