Posted: 1:23 PM- The Bureau of Land Management is investigating the theft of “several” invaluable dinosaur bones that were partially excavated in a major new dig near Hanksville.
    Megan Crandall, spokeswoman for the BLM in Salt Lake City, said the thefts occurred “very quickly on top of each and fairly recently,” beginning a few weeks ago. The last theft was within the past week.
    “The tragedy is that these fossils are publicly owned. They are stealing resources from the American public and these are resources that can’t be replaced,” Crandall said.
    The thefts were from a site being excavated by the Burpee Museum of Natural History, which last May uncovered a “logjam” of 148 million-year-old remains of as many as six dinosaur species, along with giant coniferous trees.
    The site had long been popular with souvenir hunters, but the discovery prompted the BLM to close off public access to allow paleontologists to work.
    The bones that were stolen had been uncovered, encased in plaster and reburied to await more work next excavation season, Crandall said.
    Anyone with information about the bone theft is encouraged to contact their local BLM office.
    - Anne Wilson