Backtracking

In the Feb. 3 issue of The Telegraph, we reported about the uproar over the Bureau of Land Management driving a backhoe over dinosaur tracks outside Moab.

According to a group of paleontologists, at least one-third of the 30-acre Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite had been damaged, with tire tracks visible over dinosaur footprints that had previously stood the test of time. At the time, the BLM was rather tight-lipped about the situation, offering little comment. It was well documented, however, that the agency was in the midst of a construction project to replace a boardwalk.

Well, last week, the BLM came clean. “A BLM regional paleontologist conducted a site assessment and … has preliminarily determined that some damage occurred to dinosaur footprints at the project site, and this is unacceptable,” the BLM said. The BLM went on to say construction has been put on hold until the paleontologist’s report is complete, which is expected in about three weeks. Then, the BLM will follow any recommendations, conduct a deeper National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) study and include public comment before work is resumed.

“The dinosaur tracks on this site tell a story from millions of years ago,” the BLM said. “The BLM has a responsibility to ensure this story is still told thousands of years from now.”

In related news, you can see “real” dinosaurs in action after it was revealed during the Super Bowl there’s going to be another “Jurassic Park” movie, starring OGs Sam Neill, Laura Dern and dashing heartthrob scientist Jeff Goldblum.