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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 2007 0718 CC REG ITEM 10K CITY OF MOORPARK,CALI FOR NIP: City Council Meeting of 7-/8-a0o7 ACTION: �ar AJ BY: MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Hugh R. Riley, Assistant City ManaW416S DATE: July 6, 2007 (CC Meeting of July 18, 2007) SUBJECT: Consider Donation of Moorpark Mammoth Fossil Collection to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History BACKGROUND On March 29, 2005 an excavator working for Sukut Construction Company while performing grading operations for the William Lyon Homes, Inc, new 250-home residential development in northwest Moorpark, unearthed the tusk of a nearly complete, fully fossilized skeleton of an ancient Mammoth (Archidiscodon Meridionalis or Southern Mammoth). A field inspector observed the occurrence, halted operations and excavations began to extract the fossils. To preserve the fossils, the developer followed the Paleontological Resources Salvage Plan approved by the City of Moorpark as part of the project's permit approvals. The plan required daily on site inspections by a qualified paleontologist and gave the City of Moorpark the option to retain ownership of the discovery. On April 20, 2005, the Moorpark City Council elected to maintain ownership of the fossils in order to have some influence and control of the ultimate disposition of the discovery. During the Council's discussions it was clear that the collection of fossils would ultimately need to be placed with a museum capable of caring for them and to make the discovery available to the public as well as to the scientific community. DISCUSSION Staff contacted officials of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) in November 2006 to determine the museum's interest in accepting a donation of the fossil collection. On June 26, 2007, SBMNH officials concluded that the museum could accept an unconditional donation of the collection. In conveying the decision, the Director of Vertebrate Zoology, Paul Collins stated: 000227 Honorable City Council July 18, 2007 Page 2 "The Executive Director is excited about receiving the specimen for the museum and about the prospect of mounting the specimen for exhibit in a redesigned paleontology hall. He is particularly excited about being able to let the public have an opportunity to view the preparation of this specimen." The attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the various conditions of the donation both for the Museum and the City. In summary the conditions are: 1. The donation is permanent. 2. The SBMNH is not obligated to create a public exhibit and the City is not obligated to provide public funds for such an exhibit. 3. If the City acquires additional fossils in the future and elects to offer them to a museum, the SBMNH will be considered as a recipient however the City will not be obligated to do so. 4. The City of Moorpark will be acknowledged on exhibits of the mammoth fossils which will be labled "Moorpark Mammoth." 5. The City and SBMNH will promote each with their respective audiences. 6. SBMNH will provide educational curriculum materials from the City to schools and assist with field trips to SBMNH. 7. SBMNH will loan items for temporary display in the City of Moorpark. 8. The City and SBMNH will explore other opportunities to collaborate in research, education, display and mutual promotion. The estimated cost to prepare the collection and move it to Santa Barbara is $3,740. Staff is contacting the various past sponsors of the project to seek assistance with these costs. STAFF RECOMMENDATION 1) Approve Donation of Moorpark Mammoth Fossil Collection and other small mammal and fauna fossils to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; and 2) Authorize City Manager to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Museum subject to final language approval by the City Manager and the City Attorney. Attachment: Memorandum of Understanding 000228 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING between the CITY OF MOORPARK and the SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Recitals WHEREAS construction work at the Meridian Hills locality in the City of Moorpark (the "City") in 2005 led to the discovery of the fossil remains of a rare Pleistocene Southern Mammoth(Mammuthus meridionalis) and of a diversity of smaller extinct Pleistocene mammals; and WHEREAS the City is desirous that the fossil remains be professionally preserved, that they be available for scientific study, and that they be used for educational programs that further science education and knowledge of the natural heritage of our region; and WHEREAS the mission of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (the "Museum") is to preserve, study, and interpret the natural and cultural history of the South Coast region of California; and WHEREAS the Museum is desirous to obtain the aforesaid fossil remains for its collections and to include them into its programs of scientific study, exhibits, and education; THEREFORE, the City and the Museum are entering into the following agreement: The City: 1. hereby donates the fossil collection (described on Exhibit"A" attached hereto)to the Museum as a permanent gift; 2. will make reasonable efforts to assist the Museum in finding the funds necessary to complete preparation of the fossil materials, to mount the mammoth specimen, and to put it into a permanent exhibit at the Museum; provided, however that the City shall not be obligated to provide any funding nor does this MOU constitute a commitment of public funds; 3. hereby agrees that, in the event the City obtains control of future fossil discoveries from within its municipal boundaries or from land owned by the City and.the City elects to donate said fossils, the Museum will be considered as a recipient however the City shall not be obligated to do so. 000229 The Museum: 4. accepts the donation of the fossil collection described in Exhibit"A"and assumes responsibility for its long-term professional care; 5. will accession the fossil collection into its permanent collection and use it for scientific study, exhibit, and educational purposes; 6. will acknowledge the City of Moorpark as the source location and donor of the fossil collection in all official communications. Exhibits of the fossil collection will be labled"Moorpark Mammoth." Furthermore, the City and the Museum will collaborate in their mutual interest in the following manner: 7. the City and the Museum will promote each other with their respective audiences; 8. the Museum will provide educational curriculum materials to schools from Moorpark and assist these schools in organizing field trips to the Museum; 9. the Museum will loan fossil and other natural history specimens for temporary displays at the City and provide advice and assistance with such displays to the extent possible without unreasonably impacting its existing work schedule; 10. the City and the Museum will explore other opportunities for collaboration in research, education, display, and mutual promotion. Date For the Santa Barbara Museum of For the City of Moorpark: Natural History: Steven Kueny Karl L. Hutterer City Manager Executive Director o00230 PALEO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATES EXHIBIT A PALEO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATES,INC.,FOSSIL SPECIMEN CATALOG— MERIDIAN HILLS PARCEL, MOORPARK,VENTURA COUNTY,CALIFORNIA Field No. Taxon Element Fossil Site No. TJL 110304-02 Equus(large) cervical vertebral prezygopophysis 12 TJL 110304-02 Mammalia bone fragment 12 GC 040205-1 Camelidae trapezoid 20 TJL 032905-01 Mammuthus meridionalis skeleton 11 TJL 032905-01 Sylvilagus?, Thomomys, teeth 11 Perognathus,Dipodomys, Reithrodontomys,Neotoma, Pit m s meadensis TJL 060605-01 Mammuthus? thoracic vertebral neural arch 16 TJL 060605-02 Equus occidentalis? P2 16 TJL 060705-03 Mammuthus? thoracic vertebral centrum 16 TJL 061605-01 Hemiauchenia macrocephala dentary with p2 or 3-m2 9 TJL 061605-02 Hemiauchenia macrocephala dentary with m2-3 9 TJL 062105-02 Equus(large) anterior sacral right wing 21 TJL 062805-01 Equus(large) proximal metacarpal 10 TJL 062805-02 Equus(large) proximal 1st phalanx 10 TJL 062905-01 Equus(large) distal tibia, 10 TJL 072705-01 Mammuthus root of tooth 15 TJL 072705-02 Mammuthus columbi 2 molars 15 TJL 072705-04 Equus(large) scaphoid fragment 14 TJL 072705-04 Proboscidea bone fragment 14 TJL 072805-01 Equus(large) cheek tooth fragment 13 TJL 080205-01 Equus(large) proximal scapula 6 TJL 080205-02 Equus?(large) scapula shaft? 6 TJL 080505-02 Equus(large) acetabulum 17 TJL 081705-01 Equus(large) distal metatarsal 7 TJL 083005-01 Equus(large) proximal scapula 8 TJL 083105-01 Mammuthus occlusal cheek tooth fragment 8 TJL 091605-01 Equus(large) cervical vertebral fragment 18 TJL 101305-01 Equus occidentalis ml 2 TJL 101305-01 Mammalia bone fragment 2 TJL 102405-01 Equus(large) cheek tooth fragment 1 TJL 110105-01 Camelidae patellar fragment 19 TJL 111405-01 Camelidae posterior cervical vertebra VII neural arch 4 TJL 111405-03 Camelidae anterior lumbar vertebra 3 GC 040205-1 Camelidae trapezoid 20 34 000231 Wm. Lyon Homes Southern Maml Mammoth TJL032805 Wm Lyon Homes Moorpark Mammoth TJL032805- Mammuthus meridionalis photo field number identification shot Letter bone side comments 8317 T hind foot L leg bones-foot 8318 T tibia-fibula L leg bones-foot- 8319 KK ribs ribs 8320 Y vertebrae articulated vertebrae 8 thoracic, one lumbar 8321 G side of skull L Iskull 8323 G same skull 8324 L vertebrae articulated vertebrae Thoracic I or II-X 8325 S femur,tibia,fibula leg bones-2 feet 8327 S femur,tibia,fibula leg bones-2 feet 8330 8332 XX1 ribs iribs DD ribs m EE ribs X BB ribs = C ribs CO 8333 P scapula spine R ????? —i 8334 LL scapula L D RR ribs RR ribs BB ribs C ribs 8335 11 ribs ribs PP ribs NN ribs 8336 v radius R radius? 8337 F vertebrae vert. processes II-v1 8339 ? scapula R scapula 8340 K distal humerus R bone end 8341 LL scapula L scapula 8342 LL scapula L scapula 8343 MMC unciform R footbone Q 8344 MMB magnum R footbone C8345 MMA pisiform R footbone W r� 8346 MME cuneiform R footbone 8347 00 front foot L articulated foot 8348 F proximal lst phalanx footbone F sesmoid footbone 8349 F ventral dentary fragment L jaw fragment? 8350 F Ijaw fragment? 8351 KK2 greater trochaner of prox. R bone fragment of femur 8352 M distal radius fragment L bone fragment 8353 N possible humerus fragment bone fragment 8354 W pelvis? Fragment bone fragment may o with FF 8355 scapula fragment? bone fragment 8356 HH ulna? bone fragment may o with MM possible fit 8357 XX1 cervical vertebra process lbone possible fit with X cervical vertebra process bone 8358 A upper M3/ L upper molar m 8359 I dentary fragment with M/3 L lower jaw with molar X 8360 I dentary fragment with M/3 L lower jaw with molar 2 8361 AA humerus fragment R bone fragment 8362 bone fragment -� 8363 FF humerus fragment R I bone fragment D 8364 QQ humerus fragment R bone fragment 8365 KK1 humerus R bone fragment add to K will fit 8366 L scapula? Fragment bone fragment 8367 T scapula?Fragment bone fragment 8368 FF sacral vertebrae bone fragment right side, 1-II Q G long bone fragment JJ lumbar vertebrae three J proximal humerus fragment FF ilium fragment no number bone fragment may o with KK , clean O O O N ci C� EXHIBIT A Small Mammals Recovered from the Moorpark Mammoth Site (TJL032805-1), Wm Lyon Homes, Moorpark, Ventura County, California Scientific Name Common Name Elements Sylvilagus sp. cottontail teeth Thomomys sp. pocket gopher teeth Perognathus sp. pocket mouse teeth Dipodomys sp. kangaroo rat teeth Reithrodontomys sp. harvest mouse teeth Neotoma sp. woodrat teeth Pitymys meadensis extinct Mead's pine mouse teeth 000234