File:-conservationlands15 Social Media Takeover, March 15th, Prehistoric Trackways National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico (16784606366).jpg

1. conservationlands15 Social Media Takeover, March 15th

Our #conservationlands15 celebration continues with dinosaur finds on the BLM’s National Conservation Lands. Check out the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, as a preview of cool things to come. The Monument includes a major deposit of Paleozoic Era fossilized footprint mega-trackways from a time that predates even the dinosaurs.

The trackways contain footprints of numerous amphibians, reptiles, and insects (including previously unknown species) as well as plants and petrified wood dating back 280 million years. These fossils collectively provide new opportunities to understand animal behaviors and environments. The site contains one of the most scientifically significant Early Permian track sites in the world. Visitors can view trackways displays at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque.

And any trip to the Prehistoric Trackways and Las Cruces area should include the must-see Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, just a stone’s throw away from across the Rio Grande Valley, and one of New Mexico’s most breathtaking landscapes. The area offers hiking, camping, rock climbing and nature study right in the back yard of the community.