The First National Fossil Day — October 13, 2010
National Fossil Day™ Overview
The National Park Service and the American Geological Institute are partnering to host the first National Fossil Day on October 13, 2010 during Earth Science Week. National Fossil Day is a celebration organized to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational value.
Fossils discovered on the nation's public lands preserve ancient life from all major eras of Earth's history, and from every major group of animal or plant. In the national parks, for example, fossils range from primitive algae found high in the mountains of Glacier National Park, Montana, to the remains of ice-age animals found in caves at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Public lands provide visitors with opportunities to interpret a fossil's ecological context by observing fossils in the same place those animals and plants lived millions of years ago.
National Fossil Day activities will also highlight fossil fuels to correlate with this year's Earth Science Week theme, "Exploring Energy" (http://www.earthsciweek.org/).
National Fossil Day is being promoted through partnerships with professional organizations, government agencies, and other groups. Representatives from National Earth Science Teachers Association and Paleontological Research Institution are assisting with planning for National Fossil Day.
On October 13, paleontologists and park rangers will share fossil discoveries at special events nationwide and explain the importance of preserving fossils where they are found, so that everyone can share a sense of discovery!
Editor's Note: We recommend downloading the game referred to below, the evolve or Perish Game, offered at the Smithsonian Institute site. There's also a map of the parks with fossil remains to be viewed, junior paleontologist's activities, Frequently Asked Questions and an art contest to enter. Explore the story of the Missing Fossil Park, Fossil Cycad National Monument, South Dakota.
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- Jill Norgren Reviews a New Inspector Gamache Mystery: All the Devils Are Here
- Jo Freeman Book Review: Stealing Our Democracy; How the Political Assassination of a Governor Threatens Our Nation
- US Census Report: Cost of Motherhood on Women’s Employment and Earnings; Taking a Short Break From the Labor Force Has Only a Temporary Effect on Earnings
- A New Dinosaur Study: Can We Really Tell Male and Female Dinosaurs Apart?
- Remarks by President Obama on Research for Potential Ebola Vaccine, December 02, 2014
- What? You Have Nothing to Do? Explore Some Museums Collections Online
- FactCheck Post: The Facts on Trump’s Travel Restrictions: "We Don't Have a Travel Ban; We Have a Travel Band-Aid Right Now"
- Heard of the Novel Corona Virus Before? The New England Journal of Medicine's Free Reading Lists and the W.H.O.'s Statement
- Horse, Horse, Tiger, Tiger; It's the Tone of the Character That Makes the Word
- The Pros and Cons of ‘Free College’ and ‘College Promise’ Programs: What the Research Says
