Osteodontornis orri fossil found in Santa Monica Mountains Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Facts: • Approximately 153,000 acres make Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area the world's largest urban national park • The recreation area is surrounded by a megalopolis of 17 million people - the Los Angeles metropolitan area • More than 33 million visitors enjoy the beaches and mountains in the recreation area each year • An extraordinary density of nearly 1,000 archeological sites exist within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area • Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is home to 25 rare, threatened, or endangered species of plants and animals Please contact the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for more information at (805) 370-2300, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/samo.

Paleontology

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area contains one of the most extensive and diverse assemblages of fossil material known in the National Park Service. There are at least 2,300 known fossil localities, representing over a dozen fossiliferous geologic formations. Invertebrate, vertebrate, paleobotanical, protista, and trace fossils occur, ranging in age from the Late Jurassic to Pleistocene.

The diversity of the fauna, both marine and terrestrial, is extraordinary. Additionally, the quality of preservation is remarkable in many specimens, especially the fully articulated skeletons of fossil fish that are comparable to the world-famous Eocene Green River Formation fossil fish from Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Paleontological resources are constantly unearthed and significant finds will continue to emerge providing new opportunities for scientists.

Current Research
Scientists have been conducting paleontological research in the Santa Monica Mountains throughout the 20th century. A brief review of this work may be found in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Paleontological Survey (Koch, et al. 2004), a technical report produced by the National Park Service Geologic Resources Division.

Currently, the National Park Service is aware of ongoing investigations of the fossil flora and fauna at two particularly rich sites, Old Topanga Canyon and Saddle Peak, within the mountains. Paleontologists working in the Santa Monica Mountains area include researchers from the following:

Research Opportunities
The National Park Service is particularly concerned with the effects of erosion and human activities on the paleontological resources of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park has identified three specific research needs:

Researchers in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area have access to an extensive geographic information system (GIS) database that includes land use, demographic, jurisdictional, political, and natural and cultural resource data.

The National Park Service looks forward to working with researchers to explore novel opportunities and facilitate future studies in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area through the CMRLC. Please contact the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for more information at (805) 370-2300, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/samo.