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Leave fossil footprints where they are, keep people and equipment off the track surface, document the locality from a safe and permitted position, and notify the responsible land manager. That approach protects the geologic context that makes a trackway scientifically useful. A visitor should not scrape, wet, chalk, remove, mold, cast, or attempt to repair exposed tracks. A site manager or authorized research team should first establish a documented baseline, identify the locality’s actual threats, and obtain the permissions and specialist advice required before any intervention.
The detailed rules vary with land ownership and site conditions. National Park Service (NPS) discovery guidance applies to finds in national parks; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) restrictions at Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Tracksite are specific to that site. Treat those examples as models for careful behavior, not as a substitute for the current instructions governing the locality you are visiting.
Why fossil footprints need a different kind of protection
Fossil footprints and trackways are trace fossils: physical evidence of an organism’s activity preserved in its original geologic setting. The print is not merely an isolated impression. Its position in a layer, relationship to adjacent beds, orientation, spacing, depth, associated sediment, and signs of weathering can all contribute to interpretation. Moving, abrading, filling, or coating the surface can destroy information that cannot be recreated.
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What to do if you discover fossil footprints
1. Stop before you reach the track-bearing surface
Pause on stable ground and look for a designated route, overlook, or other place from which the locality can be viewed without stepping on the bedrock or sediment that contains the tracks. Keep footwear, tripods, bags, vehicles, and sampling tools off the track surface. Do not test whether an impression is genuine by touching it or brushing sediment away.
2. Do not alter the print
Do not scrape, chip, clean, wet, chalk, paint, or otherwise mark a footprint. Do not remove loose fragments that appear to have fallen from it. Do not make a mold or cast unless a land manager has expressly authorized that work under the applicable rules and permits. An apparently harmless action can erase edges, fill sedimentary detail, or introduce material that complicates later study.
3. Photograph only from a safe, permitted position
Take overview and detail photographs without entering a restricted area. Include the surrounding geology when it can be done without approaching the print, because the context helps a manager locate and evaluate the report. A phone camera is sufficient for reporting; a dedicated camera is optional, not a requirement. Follow posted rules about photography, drones, tripods, and access.
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NPS visitor guidance for discoveries in national parks recommends marking the spot on a map or using a smartphone or handheld GPS device to record coordinates. Choose the method that is practical and permitted at that locality. Note the park, monument, or other land unit, the nearest named feature, the date, and how you reached the viewing point. Do not enter a dangerous area merely to improve coordinate accuracy.
5. Leave the fossil in place and report it
Tell a ranger or the responsible land manager what you found, where it is, and whether you observed fresh damage or an immediate hazard. In a national park, the NPS instruction is to photograph the fossil, record its location, leave it where found, and tell a ranger. Outside the National Park System, contact the agency, tribal authority, museum, or other manager identified for that land rather than assuming NPS procedures apply.
6. Protect sensitive location information
Do not post precise coordinates, access directions, or close-up location clues publicly when disclosure could increase the risk of theft, vandalism, or uncontrolled visitation. BLM policy treats paleontological locality information as sensitive and establishes conditions for its release. Send the necessary details privately to the responsible manager and follow that manager’s instructions about public communication.
7. Report damage instead of confronting people
If someone is walking on tracks, breaking material, making a mold, or otherwise vandalizing the resource, notify the land manager or appropriate authority. NPS visitor guidance asks people to report vandalism or inappropriate activity. Avoid a physical confrontation and do not put yourself in danger while trying to protect the site.
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Before approaching any fossil locality, identify who manages the land and read the current signs, visitor notices, permit conditions, and closure orders. Federal, state, tribal, municipal, private, and international jurisdictions can have different definitions of collecting, different access controls, and different penalties. A rule that is lawful at one locality may be prohibited at another.
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At BLM’s Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Tracksite, visitor guidance allows viewing and photography but specifically prohibits walking on tracks, removing material, defacing surfaces, and making molds or casts. Those prohibitions illustrate the level of care expected at a vulnerable tracksite; they are not a blanket statement of every land manager’s law. Confirm the actual site’s requirements before entering or handling anything.
How a manager should establish a preservation baseline
Monitoring cannot show change unless the starting condition is recorded consistently. NPS technical guidance recommends defining and mapping the locality, describing it, and recording photographs before designing a monitoring program. The baseline should be detailed enough that another qualified observer can find the same area and distinguish natural change from differences in camera position or observer judgment.
Describe the locality and its geologic setting
- Define the geographic extent of the track-bearing exposure and map its boundaries.
- Describe the fossil-bearing rock, including visible properties relevant to its resistance or weakness.
- Record relationships to adjacent layers, bedding, fractures, ledges, and overhangs.
- Note slope, drainage, vegetation cover, and other environmental conditions that could influence erosion or access.
- Identify individual footprints, trackways, breaks, loose blocks, and areas where the surface is already deteriorating.
The purpose is not to create a generic form. The observations should reflect the actual locality and the management questions that need answering.
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Use a map that shows the track exposure, safe observation points, approaches, hazards, and any route or surface that must remain closed. Keep precise locality information in the access-controlled records required by the land manager. A public map can show a general destination or designated viewing area without revealing coordinates that would facilitate unauthorized collecting.
Build a photographic record
Establish repeatable photo points and record the camera position, direction of view, and the feature being documented. Include both broad views of the exposure and closer views that can be safely obtained. Consistency matters more than owning specialized equipment: later images are useful only when managers can compare the same feature under reasonably comparable conditions.
Record threats in the baseline
List the processes and activities present at that locality instead of copying a standard hazard list. NPS identifies erosion as a major concern and also discusses rockfall, undercutting, flooding or wave action, leaching of sedimentary cement, freeze-thaw cycles, visitor activity, theft, and vandalism. A site may face one of these threats, several, or none at a particular time. Record visible evidence, the affected area, and the consequence for the tracks.
Designing monitoring that answers a management question
Monitoring should be tied to a decision: for example, whether a trail is directing visitors onto a vulnerable surface, whether an undercut is enlarging, or whether a track edge is losing definition. NPS guidance emphasizes site-specific monitoring rather than a universal schedule or treatment. Select observations that can be repeated and that measure the threat you actually need to understand.
Repeat photography
Return to established photo points and repeat the same views. Record the date, conditions, photographer, equipment position, and any circumstance that affects comparison. Timing should be set from site variables and management objectives. A shoreline exposure may require a different cadence from a sheltered inland outcrop; the guidance does not establish one interval for every tracksite.
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Mapping and condition measurements
Update the locality map when the exposed area, cracks, undercuts, drainage paths, or access routes change. Use condition measures that are meaningful for the threat being evaluated, such as the presence of new breaks or loss of a recognizable edge. Define the terms and methods so different observers do not record ordinary visual variation as deterioration.
Visitor and security observations
Where people are a risk, document signs of foot traffic, touch, collecting, graffiti, unauthorized molds, vehicle access, or newly disturbed material. Record the date and location of each observation and pass reports of active damage to the responsible authority. Monitoring is not a substitute for enforcement, and field staff should not confront suspected vandals.
Review and update the plan
Compare new observations with the baseline and ask whether the information supports a management decision. If the threat changes, revise the monitoring design. A method that detects shoreline erosion may not reveal freeze-thaw damage, rockfall, or visitor abrasion. Keep the records, photographs, and maps together so future managers can understand how conclusions were reached.
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Threats to exposed footprints and how to recognize them
| Threat | What to look for | Management response |
|---|---|---|
| Erosion | Loss of sediment, rounded or disappearing edges, expanding runoff channels, or a widening exposed surface. | Document the change with repeatable photographs and mapping; obtain authorized paleontological and land-management advice before any stabilization. |
| Rockfall and undercutting | Detached blocks, fresh cracks, overhangs, unsupported ledges, or collapse at the edge of the track-bearing layer. | Keep visitors out of danger zones and have qualified personnel evaluate the exposure and access route. |
| Flooding or wave action | Water scour, sediment accumulation, debris impact, or repeated wetting and drying at a shore or drainage. | Monitor the process at times relevant to the locality and adjust access or observation points as authorized. |
| Leaching of sedimentary cement | Surface grains loosening or a visibly weakening layer where cement is being removed. | Record the condition and seek specialist advice; do not apply a chemical consolidant on your own. |
| Freeze-thaw cycles | New cracks, flaking, detached chips, or widening fractures after periods of freezing and thawing. | Use repeat observations suited to the local climate and consult the manager before proposing physical protection. |
| Visitor activity | Footprints over the fossil, scuffing, touch-polished surfaces, chalk, graffiti, litter, or informal paths. | Report incidents, control access according to the site plan, and provide viewing from a safe route where appropriate. |
| Theft and vandalism | Missing fragments, fresh tool marks, unauthorized molds or casts, or disturbed barriers and signs. | Preserve the evidence, notify the responsible authority, and protect sensitive locality information. |
These categories are prompts for an actual site assessment, not a diagnosis from a photograph alone. A qualified manager must determine which process is operating and whether a response is safe and lawful.
Keeping visitors close enough to learn without damaging the resource
Public access and preservation are not automatically opposites. A manager can designate a route, overlook, or viewing boundary that lets people see and photograph the tracks while keeping vulnerable surfaces closed. The appropriate distance, barriers, signs, and supervision depend on the exposure, terrain, visitor behavior, and legal authority at that locality.
Explain the reason for restrictions in visitor information: footprints are trace fossils, the surface is irreplaceable, and walking or handling can destroy evidence. Give visitors a positive alternative, such as an approved observation point, rather than inviting them to find their own route. Reassess the arrangement when monitoring shows that people are bypassing it or when natural erosion changes the safe approach.
When collection or intervention may be considered
Removal, excavation, casting, chemical consolidation, covering, fencing, or other physical intervention is not a do-it-yourself preservation step. The guidance available for these sources supports documentation, monitoring, and authorized management but does not establish one treatment recipe for every exposed footprint. Materials and methods that are appropriate in one rock, climate, or ownership context can damage another site or violate the law.
Confirm authority and permits first
NPS says permits are required for scientific fossil collection in national parks. BLM’s August 1, 2022 memorandum describes its framework for implementing the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 and protections for sensitive locality data. Before collection or intervention, researchers should confirm land ownership, current regulations, permit conditions, safety requirements, and the institution that will curate any approved specimens or records.
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Get an authorized technical assessment
Describe the problem with the baseline record, photographs, maps, and monitoring results. Ask the responsible land manager how to obtain paleontological, geological, engineering, or conservation advice as appropriate. Do not infer approval from the fact that a product is sold for stone, masonry, or museum objects. No general-purpose household coating, adhesive, sealant, or waterproofing treatment is established here as safe for fossil track surfaces.
Keep decisions reversible where possible
An authorized plan should state the objective, method, people responsible, safety controls, documentation, and criteria for stopping. It should also address what happens to removed material, samples, molds, casts, photographs, and locality data. If those questions have not been answered by the land manager and permit authority, the correct action is continued protection and monitoring, not experimentation.
Documentation methods: choosing among a map, phone, and GPS
| Method | Best use | Limit to recognize |
|---|---|---|
| Paper or digital map | Marking the locality relative to trails, landmarks, and management boundaries. | Accuracy depends on the map scale and the observer’s ability to identify the correct feature. |
| Smartphone location function | Quickly recording coordinates and attaching them to a report when permitted. | Device availability, reception, battery, and local policy can affect use; never enter a hazardous area for a better reading. |
| Handheld GPS | Recording coordinates when a dedicated field receiver is available and allowed. | It is optional; NPS lists it as one location-recording choice, not a requirement for visitors. |
Use more than one description when practical: a coordinate or map mark plus the land unit, nearby named feature, date, and safe approach. Keep the detailed record with the report rather than publishing it on an unrestricted social platform.
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A field checklist for visitors
- Identify the land manager and read the current access and collection rules.
- Stop short of the track surface and keep people, pets, equipment, and vehicles off it.
- Do not touch, wet, chalk, scrape, chip, clean, remove, mold, or cast the footprint.
- Photograph from an approved position, including context when safe.
- Record the location with a map, smartphone, or handheld GPS as permitted.
- Note the date, locality, visible threats, and any immediate safety concern.
- Leave the fossil in place.
- Report the discovery to a ranger or responsible land manager.
- Report vandalism or active damage; do not confront people physically.
- Keep precise coordinates private when public release could increase risk.
A field checklist for managers and authorized teams
- Confirm ownership, jurisdiction, current regulations, permits, and institutional responsibilities.
- Define and map the locality and document its geologic relationships.
- Describe slope, vegetation, drainage, exposure, and other relevant environmental conditions.
- Establish repeatable photo points and preserve the original images and field notes.
- Record existing damage, natural processes, visitor activity, theft risk, and vandalism risk.
- Choose monitoring observations that answer a specific management question.
- Set timing from site conditions and management objectives, not a universal calendar.
- Provide safe viewing and restrict vulnerable surfaces according to local authority.
- Review changes against the baseline and revise the plan when threats change.
- Obtain authorized specialist advice before stabilization, excavation, removal, casting, or treatment.
- Protect sensitive locality information and share it only under applicable policy.
Common mistakes and the safer alternative
Walking over a print to confirm it
Why it fails: A single step can abrade the surface or crush a fragile edge, while the person may also fall or disturb surrounding context.
Safer alternative: Observe and photograph from the permitted route, then report the location for professional evaluation.
Wetting or chalking a footprint for contrast
Why it fails: Water and marking materials alter the surface and can introduce substances that obscure or damage detail.
Safer alternative: Use ordinary photography from a safe position and let the manager decide whether any approved documentation method is appropriate.
Taking a souvenir fragment
Why it fails: Removal destroys context and may violate the law or site rules.
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Safer alternative: Leave all material in place and report loose or broken pieces.
Applying a consolidant or adhesive
Why it fails: There is no universal treatment recipe established for exposed footprints, and an improvised chemical can change the rock or prevent later study.
Safer alternative: Document the condition, restrict unsafe access if authorized, and seek a land-manager-approved specialist assessment.
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Publishing exact coordinates immediately
Why it fails: Publicity can attract unprepared visitors, collectors, or vandals to a vulnerable locality.
Safer alternative: Send precise information privately to the responsible authority and follow its disclosure policy.
Frequently misunderstood questions
Are all visible footprints open for public access?
No. Access depends on the land manager, current closures, hazards, and the condition of the exposure. A visible track can still be on a closed or restricted surface.
Can I make a cast if I am careful?
Not without explicit authorization. The Moccasin Mountain BLM guidance prohibits molds and casts at that site, and other jurisdictions may impose different restrictions. Ask the actual manager before doing anything beyond observation and permitted photography.
Does a GPS receiver have to be used?
No. NPS lists a map, smartphone, or handheld GPS as options for recording a discovery in a national park. Use the method allowed and practical for the locality.
How often should a site be photographed?
There is no single interval for every tracksite. NPS guidance calls for repeat photography from established points, with timing selected from site-specific variables and management objectives.
Should a manager cover or fence the tracks immediately?
Not automatically. Covering, fencing, stabilization, and excavation require an authorized plan based on the actual threat, safety conditions, law, and conservation advice. Continue protecting and documenting the site while that assessment is obtained.
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