Oregon Paleo Lands Institute names new board member, working to get center reopened

FOSSIL, Ore. (KTVZ) — A long-time resident with a proven commitment to the community has joined the board of directors of the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute.

Carol MacInnes, who recently completed eight years as mayor of Fossil, will help guide the Oregon Paleo Lands Center as it works to revitalize its programs. The center was established to provide interpretation, education, and promotion of the rich fossil record as well as natural and historical assets of the lower John Day Basin.

MacInnes said one of her top priorities will be to help reopen the center, which closed to the public during Covid, briefly reopened and then was closed for most of 2022 because of staffing issues.

“We have to get the center open,” MacInnes said.

The center has historically been open from late spring to early fall. Located just off the John Day Highway (OR19), it was opened in 2009 with state and federal support to serve as a visitor center for tourists and educational groups entering the John Day Basin.

The center lies between the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It is also just a few blocks from one of the few places in the United States where the public can legally dig and keep fossils. That spot is part of a 30-million-year-old fossil deposit that runs right through town.

MacInnes believes those are important assets to this economically struggling region.

“Tourism. That’s our No. 1 deal. The more people that come to the center, the more people come to Fossil. It benefits everybody,” she said.

MacInnes was named treasurer of the OPLI at its February board meeting. She comes from a long background in business and accounting. A 32-year resident of Fossil, her family owned Wright Chevrolet since 1959. The longtime anchor business in town has since closed.

MacInnes’ involvement in the community continues unabated. Although her time as mayor ended, she continues to serve on the Fossil City Council. She works part-time as a victim advocate for the Wheeler County District Attorney. In addition, she is an EMT with the Fossil Volunteer Ambulance, a reserve Wheeler County Sheriff’s deputy, a death investigator for Wheeler County, and a back-up death investigator for Gilliam County.