Fossils in the Ruhenstroth Area of the Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada

Fossils are the recognizable remains of bones, shells, plants and other evidence of past life on earth; they are a non-renewable resource that is available only once. When fossils are inadvertently moved or destroyed due to ground impacting activities or improper collection, the result is the loss of a portion of the earth's history – our common history. Scientists tell us that written records are available for only a tiny fraction of the history of the earth and understanding the buried historical record requires careful detective work. Protecting these fragile resources for future generations is a small part of BLM’s responsibilities.

Can BLM Protect Fossils on Public Land?
BLM managers and scientists realize that fossils exist in many locations in Nevada and that varied public needs and uses make it impractical to intensively manage all federal public land just to preserve the fossil record. However, a 2,340 acre area has been identified south of Fish Springs Road in the southwestern portion of the Pine Nut Mountains of Douglas County that contains unique fossils that are an important slice of the paleontological history of the western Great Basin in Nevada.

There are at least 10 major paleontological zones within this area, known locally as Ruhenstroth, and the potential to identify other sites within this Tertiary sedimentary horizon is high. Ancient animals that lived here during the Pliocene Era (roughly 2.5 million years ago), and whose fossil remains have been identified, include large, extinct species of camels and horses, mastodons, sloths, zebras, otters, wild dogs, and various small mammals and fish. The fossil vertebrate remains were generally deposited in ancient rivers and flood plains (the nature of the pebbles, sands, silts and clays surrounding these fossils indicate they were caught up in a river setting and covered with the silts and sands as moving waters carried these sediments around and over the carcasses).

Vertebrate fossils such as dinosaurs, mammals, fishes and reptiles, and uncommon invertebrate fossils may be collected only by trained researchers under BLM permit. Collected fossils remain the property of all Americans and are placed with museums or other public institutions after study.

Are we losing the fossil record in the Pine Nut Mountains?
In the last 10 years the population on the western interface to the Pine Nut range has grown in leaps and bounds. An exponential increase in public motorized use of this area has created significant impacts to these fragile fossil resources. Soil erosion and OHV trail/play area expansion from churning, knobby-tread tires, mostly on OHV’s coming from housing developments adjacent to the Pine Nut Mountains (but increasingly from riders from Carson City/Reno and California), has exposed fossil remains that are being destroyed by direct contact and illegal collection.

While the BLM is sympathetic to the access needs and desires of motorized recreationists, federal law (43 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 8341.2) requires that whenever the BLM authorized officer determines that OHV use will cause or is causing considerable adverse effects on resources (soil, vegetation, wildlife, wildlife habitat, cultural, paleontological, historic, scenic, recreation, or other resources), the area must be immediately closed to the type of use causing the adverse effects. Emergency closures or limitations must remain in force only until standard or interim designations can be made or until the adverse effects are eliminated and measures to prevent their recurrence have been implemented.

Will there be a vehicle closure and/or route restrictions in the Pine Nut Mountains?
To mitigate the cumulative damage that has been occurring from unmanaged OHV use, the BLM-Carson City Field Office is implementing an emergency off-road vehicle closure for the 2,340 acre Ruhenstroth area, south of Fish Springs Road, an area which involves less than 1% of the public lands in the Pine Nut Mountains.  Motorized recreation activities will now be managed by directing riders to existing trails on the 99% of the Pine Nut Mountains still available for their use; limiting vehicle access through the Ruhenstroth area to major roads and specific designated trails to provide access to other areas; and placing interpretive signs and materials around the area to aid in public education on how to protect fossil resources while still enjoying the Pine Nut Mountains.

The Ruhenstroth area has also been nominated as the Ruhenstroth Paleontological Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) in the Draft Pine Nut Resource Management Plan Amendment & Environmental Impact Statement (DRMP), a document that will also update BLM management programs such as grazing, wild horses, recreation, wildlife habitat, energy development, and soils/vegetation. The DRMP is scheduled for public participation and review by late summer 2004.

What about planning for long-term vehicle access to the Pine Nut Mountains?
Road and trail access and guidance for the management of OHV opportunities is being incorporated into the Draft Pine Nut Resource Management Plan Amendment & Environmental Impact Statement (DRMP) to ensure public and resource needs are met. This is a public process and interested groups and individuals are encouraged to participate.

At a minimum, the DRMP will divide the planning area into OHV area designations that are Open (cross-country travel allowed), Limited (vehicles limited to designated or existing routes of travel), or Closed (vehicle prohibition). The DRMP will include a map of area vehicle designations. Selection of specific roads and trails within an area network will be conducted to the extent possible in the DRMP; however, if complexity, controversy or incomplete inventory data make it impossible to complete route designations within Limited use areas, the DRMP will clearly state the process and schedule for completion (within 5 years to the extent possible). Members of the public should know that both area designations and individual road and trail selections are appealable in all DRMPs.

For more information on the Ruhenstroth vehicle closure or the planning process, please contact Chuck Pope, BLM Assistant Manager for Non-renewable Resources, at (775) 885-6000.
 

Map of Closure Area.

Link to Information on Collecting Fossils in Other Areas

Updated 5/6/04