MOAB — The Bureau of Land Management Moab Field Office is launching its summer series of “Jurassic Walks and Talks.” Every weekend through Labor Day, a BLM paleontologist will lead free tours of dinosaur fossil and tracksites in the Moab area in the morning, with discussions and hands-on activities for kids in the evening.
Millions of dinosaur tracks and several new dinosaur species, including Utahraptor, have been found in the Moab area over the last twenty years. Featured sites for the walks include the Mill Canyon Tracksite, the Mill Canyon Bone Trail, the Copper Ridge Tracks, the Dinosaur Stomping Ground Tracks and the Poison Spider Tracks.
These sites range in age from about 112 million years old to about 190 million years old. Some of the unique features of these sites include the first Utahraptor-like tracks in North America, a giant meat-eating dinosaur with a limp and real dinosaur bones embedded in Jurassic-aged rocks.
These walks and talks are supported by the BLM and Tread Lightly! “Respect and Protect” campaign – connecting families to America’s natural and cultural heritage and instilling a sense of pride and stewardship for our amazing paleontological and natural resources. These events are all free and everyone is invited.
The tours take place in the mornings, Friday through Sunday, and involve short hikes with lots of time to ask questions. Different tracksites are featured each day on a rotating schedule.
Attendees are asked to meet at the tracksites at the times listed on the schedule. Maps and driving directions can be found on the Discover Moab website.
The weekend evening “Jurassic Talks” will take place at 6 p.m. outside the Moab Information Center, located at 25 E. Center St. Friday evenings will involve hands-on educational activities for kids. Saturday and Sunday evenings will consist of discussions about Moab’s world-class dinosaurs and trackways.
Maps and schedules are available at the Moab Information Center. You can also view a complete schedule of the Jurassic Walks and Talks, including information about each of the hikes and evening activities here.
For further information, please contact the BLM Field Office 435-259-2100 and ask for Nathan Ong or ReBecca Hunt-Foster. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individuals during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individuals. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
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