Utah Field House of Natural History

Brochure

brochure Utah Field House of Natural History - Brochure
UTAH STATE PARKS MUSEUM RENTALS T he museum, which includes a large rotunda, exhibit halls, classroom, theater and garden, may be rented separately or in its entirety for public or private functions. Please inquire at the visitor information desk for cost and availability. GUIDELINES DIRECTIONS Please observe these regulations to ensure everyone’s visit is pleasant: Please leave food and drink outside. Pets are prohibited from entering the museum. Service animals are allowed. Children must be supervised at all times. Running or rough–housing within the museum can damage displays, result in injury and disrupt others’ enjoyment of the museum. Please do not climb on or touch any of the museum or garden models. The museum is conveniently located on US Highway 40 in downtown Vernal, near the junction of US Highway 191 (the Flaming Gorge–Uintas National Scenic Byway). MUSEUM HOURS The museum is open seven days a week, and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays. Museum Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Extended Summer Hours (Memorial Day to Labor D ay) 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Utah State parks mission… Address inquiries to: Provide opportunities to improve the quality of life in Utah through parks, programs and employees serving the public Utah Field House of Natural History Information contained in this brochure was accurate at time of printing. Policies, facilities, fees, hours and regulations, etc. change as mandated. For updated information please contact the park. 496 East Main Street State Park Museum Vernal, UT 84078 (435) 789–3799 The Utah Department of natural Resources receives federal aid and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex age, national origin or disability. For information or complaints regarding discrimination, contact Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 145610, Salt lake City, UT 84114–5610 or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1801 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20507–0001 Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink. Design: Anne Wolfer Design Inc. FI U TA H TO R Y T A T E P A R K PO Box 146001 Salt Lake City, UT 84114–6001 www.utahstateparks.gov HIS S Utah State Parks and Recreation (801) 538–7458 USE O F NA HO TU D R L AL P E utahfieldhouse@utah.gov (801) 538–7220 VISITOR INFORMATION lan your visit to the Uinta Basin or other destinations in northwestern Utah with the help of our visitor information staff. Either call or stop by the front desk. Maps, brochures and pamphlets are available upon request. Fax: (435) 789–4883 M U S E U M Utah Field House of natural History State Park Museum he Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum sits amidst some of the most spectacular geologic and paleontologic resources on earth. This vast wealth of resources drew scientists from all over the world for research and collection. However, it did not escape the notice of former Ashley National Forest Supervisor A.G. Nord, that most of these priceless fossils were leaving the Uinta Basin for destinations elsewhere. It was through his vision of retaining these items locally that the Utah Field House of Natural History arose. Share in 2.7 billion years of history revealed in the museum and explore the story of Utah’s ancient past. Touch actual rock and fossil specimens, including a 150 million-year-old dinosaur bone. DINOSAUR GARDEN ACTIVITIES V T isitors begin their Uinta Fossil Journey in the rotunda and are greeted by Diplodocus, a dinosaur 90 feet long from tip to tail. After taking a close look at this giant, visitors proceed to the theater where their discovery of the Uinta Basin continues. he dinosaur garden is home to 14 life-size prehistoric animals. Ever wonder just how big a woolly mammoth was, or if the tyrant of the Mesozoic, Tyrannosaurus rex was really so terrible? The answer is just a garden visit away. THEATER ROCKS AND MINERAL ROOM D id you ever wonder what it would be like to participate in a fossil dig? What kinds of tools would you uses, what might the area look like, and which fossils might be found? A short film, Stories in Stone, answers these questions by sharing a day in the field at two dig sites. The story features volunteers and scientists who helped excavate fossils for exhibits at the Utah Field House. O JURASSIC HALL F rom the dig site and lab, visitors wander back to the Morrison Formation as it looked 150 million years ago. View unique and rare fossils, one of which helped paleontologists solve the mystery of the plate arrangement of Stegosaurus stenops, or the most complete Haplocanthosaurus ever discovered, a sauropod dinosaur known from less than five skeletons. EOCENE GALLERY M MORRISON DIG SITE AND FOSSIL LAB A fter leaving the theater, visitors proceed into the sites and sounds of the Morrison Formation. This chapter of Earth’s story has produced many dinosaurs familiar to us. Listening to sounds of an actual dig, visitors take up excavation tools and proceed to uncover fossil bones. Several of the most recent and best dinosaur books are available in the lab study area. Younger visitors enjoy a visit to the Children’s Lab, designed to both amuse and educate with a variety of toys, books and puzzles. A small theater area encourages children to make up their own Jurassic stories. oving from the Jurassic to the Eocene, visitors go forward in time 100 million years, when huge lakes dominated the landscape, and the fauna included crocodiles, turtles, small primates, and the massive beast, Uintatherium, sporting six horns and saber–tooth tusks. One complete gallery wall displays 288 panels of fossil plants, some so wellpreserved insect damage can be observed. A walkthrough diorama, complete with running stream, provides a snapshot of this unique time in Utah’s past, the Eocene epoch. ne of the most popular exhibits is the Rock and Mineral room. Vibrant, glowing colors are produced when minerals within the rocks are exposed to ultraviolet light. Flip the switch again to view the rocks in their usual manner and be amazed by how ordinary they look. EDUCATION E ducational programs are available to public and private groups. It is recommended that requests be made two weeks prior to the desired date. Contact the Curator of Education for more information or to schedule a program. A junior scientist book is available for purchase in the gift shop. A variety of science based activities make learning about the museum fun. A junior scientist patch is awarded upon completion of the notebook. ROCKS IN TIME T he Rocks In Time exhibit is designed to make the science of geology more user friendly to visitors. Different “chapters” of Earth’s story are displayed in a mural covering one entire hallway from floor to ceiling. Many rocks and fossils on display complement understanding of this story through both touch and sight. STATE PARK MUSEUM UTAH FIELD HOUSE T

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