Ergasiophobia's Journal: Military plans to aquire fossil bed for training purposes

The Denver Post is reporting that the Picket Wire Canyonlands of Southeast Colorado are being targeted by nearby Fort Carson as a possible place for military training grounds. Picket Wire is well known for it's abundance of fossils, links to the past that could be lost forever if not properly handled after being found. The chances of thousands of years of history being lost are too great to give the military control over this region. In John S. Wilkins' commentary on the article he provides information on what has happened before when the military has been given control of a region rich with fossils, as he quotes Adrienne Mayor of the Dino-L list.

Badlands National Monument was established in 1939, outside of the reservation boundary. During World War II, the US Air Force took over more than 300,000 acres of land from the reservation, land that contains abundant remains of Titanotherium and other large vertebrate fossils. Beginning in 1942 and continuing until 1968, the Stronghold area was used as a huge aerial bombing range by the Air Force. Old wrecked cars were collected and painted bright yellow, then scattered throughout this badlands area as targets for the bombers. The Air Force also used plows to create gigantic bulls-eye targets, 250 feet across, carved into the prairie mesas.

Mr. Wilkin's also provides a number for the Ft. Carson Colorado Commanding General's Hotline for anyone wishing to complain, which is: [phone].