Our Mission
Protecting, preserving, supporting and promoting responsible stewardship of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument and Ice Age Fossils State Park.
Upcoming Events
Our Story
Protectors of Tule Springs was informally founded in 2006 in an effort to preserve the last of the undeveloped portions of the Upper Las Vegas Wash basin in the northwest portion of the Las Vegas Valley.
In the early 2000s, those areas were proposed as a disposal area for the further development of the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, and unincorporated Clark County. During a meeting held to finalize the proposed disposal of these lands, a small group of citizens became aware of the unique paleontological and biological resources that would be forever lost to more roads, housing and commercial development should the proposed disposal boundary be approved.
This small group of North Las Vegas residents began an 8-year effort to forever protect what was nearly lost.
Protectors of Tule Springs became a formal non-profit corporation and recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2012.
Monumental Mammoth Sculpted from Recycled Desert Trash
Southern Nevada will soon have an iconic, life-sized Columbian Mammoth sculpture, inspired by the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument! The Monumental Mammoth will be permanently installed at Ice Age Fossils State Park, slated to open later this year. But we need your help to make this happen!
News About Protectors
Congratulations to Our Newest V.I.P. Amanda Simmons
At our May membership meeting, Amanda Simmons was named as our latest V.I.P. – Very Important Protector. Amanda was recognized for her role in learning and helping with our complex database management system, as well as for assisting our Secretary Kathryn Brandel with...
Trust the Science!
There's a lot of talk of "science" these days, but you may not know how important a role that the Tule Springs area has in modern-day scientific methods. It started with the first documented fossil discovery in 1903, the Fenley Hunter archaeological expedition in the...
Happy New Trails to You!
Recently, 15 volunteers led by Dev Basudev and Sandy Croteau marked and cleared two loops off of Durango Drive and Moccasin Road to create new temporary interpretive trails inside Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. Just follow the markers through one of...
Meet Our Newest V.I.P.!
At our January membership meeting, Holly Good was named as our latest V.I.P. – Very Important Protector. Holly was recognized for her tireless work to get the new Horse Patrol program underway. She received the thanks of the Board along with a certificate and a $50...
Our Next Membership Meeting is for the Birds!
The next Protectors of Tule Springs membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 31st. The meeting will be held from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Sun City Aliante Clubhouse, 7390 Aliante Parkway. The agenda will include updates by personnel from Tule Springs Fossil Beds...
It’s Time to Hit the Trail at TUSK!
The Aliante Loop Temporary Trail is now open at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (TUSK)! Follow the markers to navigate the roughed-in trail to waypoints with QR codes linking to interpretative content of the sights along the 3.25 miles of desert terrain....
Partnerships and Support
Protectors’ public awareness campaign evolved into a partnership with a diverse group of organizations and a broad base of public support. Managed by the National Park Service, the effort to make this area a national monument attracted the unanimous support of local elected officials, the United States Air Force, the Las Vegas Paiute tribe, tourism industry leaders, educators, scientists, conservation organizations and community groups. In addition, thousands of citizens registered their support.
Four local government entities – the Clark County Commission, the Las Vegas Mayor and Council, the North Las Vegas Mayor and Council, and the Tribal Council of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe – voted on and unanimously passed a resolution in November 2009 asking Congress to make Tule Springs a part of the National Park System.