August 1 – 2: Douglas Pass

Dates: August 1st and 2nd

Leader: Dave Fangrow

Saturday and Sunday: Casual collecting at Douglas Pass in the Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation on USFS land about an hour North of Fruita, CO.

Douglas Pass is a great place for casual collecting along road-cuts at 9,000 ft of elevation, making it one of the highest WIPS field trip locations. You can expect to find well-preserved (Lagerstätte) Tertiary aged plant (leaves, amber, pine cones, seeds) and insects (beetles, flies, lepidoptera, and occasionally spiders) in shale deposits from three Eocene fresh water lakes (Lake Uinta, Lake Gosiute, and Fossil Lake). The site is well-known for plant and insect fossils dating from 48-53 myo. The matrix is composed of thin-layered shales which split easily with simple tools (dull knife, small chisel, light hammer) to reveal the fossils. Experience with splitting shale is not necessary as it is easy to learn. We will be on USFS land so their rules for casual collecting apply. If you have respiratory problems, please check with your doctor prior to signing-up. The nearest medical facility is in Fruita, CO, over an hour away.

For both days we will meet at 9:30am MT on Douglas Pass which is about an hour and a half from Grand Junction, CO and about two and a half hours from Glenwood Springs, CO. To shorten the drive Saturday morning it’s recommended folks stay in the Grand Junction / Fruita area. More detailed directions will be provided before the trip.

Other things to do in the area – There are lots of interesting things to do in this area to explore deep time whether it be paleontology, archaeology, or geology. These sites will not be part of the official field trip but they are easy to tack-on to your trip. Each person will be responsible for their own fees:
— Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Visitor Center – Between Vernal, UT and Dinosaur, CO.
— Dinosaur Journey Museum – Fruita, CO
— Colorado National Monument – Fruita, CO – Camping available

If you have questions about the trip, please contact Dave Fangrow.