The CRCS Build-a-Museum Team Newsletter

Newsletter Number 03 - May 26, 2004 :

Florida Museum of Natural History Opens New Exhibit Hall

 On May 22 and 23, over 3,500 people attended activities associated with the opening of the new Hall of Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land. The event was billed as 2004 Paleofest: A Celebration of Florida Paleontology. The museum is located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville. The Saturday activities began with opening remarks by Dr. Doug S. Jones, Florida Museum Director, followed by statements of Dr. Bruce J. MacFadden, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology. Bruce then introduced Kurt Auffenberg, who was Fossil Hall Project Director. Kurt oversaw the design and construction of the new exhibit hall which took seven years in development, including two years in construction. At 10:30a.m., Dr. MacFadden had Neil Duncan cut the ribbon signifying the new hall was officially open for visitors. Neil is a local lad, some seven years old, who has already demonstrated a strong interest in paleontology. He even had his own table set up in the museum showing his collection, along with local and regional fossil clubs and other groups.

The new Hall of Florida Fossils is extremely well conceived and executed. Because the oldest outcropping rocks are of Eocene age, the major emphasis begins with the Eocene Epoch, illustrating the evolution of the Florida landform with its flora and fauna, both marine and terrestrial. The visual impact of a group of fossil vertebrates, along with one huge (about 25 feet tall) ground sloth, really makes one appreciate the fauna that existed during the Eocene. Each Epoch’s evolution within Florida is captured in five-minute videos at stations as one travels through the hall. A really nice feature are the many small sized bronze animals positioned where children can easily see them, and they are encouraged to touch them. These are small-scaled versions of the fossil skeletons appearing in the hall. The exhibits in the hall are dramatically accentuated by the skillful use of lighting. At the end of the hall there is a collection of framed photos and paintings of a dozen species of Florida fauna, both aquatic and terrestrial, which are threatened by extinction.

One of the many activities of the day included a “Stump the Paleontologist” event. This was modeled after the popular “Antiques Roadshow” on PBS. It had been advertised for folks to bring any unidentifiable fossil in order to have the paleontologists correctly identify the specimen. Perhaps as many as 150 folks challenged the expertise of the paleontologists. It was a crowd-pleaser, as many folks enjoyed watching the proceedings. Along the periphery of the room, over a dozen or so tables had been set up for displaying publications and other materials of amateur fossil groups and other societies associated with the geology and paleontology of Florida. For the younger children there were stations for applying tattoos and for making ‘rubbings’ from carved plates; while outside there was a twenty-foot long papier-mâché shark for painting, plus a Fossil Dig Box which remained popular through out the day.

Also on the Saturday schedule were four 30-minute lectures presented in the museum’s classroom. Dr. Chris Brochou from the Univ. of Iowa delivered a stimulating talk titled: Why Crocodiles are better than dinosaurs.” Although Chris is an authority on crocodiles and alligators, he was employed by the Chicago’s Field Museum to do all the research on the now famous Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur named “Sue.” Next, Dr. Gary Morgan, of the Albuquerque Museum of Natural History, gave an interesting talk titled: “18-Million-Year-Old Florida Bats.” Then, Dr. Gordon Hubbell, of Gainesville, gave a most interesting talk on “Fossil Sharks.” He’s a world-renowned authority on sharks, both living and extinct. His fossil collection is currently being coveted by the Smithsonian, but the FLMNH is hopeful of receiving it in due time. The last lecture on the schedule was by Dr. Steve Manchester, of the museum staff, whose talk title was: “Fossil Forest of Florida.” Steve demonstrated changes through time in the migration of different tree types in the Florida peninsula.

On Saturday evening, the 2004 Paleofest concluded with an outstanding lecture by Dr. Jack Horner. Dr. Horner is associated with the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. The title of his talk was “Dinosaurs and less interesting vertebrates that came later.” For almost an hour, Dr. Horner kept the audience of some six hundred spellbound as he discussed his favorite fossil group. Needless to say, he thinks highly of these extinct monsters and showed evidence why he believes these creatures were warm-blooded.

The Florida Museum of Natural History, located on the campus of the University of Florida, is Florida’s official natural history museum. Although it does not collect an admission fee, donations are accepted. Support is also provided through the Members of the Florida Museum Associates. Other exhibit halls include the “South Florida: Peoples and Environments,” and the “Northwest Florida: Waterways and Wildlife” exhibits. Also on display is the “Pearsall Collection of American Indian Art: 40^th Anniversary Collection.” For information about the museum call (352) 846-2000, or visit their Web site: www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fossilhall .  All Click here for the full photo album of this event. All photos by Tammy Johnson of the Florida Museum of Natural History.