Thursday, September 13, 2007
Efforts to transform a fragile collection of mammoth bones found along the Bosque River into a nationally prominent tourist attraction have reached critical mass, and community leaders say it’s now a question of when the project will happen, not if.
The National Park Service has determined the site meets its criteria to be included in its park system and is now moving to the second phase: determining what its role in the site should be.
But leaders with the city of Waco, Baylor University and the Waco Mammoth Foundation aren’t waiting on a green light from Washington, D.C., to make the project happen.
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The Waco Mammoth Foundation now has more than $1 million committed in its $3 million fundraising campaign to build the first phase, which includes a visitors center, roads and a climate-controlled pavilion to protect the bones. A $200,000 grant will help with the pavilion.
City Manager Larry Groth expects to have the funds in hand early next year and begin bidding the project, which could take nine months to build. The design is almost complete now, he said.
“At this point in history, we now have all the components in place,” Groth said this week, standing on a platform overlooking the mammoth remains.
“For the first time, we have a great plan, fundraising people and national park money to get the resource study done,” he said. “We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re going to get something done, and we’re within months of that happening.”
Since the mammoth site was discovered in 1978, Baylor University researchers have found 24 Columbian mammoths, plus a prehistoric camel and a cat. Many of the skeletons now are in storage at Baylor, but some impressive skeletons have been left under a tent at the site in hopes they can be preserved and presented in their natural environment.
“This has gone on a number of years since the discovery,” said Gloria Young, who heads the support committee of the Waco Mammoth Foundation. “We’re at the use-it or lose-it stage. We’ve got to get the funds raised and the bones protected and open to the public. That’s why we’re on the move.”
Future phases of the development plan include water taxis on the Bosque River, nature trails and campgrounds.
The outlook is good for some kind of National Park Service recognition of the site, and local mammoth boosters say that would raise the profile of the site, attracting tourists and donations.
This spring, the park service determined that the site met its criteria: It was a nationally significant resource; it was suitable or helpful in expanding the diversity of park service offerings; and it was feasible or practical to be developed at a reasonable cost.
Russ Whitlock, superintendent of the LBJ Ranch in Johnson City and Texas coordinator for the National Park Service, said the mammoth site is unique and impressive.
“When you find a site of this significance, it’s important to protect it and share the story with the public,” he said. “It’s the only known place in the nation where you have this large a collection of mammoth remains from a single herd.”
According to a new publication by the National Park Service, the ongoing study is suggesting four possible scenarios for future management of the site:
* Status quo, or keeping the 109-acre site under the control of Baylor University and the city of Waco.
* The city of Waco operates the site as a public attraction with the assistance of Baylor and the National Park Service for preservation, study and educational outreach. It would be recognized as a “National Park Service affiliated area” and could be advertised as such.
* The city and the National Park Service co-own the site and work together to operate it, with scientific help from Baylor.
* The National Park Service takes over the site completely, with some assistance from Baylor and the city.
Public comment is being sought on future management alternatives, and a public meeting will be scheduled. Some time next year, the recommendations could be sent to Congress for approval.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said it’s important for Central Texans to make their voices heard in the process.
“The dream would be to have it a full-fledged national park funded and managed by the Department of the Interior,” said Edwards, who pushed for the study of that possibility. “But any official affiliation with the national park system would be a great shot in the arm. It would add credibility and it would be a catalyst for raising additional funds.”
Edwards said that in the short term, it’s difficult to find funds for new national parks, given that existing parks are facing budget cutbacks. But he noted that this park is relatively small, and federal funding may be possible.
In the meantime, the bones remain in peril, said Ellie Caston, director of Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum, a partner in the project.
At a recent tour of the site, she noted muddy areas under the tent where water has pooled during recent rains. Baylor scientists are vigilant during rainstorms, using shovels and hay bales to divert water from the bones, she said, but it’s not easy. Ground wasps and other insects also are a menace to the bones, and she fears human vandalism. The bones aren’t fossilized and could be easily pulverized by touch.
No new skeletons have been exhumed in several years, but Baylor scientists hope to resume archaeological work once the site is secured and opened to the public.
“We have to think about this as a site for the next 20, 30 or 100 years,” she said. “We have to maintain the integrity of the site.”
Gloria Young, the mammoth site fundraiser, said there’s “tremendous” community interest in the site, and there will be even more once the public can see it.
“This will make us a major tourism destination and, education-wise, it’s one of the most exciting things we could have,” she said. “It’s like God sent us down this special gift, and our job is to take care of it.”
jbsmith@wacotrib.com
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