fragile soils. Ranger-led events at the monument have historically included indoor and outdoor talks, showings of an 18-minute orientation film, hikes in Blue Basin, Cant Ranch walking tours, and astronomy programs at the Painted Hills Unit. These events are free and most do not require reservations. Specific times for the activities are available from rangers at the monument. For students and teachers, the Park Service offers programs at the monument as well as fossil kits and other materials for classroom use. Pets are allowed in developed areas and along hiking trails but must be leashed or otherwise restrained. Horses are not allowed on hiking trails, in picnic areas, or on bare rock exposures in undeveloped areas of the monument. Digging, disturbing, or collecting any of the park's natural resources, including fossils, is prohibited. Fossil theft is an ongoing problem. No mountain biking is allowed on monument land, although the Malheur National Forest east of Dayville has biking trails. Fishing is legal from monument lands along the John Day River for anyone with an Oregon fishing license. Rafting on the John Day River is seasonally popular, although the favored runs begin at or downstream of Service Creek and do not pass through the monument. Risks to monument visitors include extremely hot summer temperatures and icy winter roads, two species of venomous rattlesnakes, two species of venomous spiders, ticks, scorpions, puncturevine, and poison ivy. See also List of fossil sites List of national monuments of the United States Notes and references Notes References Sources Further reading External links John Day Fossil Beds at The Oregon Encyclopedia State of the Park Report – National Park Service, December 2013 Virtual tour of the monument – National Park Service, interactive Webcams — real-time views of the Paleontology Lab and Sheep Rock National Park Service: Wild Flowers at John Day Fossil Beds — illustrated (PDF). National Park Service National Monuments in Oregon Fossil parks in the United States Fossil trackways in the United States Parks in Grant County, Oregon Protected areas of Wheeler County, Oregon Museums in Grant County, Oregon Natural history museums in Oregon Volcanoes of Oregon Landforms of Grant County, Oregon Landforms of Wheeler County, Oregon Eocene paleontological sites of North America Paleogene geology of Oregon Paleontology in Oregon Cenozoic paleontological sites of North America Protected areas established in 1975 1975 establishments in Oregon 1864 in paleontology 1975 in paleontology National Natural Landmarks in