WACO, Texas — Baylor University and Waco Mammoth National Monument will celebrate the transfer of "thousands of fossils and original photographs" from excavations by Baylor to the National Park Service (NPS) on Oct. 21, the university has announced.
A signing ceremony commemorating the transfer will be held at the Mayborn Museum Complex on campus at 1 p.m. that afternoon.
While the donation gives legal ownership of the fossils and materials to the NPS, Baylor said it and the Mayborn Museum Complex are officially designated partners of Waco Mammoth National Monument, and will stay in possession of the materials as the "repository for all federally owned specimens".
"The Mayborn Museum will continue its stewardship of all fossils excavated from Waco Mammoth National Monument, and we are committed to supporting this important partnership between the university, the National Park Service, the City of Waco and the Waco Mammoth Foundation,” said Mayborn Museum Director, Charles Walter. “We look forward to years of exciting work ahead as Dr. Yann’s research unveils new information about the Ice Age and the incredible creatures that once roamed our region.”
According to Baylor University, excavations and fossil collection began in 1978 and continued through the 1980s and 1990s under the direction of the Baylor University Strecker Museum, which is now the Mayborn Museum Complex.
The university's collection documents the history and deposit of the only known nursery herd of Columbian mammoths, which mostly includes females and their children, Baylor said. While most of the fossils belong to Columbian mammoths, the site also reportedly includes other animals like fish, turtles, alligators, birds, camels, horses and bison that lived in Central Texas approximately 65,000 years ago.
All fossils that were discovered in the area remained in Waco thanks to the dedication of Baylor staff and volunteers, the university said. Specimens that are still in the ground are on display at Waco Mammoth National Monument and all donated specimens are housed in the Geosciences Collections at the Mayborn Museum Complex.
“It is amazing to be able to study all the site’s fossils in one city,” said site paleontologist Dr. Lindsey Yann. “Instead of having to travel to many institutions, I just drive less than 10 miles to the Mayborn Museum.”
The donation also reportedly includes multiple "large" field jackets of mammoth bones, said Baylor. The work will reportedly be an "ongoing collaboration" between the university and the National Park Service to try and "understand life in Central Texas 65,000 years ago".
"The National Park Service is honored to accept the donation of this important collection from Baylor University, with whom we share a dynamic partnership as stewards of the key resources for which Waco Mammoth National Monument was established,” said Acting Superintendent Christine Jacobs. “Together, we are committed to the protection and conservation of the site to inspire visitors, foster a learning environment, and support on-going research with the continued and unwavering support from the City of Waco and the Waco Mammoth Foundation."
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