A critical review of Texas, USA fossile park sites and implications for global geoheritage sites

Abstract

In the United States of America, fossil park sites provide visitors with sustainable fossil collecting opportunities as well as informal educational instruction via signage, brochures, or paleontological mentors. This unique geotourism venue allows visitors to collect personal fossils and learn about fossilization, geologic time, and evolution – and, at most sites, sea level and climate changes. This investigation researched two fossil park sites in Texas, USA and analyzed visitors' experiences at each site. Ladonia Fossil Park and Mineral Wells Fossil Park were also compared on the Fossil Park Model. Texas fossil parks can effectively educate visitors about multiple earth science concepts, with one site (Mineral Wells) providing consistent and higher quality instruction through its permanent signage. Importantly, fossil parks can serve as informal venues to address content of some of the US National Science Foundation's critical research questions for the next decade. Fossil parks promote geotourism and raise visitor awareness and visibility of local geoheritage, thereby promoting public conservation and sustainability. This research has implications for optimizing global geoheritage sites through effective pre-visit websites, onsite educational opportunities, and optimization of educational content to address modern issues.