2011 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 11-018 BY SENATOR(S) Schwartz, Aguilar, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll, Foster, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Heath, Hudak, Jahn, Johnston, King K., King S., Kopp, Lambert, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Roberts, Scheffel, Shaffer B., Spence, Steadman, Tochtrop, White, Williams S.; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Bradford, Acree, Balmer, Barker, Baumgardner, Becker, Beezley, Brown, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner B., Gardner D., Gerou, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Jones, Joshi, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., Labuda, Lee, Levy, Liston, Looper, Massey, McCann, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pabon, Pace, Peniston, Priola, Ramirez, Riesberg, Ryden, Schafer S., Scott, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger, Szabo, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Williams A., Wilson, McNulty. CONCERNING RECOGNITION OF THE ICE AGE DISCOVERY IN SNOWMASS VILLAGE. WHEREAS, Following 6 years of negotiations, the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District (District) purchased the Ziegler family's 12-acre lake, known as Ziegler Reservoir, in April 2007 with the intent of enlarging the reservoir; and WHEREAS, On October 14, 2010, Jesse Steele, a Gould Construction company bulldozer operator working on the expansion of Ziegler Reservoir, unearthed the remains of a juvenile Columbian mammoth; and WHEREAS, Mr. Steele and project manager Kent Olson unearthed approximately 25% of the original mammoth's bones and Kit Hamby, manager of the District, and Joe Enzer, site supervisor for the District, recognized the significance of the discovery and managed the initial discovery, stabilized the site, cared for the bones that had been collected at that time, and kept the site running safely and smoothly during all of the ensuing chaos; and WHEREAS, On October 15th, 2010, the site was secured and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Museum) was notified of the discovery; on October 16th, Museum staff member Bryan Small and volunteers Tony DiCroce and Mel Grantham arrived, followed on October 19th by Dr. Ian Miller, Curator of Paleontology and Chair of the Museum's Earth Science Department; and on October 27th Dr. Miller returned to the site with Dr. Steve Holen, Curator of Archaeology and the Museum's resident mammoth expert, and Dr. Kirk Johnson, Vice President of Research and Collections and Chief Curator; and WHEREAS, While the Museum staff were visiting the site on October 27th, Jesse Steele discovered more bones, and this time, the bones were identified as mastodon bones; and WHEREAS, It was determined that the bones and fossils were owned by the State of Colorado and that the Museum would be the official repository for them and the official excavation began, directed by Drs. Miller and Johnson; and WHEREAS, Although it was clear from the beginning that this was a remarkable discovery, only during the next few weeks, as more of the ancient animals were discovered in over twenty different site locations, would the true significance of the site be understood; and WHEREAS, District employees spent many hours caring for, cleaning, and storing the rare bones and, between October 25th and November 1st, District personnel and Museum educator Samantha Sands displayed the bones to over 8,500 students at local schools and to approximately 3,500 visitors at the District office; and WHEREAS, On November 3rd, the top of a large skull was discovered at the dig site and, based on the fact that two mastodon tusks had been discovered nearby, Dr. Holen concluded that the skull was most likely a mastodon's; and WHEREAS, November 4th was a significant day at the dig site, with the discovery of two additional species, a Jefferson's ground sloth and an Ice Age deer and, on November 8th, a second Columbian mammoth was also discovered; and WHEREAS, The final tally of animal bones and fossils discovered at the dig site before the winter snow began to fly in mid-November is unprecedented: Four Columbian mammoths; four Ice Age bison; one Jefferson's ground sloth, a species that has never been found before in Colorado; more than 600 bones and 16 tusks, parts of 8 to 10 mastodon; one small salamander; two Ice Age deer; fossils of beaver-chewed wood; small invertebrates, including snails and insects; plant fossils, including fir and spruce cones, grasses, seeds, pollen, and wood; and amazingly well-preserved fossil plants and microscopic fossils; and WHEREAS, The discovery is unique because there are no known sites in Colorado, and few in North America, that contain both mammoth and mastodon bones in one location; and WHEREAS, Because of the interest shown by the public in this discovery, in January 2011, the Town of Snowmass Village convened the Ice Age Discovery Committee to determine how to best communicate the discovery to the people in the Roaring Fork Valley; and WHEREAS, Less than four months after its initial discovery on October 14th, it is clear that the Ziegler Reservoir site is potentially one of the most important Pleistocene, or Ice Age, fossil sites in North America; and WHEREAS, The potential importance of the site is based on five distinct features: The site is located at 8,874 feet above sea level and high elevation Pleistocene fossil sites are extremely rare; the site contains several fossil-bearing horizons, which will allow for the reconstruction of a series of ecosystems; the site contains a broad diversity of plant, vertebrate, and invertebrate fossils, which will allow for more complete ecosystem analyses; the preservation of the fossils is exceptional and there are indications that ancient DNA and proteins have been preserved; and radiocarbon dating indicates that the sediment at the site is more than 45,000 years old and local glacial geology suggests that the moraine that formed the lake was formed between 130,000 and 150,000 years ago; and WHEREAS, While the precise age of the site is not yet known, well-preserved fossil sites between 45,000 and 150,000 years old are very rare, and the Ziegler Reservoir site appears unique and has tremendous potential to contribute to the understanding of the Pleistocene Age in North America; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the General Assembly: (1) Commend the workers at Gould Construction, the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District, the citizens of Snowmass Village, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for their incredible discovery and the diligence, care, and effort that they put forth to preserve and protect this wonderful discovery; (2) Recognize the significance of the find at Ziegler Reservoir for the State of Colorado and its residents and for the scientific community in Colorado, the United States, North America, and around the world; and (3) Congratulate the citizens of Snowmass Village on this historic occasion and recognize that Snowmass Village is home to one of the most important Ice Age discoveries in Colorado and is prominent on the paleontological map of North America. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Jesse Steele, the employee of Gould Construction who made the initial find; Kent Olson, Project Superintendent for Gould Construction; Paul Jacobson, Project Manager on the Ziegler Reservoir project; Mark Gould, President and CEO of Gould Construction; Kit Hamby, Snowmass Water and Sanitation District Manager; Douglas Throm, Rhonda Bazil, Joseph W. Farrell III, David F. Dawson, and Michael P. Shore, the Board of Directors of the District; Joe Enzer, site supervisor for the District; Jenny Hamby, Jane Campbell, Christie Duckett, Ashley Hamby, Gretchen Stock-Bell, and Debbie Dietz Shore, all District employees who spent countless hours working to allow the public access to the bones and site; Russ Forrest, Town of Snowmass Village Town Manager; Bill Boineau, Town of Snowmass Village Mayor; Susan Hamley, Town of Snowmass Marketing Director; Liz Miller, who cooked for the field crew; the Ziegler family, former owners of the reservoir; Kevin Black, Acting State Archaeologist, who issued the permit for the excavation; and Denver Museum of Nature & Science employees Samantha Sands, Museum educator; Dane Miller, volunteer and on-site crew leader; Bryan Small, Preparator; Tony DiCroce, volunteer; Mel Grantham, volunteer; Carol Lucking, employee and on-site fossil data coordinator; Richard Stucky, Curator; Dr. Kirk Johnson, Vice President of Research and Collections and Chief Curator; Dr. Ian Miller, Curator of Paleontology; Dr. Steve Holen, Curator of Archaeology and resident mammoth expert; and George Sparks, President and CEO. ____________________________ ____________________________ Brandon C. Shaffer Frank McNulty PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES