Paleontologists on Wednesday finished removing mammoth bones dating back to the ice age which were unearthed as part of a highway construction project on State Route 99 in Merced County."Caltrans is committed to preserving these historical artifacts," said District Director, Carrie Bowen. "We are using the proper protocols to maintain their integrity for future study."In the event the department comes upon historical artifacts, construction is paused in the area of the discovery until the fossilized remains can be reviewed. In the case of this area, the potential for fossilized remains was already identified and a trained paleontologist was already on …