[NHCOLL-L:4837] the first National Fossil Day on October 13, 2010

[Robert M. Ross]

New event: National Fossil Day, October 13, 2010

This event may be a great opportunity to provide outreach on the 
importance of natural history research collections through highlighting 
fossil collections.

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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 (www.earthsciweek.org). National Fossil Day is 
a celebration organized to promote public awareness and stewardship of 
fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of fossils' 
scientific and educational value.

More than 228 parks managed by the National Park Service contain fossil 
resources. 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 animals and plants. 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 stand where a fossil tree was rooted or 
where a fossil animal walked 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. 
Supporters include the Arizona Museum of Natural History, the 
Association of American State Geologists, the International 
Palaeontological Association, the Museum of Western Colorado, National 
Association of Geoscience Teachers, National Earth Science Teachers 
Association (NESTA), National Park Foundation, National Parks 
Conservation Association, Palaeontological Association, Paleontological 
Research Institution (PRI), Utah Friends of Paleontology, and Utah 
Geological Survey. Representatives from NESTA and PRI are also assisting 
with planning.

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!

Learn more about outreach activities or becoming a National Fossil Day 
partner at: http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/ or send a 
message to National_Fossil_Day at nps.gov.. Join in the celebration today!

-- 
Robert M. Ross
Associate Director for Outreach
Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
voice: 607-273-6623 x18
FAX: 607-273-6620

On Exhibit at Museum of the Earth:
One Fish, Two Fish, Old Fish, New Fish*: Exploring the Evolution of Biodiversity
March 6, 2010 - September 5, 2010
With National Science Foundation support from grant 0639904 to Dr. Richard Harrison, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University

Mon. - Sat. 10 am - 5pm and Sun. 11 am - 5 pm. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday (Labor Day - Memorial Day).

Visit us on the web at www.museumoftheearth.org
PRI and its Museum of the Earth are part of Ithaca's Discovery Trail.  Learn more at www.discoverytrail.com.
*ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH™ & © 1960 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All rights reserved. Used by permission.