Teacher Day Camp
You’re Invited To our special Teacher Day Camp.
Choose a Date: June 9, July 7, or July 27, 2018
10:00 AM • Fossil Butte National Monument We’ll meet you in front of “America’s Aquarium in Stone,” a world class display of Eocene Age (50-65 million-year-old) fossils tucked away in the corner of SW Wyoming. The Visitor’s Center is an excellent introduction to the many kinds of fish that you may find as well as an incredible variety of other plants and animals. The first thing you’ll notice when heading toward the visitor center is a geologic time line on the hand railing. As you walk toward the entrance you will see when species appear and disappear from the earth, the origins of mountains, and extinction events like meteors. It’s a great perspective. At the Visitor Center we will be greeted by the park staff standing under a 13-foot crocodile skeleton recovered from these layers. He will guide us through displays of fish, plants, bugs, and other animals that have been found in the fossil layers, and then take us for a behind the scenes tour that most visitors to the monument do not experience. You will get a first-hand look at preparation methods and curation techniques, and an opportunity to see the many fossils not currently on display to the general public. It will be 2 hours jam-packed with information and experiences that few people see.
12:00 PM • The American Fossil Quarry
The American Fossil Quarry is a short 25-minute drive from Fossil Butte Monument, just enough time for you build your appetite for lunch provided at the quarry by American Fossil and apply your sun screen. Once there, you will have the experience of a lifetime, beginning with: Hands-on Field Experience You will receive expert instruction on how to prep, split and identify fossils in the rock layers, and then take the opportunity to dig for 3-4 hours. The quarry policy is if you find it, you get to keep it. A typical afternoon in the quarry is likely to yield between 20-35 whole and partial fish skeletons. A $ 100 to $ 150. value compared with other commercial quarries. Take Host Rock Home You will probably want to share this experience and your new-found knowledge with your students next year. So, when you head back to your classroom you will have 50-60 pounds of host rock in hand to split open with your kids. An $ 85. to $ 100. value. Lesson Plans & Video And finally, a set of lesson plans matched to the Utah state core (5 labs, vocabulary, worksheets, and exams with answers) that explain the geology of SW Wyoming, the plants and animals of the Green River formation, along with a video of you and everyone in your group splitting fish and getting tan in the high desert. The quarry closes at 4:00 PM; you will be on the road by 5:00 PM at the latest.
The American Fossil Quarry is a short 25-minute drive from Fossil Butte Monument, just enough time for you build your appetite for lunch provided at the quarry by American Fossil and apply your sun screen. Once there, you will have the experience of a lifetime, beginning with: Hands-on Field Experience You will receive expert instruction on how to prep, split and identify fossils in the rock layers, and then take the opportunity to dig for 3-4 hours. The quarry policy is if you find it, you get to keep it. A typical afternoon in the quarry is likely to yield between 20-35 whole and partial fish skeletons. A $ 100 to $ 150. value compared with other commercial quarries. Take Host Rock Home You will probably want to share this experience and your new-found knowledge with your students next year. So, when you head back to your classroom you will have 50-60 pounds of host rock in hand to split open with your kids. An $ 85. to $ 100. value. Lesson Plans & Video And finally, a set of lesson plans matched to the Utah state core (5 labs, vocabulary, worksheets, and exams with answers) that explain the geology of SW Wyoming, the plants and animals of the Green River formation, along with a video of you and everyone in your group splitting fish and getting tan in the high desert. The quarry closes at 4:00 PM; you will be on the road by 5:00 PM at the latest.
The Specifics: Choose a Date: June 9, July 7, or July 27 Class Fee: $ 99 per teacher. (Inquire for group rates) Class Size: Limited to 25 teachers/day. First come, first served. Groups over 10 can select a day of their choosing during the months of June and July. Register on Line: HERE
You Will Want to Bring … Water, food, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and gloves. The quarry is at 7,300 feet in elevation and the only amenity is an outhouse. That’s as fancy as it gets. You’ll also want to bring empty cardboard boxes and wrapping material (newspaper or bubble wrap) to ensure your fossils and host rock have a safe journey home. Map and Directions: www.fishdig.com Drive Time from Salt Lake: 2.5 hours to quarry
You Will Want to Bring … Water, food, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and gloves. The quarry is at 7,300 feet in elevation and the only amenity is an outhouse. That’s as fancy as it gets. You’ll also want to bring empty cardboard boxes and wrapping material (newspaper or bubble wrap) to ensure your fossils and host rock have a safe journey home. Map and Directions: www.fishdig.com Drive Time from Salt Lake: 2.5 hours to quarry