Notable Remarks

Why preserve the Paleozoic Trackways?

For more than twenty years scientists from all over the world have visited the Robledo Mountains and confirmed and acclaimed Trackways discoverer Jerry MacDonald’s findings. Following are notable remarks of a few scientists and of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), co-author of the congressional bill that created the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument:

“The fact that the area contains evidence of so many of the members of an Early Permian non-marine ecosystem preserved in one relatively small area like the Robledo Mountains is unique in the history of paleontology and makes the proposed national monument extremely significant.”

Dr. Sidney Ash, Paleobotanist
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

“Big picture, you've got one of the world’s most important footprint localities and now you’ve got an extremely important record of fossil plants and wood. Now you are starting to develop a complete picture of an ancient ecosystem.”

Spencer Lucas, Executive Director
Albuquerque Museum of Natural History and Science

“The fossil footprint localities in the Robledo Mountains of Doña Ana County, New Mexico are the most important Permian (pre-dinosaurian) tracksites in the world. Scientists around the world recognize their importance. The quantity and quality of the tracks of animals of all kinds, from large reptiles to small arthropods, [are] unmatched. They are one of the most significant fossil resources in the nation.”

Adrian P. Hunt, Ph.D. Executive Director
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

“I was astonished at the huge collection of tracks and the very good preservation of tracks at the localities. I think the Robledo track and fossil sites are one of the most important cultural scientific centers of the world for the Permian.”

Li Jianjun, Deputy Director
Beijing Natural History Museum, China

“These unique fossils are unlike anything ever discovered in the country and even the world. These trackways serve as a ‘Rosetta Stone,’ enabling the interpretation and understanding of ancient fossils from around the world.”

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)