John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Celebrates the 100th Birthday of the National Park Service

Date: August 15, 2016
Contact: Superintendent

KIMBERLY – Join the staff of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument on August 25^th, 2016 as they celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service. "The National Park Service protects some of the most important places in the country," says Superintendent Shelley Hall. "We are lucky to be able to care for one of those special places right here in Oregon, so we are having a birthday party!"

A full day of events is planned at the Sheep Rock Unit of the monument, home to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. The first activity, a practice fossil lab, will be set up in the classroom of the center for people to try their hand at cleaning fossil replicas in the same way the lab preparator cleans real specimens. Preparator Jennifer Cavin will be on hand to teach people some basic skills and answer questions from 10am until 12 noon.

At 12 noon birthday cake will be served at the paleontology center.

At 1pm Artist-in-Residence Daniel Crowe will lead a Sheep Rock Paint-Along at the Cant Ranch. Space for this program is limited to 10 beginners, for whom supplies will be provided, with 10 additional slots available to more advanced artists, who should bring their own supplies. The paint-along will last until 4pm. Sign-ups for the program will be accepted starting Wednesday, August 15^th on a first come, first served basis. Those interested in signing up for the paint-along should e-mail the names of the people in their group along with their skill level (beginner or advanced) to e-mail us. Confirmation e-mails will be sent to those who successfully sign up, and those who attempt to sign up after the program is full will be notified.

Additional activities will also be offered in the afternoon at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. Geoscientist-in-Park Jonathan Hoffman will be presenting a talk about the fossils of the John Day Region at 2pm in the auditorium, and Geoscientist-in-Park Jeff Dobbins will present a talk about mapping the geology of the Clarno Unit at 3pm, also in the auditorium.

This event is part of John Day Fossil Beds' celebration of the National Park Service 2016 Centennial.

Everyone is encouraged to come out for the festivities! For more information, please contact the John Day Fossil Beds Thomas Condon Paleontology Center at [phone].

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 412 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.