Dinosaur Track Clean Out at Dinosaur Valley State Park

By: Stephanie Keith

The paleontologist, Glen, that was here a year or two ago is back to explore the dry river beds for dinosaur tracks!  He will be here for a couple of weeks and welcomes all help to clean, document, and identify the exposed tracks.  I helped last time and it was an amazing experience!

His contact information is below if any of our members are interested.  They can reach out to him directly.

Glen’s contact info:

440-241-2509

[email protected]

Dear Master Naturalists,

I am leading another dinosaur track cleaning and mapping project in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, Texas.  Some volunteers and I have already cleaned many tracks, and have found some new ones, but we are looking for more volunteers for this week and the coming weekend.  I appreciate the enthusiastic help of several Master Naturalist members during our project on the Long Trail last year.  We may do more work there again, but this time we are focusing mainly on the spectacular Ballroom Site, containing hundreds of wonderful tracks.  I realize not everyone can take the extreme heat we’re having, but we have been mostly working in the morning and evening, and in shaded areas or under canopies.  If you can help any day or even part of a day (especially during the week), please contact me at [email protected], or call or text me at 440-241-2509.

Thanks very much!

Glen Kuban

440-241-2509

This is the write up from last year:

Dear Master Naturalist:

Long time dinosaur track researcher Glen Kuban and other track enthusiasts are planning to take advantage of the exceptionally dry Paluxy riverbed in Glen Rose to do more track cleaning and mapping, and hopefully find some new tracks. We are hoping some Master Naturalists or others you know may be interested in helping out. Glen hopes to start on another major track project for which we can use lots of help: to expose, map, and drone film the long “Deep Dino” trail (aka “Lone Ranger Trail” or “IID trail”) in the SE area of the park, along with as many nearby tracks as possible. Since the area is not only dry now but also has relatively little sediment over the track beds (a rare combination) the work should not be too difficult, except for the heat.  The long trail is special for several reasons. 1. It is longest known dinosaur trackway in North America, containing at least 157 known footprints spanning over 500 ft, 2. It curves in several places, 3. Every left to right step is longer than the right to left, for reasons unknown 4. It crosses many other interesting trails, and runs through the renown Taylor Site on the upriver end, featuring many well-infilled and color-distinct (some with heel impressions once mistaken for human tracks, as well as rare ornithopod tracks (made by bipedal plant eating dinos), and more.

Glen will bring some extra cleaning tools, but it would be good if volunteers could bring any of the following: push broom, regular broom, whisk brush, large sponge, large bucket (which can also be handy for carrying supplies), plastic trowel, plastic headed shovel, and work gloves. If you don’t have any of these, it’s no problem, we should have enough. Of course, you’ll want to wear a wide brimmed hat, use sun screen and bring plenty to drink. Hopefully the park will let us use one or more of their ATV “gators” to tote our equipment (and maybe us) to the site.