Park rangers in Utah seek info following theft of fossil over 200 million years old

Photos of the Capitol Reef National Park landscape (left) and the fossil the National Park Service said was stolen sometime between August 2017 and August 2018 | Photos courtesy of the National Park Service, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Park rangers of Capitol Reef National Park are seeking information from the public to aid in the recovery of irreplaceable paleontological resources and identify those responsible for the vandalism and theft of trace fossils.

According to the Investigative Services webpage on the National Park Service website, park officials determined that sometime between August 2017 and August 2018, trace reptile track fossils dating from the Triassic period were removed from a trackway within the park. The Triassic period began approximately 252 million years ago and ended 201 million years ago, according to the Brittanica Encyclopedia.

Up to $1,000 is offered for information that leads to the identification and prosecution of those responsible, the park service website states.

Information from other visitors is often helpful to investigators. The park asks anyone with knowledge of or information about the theft to submit a tip via one of the following:

  • Call or text the tip line: 888-653-0009
  • Online: Click here for the submit-a-tip webpage
  • Email: nps_isb@nps.gov
  • Emergency: dial 911

The National Park Service also reminds the public of the following:

Vandalism hurts. Some of the oldest and most extensive reptile tracks in the western United States are found within Capitol Reef National Park. Fossils preserve the record of life on earth and are exceedingly rare. You don’t have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know.

For more information about fossil preservation at Capitol Reef, visit their “Plan Your Visit” page on this website.

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