Basilemys: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

This is a picture of a tortoise that was found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument a few years ago and is now on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah.  You can see the similarities to our friend Basilemys, with the jumble of bones under the shell.

 

 

 

Here are a few of the elements in the Museum’s tortoise (click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see the outline colors clearly):

• What remains of the shell is outlined in blue.  Not having the entire shell actually gives the opportunity to see what was found inside this famous specimen.

• The bone outlined in red is the pelvis.

• Outlined in green is a limb bone.

• The shape outlined in purple is a vertebra.

• The items outlined in yellow are actually fossilized eggs, which makes this tortoise pretty amazing because it’s only the second one ever to be discovered with eggs inside of it.

Also on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah is a section of shell from a basilemys like ours.  This specimen is just the plastron (bottom shell) but is one of the more complete specimens for this type of tortoise thus far.  When our current basilemys is done, it will be even more complete than this one.  It, too, will be sent to the Natural History Museum for study and eventual (we hope) display.

We will have at least a few more installments to share with you before that happens, though. Stay with us for the rest of the journey and, unless a Museum staff person is following this blog, you’ll know before the Museum does what their new arrival will look like at the end of the road .

Summer 2011 Newsletter

This issue of the newsletter talks about the growing beaver population in the Escalante watershed area,  “Bringing the Staircase to the Classroom” through Partners’ Education Outreach Program, and the 15th anniversary of the Monument’s creation.

Summer 2011 Newsletter

Read the New Escalante River Watershed Restoration Newsletter

Removing the Russian olive is only one of the Escalante River Watershed Partnership’s goals.  Take a look at the ERWP’s first newsletter to learn about how they’re studying and restoring functional beaver populations, and gathering data on vegetation, canopy cover, and geomorphology of the river.  Kudos to all the dedicated, hard-working volunteers!!

Escalante River Watershed Restoration Newsletter_Summer 2011

Russian Olive — You’re Outta Here!

Russian olive removal in the Escalante River watershed marches on! Even though the trees are beautiful with their sagebrush-colored leaves, these thorny, fast-growing  “weeds” crowd out and eliminate native flora; only the taller cottonwood trees resist their encroachment, but even then, new cottonwood growth is negatively affected.  The Russian olives, with their heavy shade canopy, also lower the temperature of the normally warm Escalante River and make the river impassable to hikers, canoeists, and kayakers.  The 22-member Escalante River Watershed Partnership, which GSE Partners raised money for and is a member of, has ambitious goals for this year:  remove trees on 450 acres of public land, retreat 355 acres to eliminate new growth, and do active restoration on 80 acres.

Kristina Pack, the Partners project coordinator who manages the field crews and arranges for outfitter and horse-packing services, will provide a detailed project report after she and the fall crews have finished their work.  Meanwhile, she suggests reading the progress reports written by Bill Wolverton, National Park Service Ranger in Escalante, to learn about what it takes to fight this battle. Bill, who began his war against the Russian olive ten years ago with his friend Bob Read, posts yearly progress reports at the Canyon Tales web site:

http://www.math.utah.edu/~sfolias/canyontales/wolverton/articles.php

The site also has articles about Bill (a very interesting character indeed) and his work. You’ll learn a lot about the Russian olive as well as Tamarisk, another invader that is not nearly as damaging as the Russian olive and is being removed with the help of beetles.