Combined-book

Joseph Hartman University of North Dakota Department of Geology and Geological Engineering Professor joseph.hartman@engr.und.edu Poster Title: The importance of collection and data management systems: Modern loss of Late Cretaceous continental and brackish mollusks from the Fruitland Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico Abstract: In 1915, C. M. Bauer and his crew discovered important Late Cretaceous continental and brackish fossils while mapping coal resources on Navajo Nation lands in northwestern New Mexico. Bauer (1) and Bauer and Reeside (2) reported in detail on their coal study, while Stanton (3) identified the fossils (now at the Smithsonian) collected by their efforts. Since Bauer, Navajo and San Juan Mine operations have removed overburden to extract coal on both the north and south sides of the San Juan River, which resulted in the loss of primary type specimen localities. In the early 1980s, Hartman relocated the Bauer fossil locations and collected fossils from most of the threatened localities. Today, most of the surrogate localities are now also lost to mine operations. In 1997, the Grand Forks flood resulted in the loss of a number of the San Juan Basin fossils because of water in the basement of Leonard Hall. Quality U.S. Geological field data permitted relocation of the fossil locations. Similar collection management systems for UND fossil and data should be in place to allow for subsequent use of historically important national resources.