RMDRC celebrates “Outdoor Family Fun Day”!
School’s out and we have more activities than ever planned for the summer. Along with many outreach programs, we have 3 big events on the Dinosaur Resource Center plaza this summer, one each month. Woodland Park is a quickly becoming known for its wine tasting and local breweries. Take a break from the heat and elevate your vacation quotient at the City above the Clouds and the Dinosaur Resource Center!
Thanks to you, the Dinosaur Resource Center is celebrating our 12th year in Woodland Park with an Outdoor Family Fun Day. Join us June 11th when we have a really big day planned outdoors on the plaza in front of the museum. This year’s activities will run from 9-3PM. Bring the kids to try their hand at panning for “fool’s gold” and “precious gemstones” in our kiddie pools filled with sand and water, expect to get wet! The Florissant Fossil Quarry folks will have plenty of fossil shale for the kids to split and look for their own fossil inside. Cave of the Winds and Nicol Houghland from The Resource Exchange will provide kid’s activities including a geolab, kid’s activity table, and skill and patience games. |
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Corbin Hillam will be demonstrating his amazing talent as a chalk artist and asking everyone to join him in creating something wonderful on the plaza concrete.
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| On the wild side, Mark “Wolf” Johnson from the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation will be here with his real wolf friends. Theresa and Standing Bear from the Flash and Thelma Hedgehog Rescue will have the world’s oldest mammals, hedgehogs, here to share with the kids. Wings and Warriors will teach all about service dog training. Mueller State Park’s booth will have Colorado mammal skins and skulls. |
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Cool Science and Peak Children’s Academy activity tables and Science Matters slime table will provide the fun side of science.
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| Fort Carson personnel will bring military equipment for the kids to get up close and personal with. Woodland Park Police Department will be on hand as well as the Fire Department which will have a real fire truck for the kids to check out. All of these outdoor activities are free of charge. There will be a charge for museum admission. |
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| For a small charge face painting and balloon animals can be purchased. Wally’s Tamales and Edible Cotton will have booths with good things to eat for sale. We are still adding participants so check our website for additional details as they become available. |
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| School is out and summer is upon us. I might have spoken to soon as I woke up to snow on my deck this morning!! Let me be the first to wish all who are Father’s a very happy and fun Father’s Day. Remember you get free admission to the museum with one paid adult or child admission. |
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FYI:
Timurlengia lived during the Cretaceous period, approximately 90 million years ago according to an international team of paleontologists led by Dr. Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, UK. It was discovered in the Kyzylkum Desert of northern Uzbekistan.
This species fills a 20 million year gap in the fossil record of tyrannosaurs and provides key insights into how the group evolved. The new species is a tyrannosaur but not the ancestor of the T.rex. The skull, which had slender, blade like sharp teeth, was much smaller than that of T.rex, indicating that it did not grow to the same enormous size as a T.rex. It had keen eyesight, and an excellent sense of smell and hearing. This all allowed the tyrannosaurs to become the top predators. Detailed CAT-scans showed that this dinosaur had long inner ear canals, for hearing low frequency sounds. This might be an indication that the animal used low calls to communicate within the species. It probably preyed on the various plant eaters like duck billed dinosaurs. According to the research team, the first tyrannosaurs lived during the Jurassic period, around 170 million years ago, and were only slightly larger than a human. Key features of its skull reveal that its brain and senses were already highly developed. It was about the size of a horse, could weigh up to 600lbs., had long legs, and was likely a fast runner.
It is named after Timurleng, founder of the Timurid Empire in Central Asia. The word euotica is Greek for “well-eared”.
Alexander Averianov, a scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Hans Sues, chair of the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, collected the fossils between 1997 and 2006.
Geri Lebold
Education Director |
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| Spend some time shopping at Prehistoric Paradise, the largest dinosaur store in the region for hundreds of unique gifts including real fossils, jewelry, games, books, stuffed dinosaurs, t-shirts and much more! A family membership makes a great gift that can be enjoyed for the entire year. If you have someone who’s difficult to buy for, a gift card is the perfect solution. Save yourself time and money by letting our staff gift wrap your purchases free of charge. |
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How To Train Your Dino T-shirt
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Attack of the Zombie Dinosaurs
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Triebold Paleontology - In the Lab
Triebold Paleontology staff is busy working on several skeletons that will be on exhibit at the newly built Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience. Modeled after the Dinosaur Resource Center, the RGDE will be opening in June west of Canon City, Colorado. Our lab staff is currently erecting the Brontosaur as well as Tylosaurus and many others that will make up the RGDE displays. We are excited to be part of the team that helps bring this new museum to life. More details about the RGDE and their opening will be available in later newsletters.
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This year, June 19th is Father’s Day. Bring your dad to the Dinosaur Resource Center for a special present he’ll really enjoy. Father’s will receive free admission with one paid adult or child’s admission. Shop the Prehistoric Paradise gift store for unusual and unique gifts for Dad. Our entire summer inventory has arrived and we have lots of new books, movies, fossils and more which he will love.
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June 25, Sat 11:00am-4:00pm
Synergists…Come play catch with robots as they launch balls and drive around obstacles. The Synergists will be demonstrating their robots and Great Ball Contraption at the Dinosaur Resource Center, during this fun filled interactive event. In addition, YoungBotBuilders will be providing interactive LEGO spin Art for visitors to have fun with. You will also be able to find out about classes and LEGO camps at this event.
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Join Us June 4th 10:00-2:00 at Acacia Park for PBS Fun Fest. Hang out with Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog at Uncle Wilber’s Fountain for lots of hands-on activities.
In June, the staff from RMDRC will be presenting several outreach programs for the Rampart Range Library District. Get up close and personal with dinosaur fossils, teeth, claws and skulls! Take home a dinosaur rubbing and play a game. The RMDRC staff will be at:
June 1st - 10:30 Fountain Library
June 7th - 10:00 & 11:00 Library 21c
June 16th - 9:30 & 10:30 East Library
June 21st - 10:30 Ruth Holly Library
July 1st - 10:30 Penrose Library
July 8th - 10:30 Rockrimmon Library
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Get the word out to all of your friends and family in our armed forces that July 4th will be Military Appreciation Day at the RMDRC. As our small way of saying thank you, active and retired military personnel will receive one half off regular admissions on our nation’s birthday.
The RMDRC will host our sixth outdoor craft show Saturday July 2nd. Join us for original jewelry, essential oils, candles, baskets, photography, dinosaur and animal artwork, frames, southwestern and Native American art, henna body art, face painting, home décor, Indian Tacos, fry bread, tamales, brats and much more. We have 25 vendors so far and we are accepting applications for more, so tell your crafting friends to give Geri at call at 719-686-1820X110. A complete list of the crafters and their items is on our website, www.rmdrc.com.
July 16 and 17 is our big train event. Pikes Peak “N”Gineers will be here with their traveling exhibition.
Saturday, July 30, Science Matters will present “Outback Expedition” at 1:30.
DRC’s Critter Rescue Roundup will return this August 6th and 7th for the 11th year. This event has been growing each year with many animal rescue and support groups including everyone’s favorite, Standing Bear, founder of The Thelma and Flash Hedgehog Rescue, so plan to attend both days. The Mountain Arts Festival will be held at the UPCC on the same days. Vino and Notes will be at the Woodland Station from 12-7. Details will be posted on the website and will be updated as details and changes become available.
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Wow, we’ve got a lot going on here at the DRC. Be sure to make a trip to the museum part of your summer activities. Stop by the office and say “hello”. We look forward to seeing you soon at the Dinosaur Resource Center!
JJ Triebold
President
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