Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness

The BLM Wilderness Study Area (WSA) was declared in May 1992 and would protect an area of about 26.5 km2 (6,563 acres). The area was prospected by the dinosaur hunter Charles Hazelius Sternberg in the summer of 1921.[1] Sternberg collected the type specimen of Pentaceratops fenestratus, a ceratopsid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period, within the WSA. Specimens from this area form a significant part of the vertebrate paleontology collection at the Museum of Evolution, University of Uppsala, Sweden.[2] Fossil collecting here without a permit is prohibited by law.

The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed March 12, 2019, authorizes the establishment of the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, protecting approximately 7,242 acres.[3]

^ Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area by Isabel Synnatschke ^ Sullivan, R.M. 2006. Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area (San Juan Basin, New Mexico): A paleontological (and historical) treasure and resource. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 34:169-174. PDF Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ^ "John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S.47)" (PDF). Congress.gov. Retrieved 16 March 2019.