Explore the world of ancient creatures that once roamed the Earth at one of the many programs taking place across the country for National Fossil Day on October 14. The National Park Service and partners across the country will host events and programs throughout the week that promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils.
“Fossils not only offer clues to the history of life, past climates, and ancient landscapes, but also spark our curiosity and discovery,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Two national park sites created within the last year – Waco Mammoth National Monument and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument – are examples of the success of communities and partners working together to preserve these irreplaceable resources for future generations.”
Fossils discovered on the nation’s public lands, including more than 250 national parks, preserve prehistoric life from all major eras of Earth’s history and include samples from every major group of animal or plant. Visitors have the opportunity to see fossilized remains in the same places where those animals and plants lived millions of years ago.
National Fossil Day was started in 2010 by the National Park Service and the American Geological Institute. This year, more than 300 partners, including museums, federal and state agencies, fossil sites, science and education organizations, avocational groups, and national parks such as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and Fossil Butte National Monument, will sponsor special events.
You can celebrate National Fossil Day at Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Saturday, October 17, from 10 am to 3 pm Join a fossil-hunting expedition for young and old, exploring the rocks of Furnace Run at the Everett Covered Bridge from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Or drop by to learn about Ohio fossils at the Hunt House from 1 – 3 p.m.
