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Contact: Jeff Wolin, 719-748-3253
Join us on Sunday, October 10th, 2010 as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument celebrates National Fossil Day. 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. Activities available include visits to our Demonstration Excavation Site, where visitors can clearly see the rock layers that contain the fossils and learn how we excavate them. The Paleontology Lab will be open for visitors to work with Monument staff to look for fossils, as well as view fossils with magnifying glasses and under a microscope. The Monument will be unveiling the new Junior Paleontologist Program. This free program is similar to the Junior Ranger Program, with a focus on fossils found at National Park Service sites throughout the country. Participants are sworn in and given a Junior Paleontologist badge upon completion. Ranger talks will be offered throughout the day, and a Ranger-guided walk will be offered at 11:00 a.m. 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. The fossils found at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument are an excellent 'snapshot in time' of the late Eocene time period: a glimpse into a Colorado very different from the Colorado we know today. Entrance fees to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument are only $3 per adult (age 16 and over); children 15 and under are free. Entrance is free to card holders of the America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Senior Passes, Access Passes, or the Florissant Fossil Beds Annual Pass. The Monument is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Entrance to the Monument is off Teller County Road 1, between Highway 24 and Lower Twin Rock Road, in Florissant. More information about the Monument can be found at our website, www.nps.gov/flfo. More information about National Fossil Day can be found at https://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/index.cfm. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015