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The County of Orange Paleontology and Archaeology (COPA) collection contains more than six million artifacts and fossils collected since the 1970s from within the County and throughout our parks. As stewards of the collection, OC Parks is dedicated to preserving these artifacts and fossils in perpetuity for the benefit of the citizens of Orange County.
Orange County has a world-class paleontology collection, including fossils dating as far back as 180 million years ago. Highlights of the paleontology collection include marine life with rare and even unique species in the fossil record found nowhere else in the world.
Situated on the ancestral homeland of the Acjachemen/Juaneño, Tongva/Gabrieleño, and Payómkawichum/Luiseño, Orange County’s archaeological record enriches our understanding of the history of the many peoples who have called this area home. Our collection includes prehistoric and historic Orange County Native people’s materials, as well as multi-ethnic historic objects recovered from Spanish Colonial settlements through early 20th century homesteads and rancherias.
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