Meanwhile in Dinosaur Land

White Cedar fossil from McAbee Fossil Beds.

It’s not just petroglyphs that have a hard time getting protected in this province.  PalaeoBlog raises the issue of the unusual, exceptionally rich, 50 million year old McAbee Eocene fossil beds near Cache Creek, in the BC interior.  It seems the BC Government has reneged on a deal to help protect and manage these beds, which are exposed in a highway cut.  This deal involved the B.C. Paleontological Society, the RBCM, and Thompson Rivers University.  The Kamloops News has the story.  Once again, the Powers that Be are shown to be Philistines in shark’s clothing.  Maybe if someone told them that Adam and Eve lived in those ancient meadows, frolicking with dinosaurs, they would have a little more interest.  The Fossil Museum has a nice page which makes the importance of the McAbee beds quite clear.