Did you know the birth of American Paleontology occurred at Badlands National Park? The park is home to one of the largest mammal fossil caches in the world and attracts scientists from all over.
On this episode of Podcasts with Park Rangers, we talk to Interpretive Ranger and Paleontologist Ed Welsh to discover more about North America during the age of mammals, and how you as a visitor can discover fossils too!
Show Notes found at: https://www.virtualkamper.com/pwpr12/
Help keep the show on the road: https://www.patreon.com/virtualkamper/

Related Podcasts & Articles:
 

* Plan Your Trip: The Best Day Hikes at Badlands National Park
* Badlands NP: Bison, Bighorn Sheep and Black Footed Ferret – Episode 13
* Badlands NP: Growing Up in the National Parks – Episode 14

Topics Covered

* About Ranger Ed Welsh
* About Badlands National Park
* Why are they called the Badlands?
* Geology of the Badlands
* Fossils in the Badlands
* History of Paleontology
* What was the climate like?
* Animal Fossils
* How do we know when the climate changed?
* Evolution
* Animal Colorations
* Visitor Fossil Discoveries
* The Big Pig Dig
* Ed’s Love for the Badlands and the NPS
* Park Bookstores
* Thanks to Our Listeners – Let’s Connect More!

About Ranger Ed Welsh
Ranger Ed has been with Badlands National Park for 6 years, and it’s his one and only park. Many Rangers like to move around, but Ed’s skillset works best at the Badlands because he has a Masters in Paleontologist.
He started as a seasonal doing monitoring and mitigation to make sure fossils remained intact during renovation work and fossil digs. The Chief of Interpretation loved how Ed worked with the public and moved him into Resource Education as an Interpretive Ranger.
Ed is involved in field trips with grade schoolers and in distance learning over Skype — which has an international scope.
About Badlands National Park
Jagged spires in a rainbow of colors dominate the landscape in hues of grey, tan, brown, red, yellow and white. The time frame represents the time of mammals — between humans and T-Rex — starting approximately 30 million years ago. A trip through the park is like traveling through time.
The park started as a National Monument due to the unique landscape, the geology, and the history of paleontology. However, the establishment of the monument has evolved, and the scope of resources has expanded include wildlife protection and archaeology dating back to pre-Columbian native cultures.
In 1978 the Monument became a National Park.
Why are they called the Badlands?
Ranger Ed jokes: Because they are ill-behaved. In all seriousness, it’s because the land is difficult to traverse in the period before paved roads didn’t exist.