Apparently visitors to the Field House will be able to see the laboratory it will share with the monument and ask the scientists questions.

The assessment notes that a 1986 report from the monument's General Management Plan says irreplaceable fossils are stored in facilities that are grossly undersized. Also, most of the fossilized bones are radioactive and release potentially hazardous radon gas. The sites where they are stored don't have ventilation systems to purge the gas.

The only work space available to the staff at the visitor center is in "the aisles between storage shelves and near the bookcases," says the report. "The uneven walking and standing surfaces have also created tripping hazards for both employees and visitors.

"Due to these conditions there is an average of one or two joint injuries a year reported by employees. The proposed URCC (Uintah Research and Curatorial Center) would provide proper ventilation, sufficient work space and a stable structure to improve conditions for both employees and visitors."

Prokopetz said that besides fossils, library materials and field notes also are scattered in many locations throughout the monument. The research center would bring them together. "They would collect everything in a state-of-the-art facility," he said.

About 600,000 pages of documents related to excavation at the monument, administrative reports and historical records are part of this archive. "We have the notes related to the excavations that were done from around 1916 to the present," he said.

Research topics as diverse as fire in the monument, bighorn sheep and peregrine falcons are covered in the records.

The assessment is available for review on the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov, where those interested are advised to "search for Dinosaur NM." National Park Service officials will accept public comments on the proposal until Aug. 11.

To comment, either post statements electronically at the Internet site or mail them to Mary Risser, superintendent, Dinosaur National Monument, 4545 E. Highway 40, Dinosaur, CO 81610.

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com