However, when I finally arrived at the park entrance, I was turned away. A vigilant park ranger forbid me to see the trails because I had failed to acquire the proper permits. Their location, I learned, was a matter of great secrecy due to the rise of so-called "paleo-pirates," who had been known to carve out the more notable fossils and sell them to collectors.

He is also working to encourage the formation of paleo parks — fossil localities that should be preserved and protected from damage due to development, over-collecting, vandalism, and paleopiracy.

These unique fossils have been well publicized through exhibitions, newspaper articles, scientific research papers and various web sites. As a result and in spite of their remote location, they are endangered by unauthorized fossil collectors. These paleo-pirates violate local and national laws, destroy fossils and fossil sites, and leave debris and garbage in the area.

The crew winds back to the quarry site—the exact location they don't publicize, to guard against paleo-pirates—on a twin-track truck trail that punishes the kidneys even at crawling speed.