What If?

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument preserves one of the world's richest fossil deposits and protects a 6,000 acre landscape for the public and future generations. In 1969, people succeeded in stopping developers and preserving this area as a national monument rather than allowing it to become a private resort. Places such as the Boulder Creek Trail, with its quiet stream and granite boulder pile, remained part of a shared landscape instead of being transformed into features like a golf course. The monument protects the values of geoheritage, while how future cultures and societies will value places like this remains an open question.

Colorado · United States