BLM moves to protect fossils in Tule Springs area
By Henry Brean

No homes will be built on top of the mammoths of Tule Springs anytime soon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Friday that it won't allow the auction of almost 11,000 acres of fossil-rich federal land at the valley's northern edge.

Tule Springs and the Upper Las Vegas Wash are dotted with ice age fossils and rare plants.

Conservationists hailed the decision as a first step in securing the area until it can be designated as a national monument.

"This is an important day for conservation," said Rob Mrowka, a Nevada-based ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. "These lands are truly the last remaining opportunities for preserving and protecting the natural heritage of the Las Vegas Valley."

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Copyright © 2012 The Las Vegas Reivew-Journal.

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