University of California, Berkeley (University of California Museum of Paleontology)

The Museum of Paleontology will better manage and make web accessible a collection of 52- to 54-million-year-old fossils discovered in the Washakie Basin of southwestern Wyoming, collected in the vicinity of Bitter Creek. Several of these discoveries became the type specimens of new mammal taxa described by E.D. Cope, one of the most prolific early paleontologists. These fossils provide an important window on faunal evolution during a time of global change, but much of the data is in danger of being lost due to deteriorating field tags, fading photographs, and lack of a digital catalog record. The museum will digitize data and catalogue specimens to develop online content that will be part of its suite of education and outreach web sites. The project will support scientific research and public education and engagement. It will pave the way for a richer integration of the museum's collections in ongoing efforts to understand and anticipate the effects of global change, and to convey that understanding to its stakeholders.