President Obama to officially declare Waco Mammoth Site as national monument - Waco Tribune-Herald
“It is a day that has been long anticipated,” said Gloria Young, a Waco Mammoth Foundation treasurer who led a $4. 2 million fundraising campaign to develop and protect the site. The designation means that the National Park Service will manage the five-acre mammoth dig site in partnership with the city and Baylor University. Since 1978, the remains of 24 Columbian mammoths have been discovered at the site, dating back some 65,000 years. The remains include the nation’s only known “nursery” herd of mammoths, and more remains are thought to be in the area. “These unique and well-preserved remains provide superlative opportunities for scientific study, including a rare opportunity to understand the behavior and ecology of the now-extinct Columbian mammoth,” a fact sheet from the White House stated. National Park Service director Jon Jarvis toured the site this spring and announced his support for a national monument in a meeting with hundreds of local supporters. City leaders throughout the 2000s worked with congressional delegates to get the national designation through Congress, but fell short. Last year, the city began working for an executive order with the help of the National Parks Conservation. Source: www.wacotrib.com
