Educational Outreach

This fall, Gwen has had several opportunities to pass along her passion by educating others about geology and anthropology. During a junior high level nature and biology trip, she explained to students how glacial erratics ended up in Central Illinois and gave a bonus lesson on the formation of igneous rock.

Glacial erratic at Forest Park Nature Center

During a homeschool co-operative, Gwen gave a presentation to the younger kids about Native American artifacts and how to collect and catalog them.

Discussing artifacts at a homeschool co-op

Presenting a three-quarter grooved stone axe to the students

 And then Gwen and her brother Ronan headed down to Dickson Mounds to help visitors make origami bats and other crafts for Going Batty! A few weeks later, both Gwen and Ronan volunteered to help with Ancient Arts in Illinois. Many opportunities to pass on their knowledge and sharpen their own skills.

Gwen at the origami station 

Ronan at the bat puppet station

A New Book ~ Jane Goodall Biography

Katie is working her way through an immense biography of the wonderful naturalist, Jane Goodall. What a heroine for our girls!

Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man, by Dale Peterson

Trip to University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

Gwen and family took a great trip to the University of Iowa Natural History Museum this weekend.

Natural History Museum in Iowa City- Great place!

Observing fossils from each geological period, as they occur in Iowa's history

The mother of all abraders! 

Geological index complete with fossils found in each stratum.

There are fossils EVERYWHERE! Even the buildings are full of them! 

Mystery Marine Mollusk

Dickson Mounds is currently in possession of an extensive Type Collection- a group of items from local archaeological sites- that was in desperate need of resorting. We pulled sizeable drawers from an entire wall of shelves that was twenty feet long by four feet high. The drawers were supposed to be carefully sorted by item type, but instead were extremely jumbled- replicas in the bone drawer, bones in the rock drawer, pottery and stone tools with the replicas, etc. We started by sorting by type. Anything bone went into one pile, anything shell went into another. In a third pile, we had rock items, and in a fourth was pottery. In the end, one item was left unsorted. It looked like a 6 inch potato bug with its plates pulled off. For many weeks we puzzled over what it could be. Finally, Team Paleo brought it to our geology professor, who told us it was a Chiton- a shelled mollusc with a big foot that suctioned onto rocks.

The chiton shell (above) mising its 'scales'.
One of the scales remains, detached, below.

Chiton shell - belonging to a marine mollusk- much like a snail,
 but appears more like a 'potato bug' or woodlouse.

Enjoy this entry at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton

or google "Chiton Mollusca" for fantastic images of this beautiful creature.

Rachel Carson ~ Silent Spring

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring 

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”                   ~ Rachel Carson

This book has helped me understand that the whole ecosystem is connected, from beetles to bald eagles, every organism is affected somehow by harmful pesticides and toxins. DDT was banned in 1972, but many other detrimental chemicals are still sprayed in our yards and washed down our rivers every day.

Rachel Carson explains what our world would be like without any birds singing in the morning or without the warm glow of fireflies in the evening.

Today, the Panama Golden Toad is extinct in the wild, existing only in a few zoos. They live behind glass, unable to touch their true habitat that is currently ridden with pollution. I believe through hard work we can create a safer environment to hopefully reintroduce the Panama Golden Toad and other threatened species into their real homes.

Article by Katie Karl

Team Paleo Rocks...With Geology!

The gals of Team Paleo were able to attend a college level historical geology class this spring at a local university. Even though the Team are freshmen in high school, they are enjoying the challenge of the undergrad world at Bradley University. And they fit right in. Often the college students ask the girls for advice on their homework! 

Dr. Foster advises Team Paleo on map reading.

Found it! 

December 2013 Tot Time ~ Snowflakes!

Team Paleo assisted for Dickson Mounds Tot Time, December 2013. The theme was snowflakes. Katie and Gwen made up movements for the toddlers to mimic during the reading of  I Am A Bunny, by Ole Rismon, and demonstrated them for the kids. They were required to use body movements that would be developmentally appropriate for 3 to 5 year olds. Lots of fun! Then Team Paleo assisted the children with crafts: cutting out snowflakes and stringing pony beads on chenille stems (what we used to call pipe cleaners!). Then Team Paleo set out snacks for the children, as well as prepared the gathering area for the children and cleaning up afterward.
Also read was the popular story book of Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. The children became quiet and focused while listening to the story.

Here is a great pic of Gwen assisting families during the craft time, courtesy of Mason County Democrat:
http://mcdemo.smugmug.com/Other/121113/35282044_c6wx2M#!i=2960156621&k=D3q4Wdc&lb=1&s=A

Eagle Days Festival ~ Team Paleo Pitches In

When Team Paleo began volunteering at the museum, several employees took interest. Normally the kids work behind the scenes in collections, but the Curator of Education saw potential in the team as well. She recently asked if Team Paleo would volunteer for some public events. Several members of the team, along with younger siblings recently volunteered for a day long Eagle Days Festival- an event that includes half a dozen nature organizations near Lewistown and Havana in Illinois, on February 8, 2014.

I (Jen McDaniel) was asked to help out in my capacity as a Master Naturalist. The kids with Team Paleo and I, along with many other volunteers, pulled off a pretty fun day!

Gwen created an Eagle Trivia Game with 25 facts about eagles set up on poster board. She gave away colored feathers as prizes. She also helped with a push pin punch work of the eagle constellation, and an Eagle Vision project where participants could unfurl a 40 foot ribbon to see just how far an eagle can see an object the size of standard book print. She and Katie personally manned the Eagle Eye project, asking visitors if they wanted to test their 'eagle vision'. It was great fun and the visitors loved it.

Included is an article I authored for the Master Naturalist newsletter after the event.

Master Naturalists Weave an Ecology of Community at Eagle Days Festival

Ecology, that dynamic interplay between life and its environment, is an oft heard buzzword in Illinois River Valley Master Naturalist circles. So it is no wonder that several Master Naturalists volunteered their talents celebrating local ecology during the Eagle Days Festival at Lewiston's Dickson Mounds Museum this February.

Master Naturalists facilitated ticket reservations, ran craft stations, and crated in crows and raptors, all to keep the day running smoothly.

Over 150 visitors attended, enjoying an energizing native raptor presentation by World Bird Sanctuary of Missouri where eagles, or hawks and owls at least, literally soared overhead. Attendees also tested their vision at an Eagle Eye display, viewed feathers under a microscope with the staff of the UIS Therkildsen Field Station, crafted eagle hats with Master Naturalists, and played wildlife bingo with Chautauqua Wildlife Refuge. Many other local groups contributed as well.

In the fluvial ecology of eagles, a triangle of waterways, feathers, and sky form an environment unique to the river valleys of Illinois. Also drawn to this rich crux of river bottoms and bluffs is the culture of humans. Like those who gathered for Eagle Days in our new century, cultures of long ago also celebrated the eagle's valley. They utilized resources such as river mussels and reeds, cultivated nut trees and goosefoot seeds, all while birthing and burying their community in the loess-filled hills where Dickson Mounds and Emiquon are now sited. At Eagle Days we came together as a living culture while our land's Mississippian forebears slept silently interred just yards away in the foundations of a building that is no moribund museum of bones but a thriving, living community center for the diverse cultures who gather today.

Master Naturalists take on many roles in ecology, often connecting humans with their environment. During the Eagle Days Festival, diverse peoples past and present, near and far also connected; all like fibers woven into an ecological fabric of community. 

Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs ~ Gwen's Book Review

GraveSecrets of Dinosaurs, by Phillip Manning

Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs is the story of 'Dakota', the mummified remains of a Hadrosaur or Duck-billed dinosaur. Phillip Manning, the author, was a mere museum curator in England when he received a phone call from America. A set of dinosaur remains had been uncovered and Dr. Manning was asked to join the excavation. When he arrived at the dig site, he was introduced to Dakota.

At first the dinosaur appeared to be an ordinary fossilized skeleton, but after many days of rising before dawn to dig, Manning discovered that Dakota was covered with fossilized flesh. The dinosaur was quickly covered by a protective layer of plaster and sent to a university laboratory, where work continued in a controlled environment. One part of the excavation included placing Dakota into the world's biggest CT scanner in an attempt to reveal where the delicate flesh was. The results are still arriving.

Dakota has taught us much about the life of dinosaurs. Thanks to Phillip Manning's wonderfully written novel, anyone can discover the incredible story of Dakota, the most complete 'mummified dinosaur' found to date.

Although Grave Secrets is a difficult read, the author uses simple words and defines them in a way anyone can understand. The book helps readers figure out things by using photos of everything from Dakota's CT scan and the cliffs where he was found, to the plaster covering and excavation techniques. The book showed how the dig team had fun by decorating Dakota's plaster cast with illustrations of dinosaur parts.

Grave Secrets would be a good book for budding paleontologists to read and discuss because it teaches a lot about what being a paleontologist is like. For example setting up and planning museum exhibits, leading fossil hunting field trips, and attending dino digs!

Manning weaves fabulous facts into the heavier record of Dakota's remarkable tale. From his humble beginnings to the dawn of his fame, Phillip Manning depicts every detail of his and Dakota's story. Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs is an excellent story for anyone interested in a fun challenge.

Written In Stone ~ Katie's Book Review

Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature, byBrian Switek

An informative document covering the history and evolutionary rise of crinoids and trilobites to early ancestors of humans, Written in Stone has broadened my understanding of fossil geology and paleontology.

It contains a large amount of content about the first scientists, teachers, and researchers including Darwin, Nicolaus Steno, Charles Lyell, and many others who helped contribute to the theories and ideas we still look to today. For example, Steno's Law explains that the oldest rocks and fossils are found deeper in the earth, while younger and newer rocks and fossils are closer to the surface.

The book is somewhat difficult at times, but otherwise a fairly easy read. It also contains great images, diagrams, and portraits that convey an image of what these amazing organisms may have looked like in the past.

Brian Switek has painted a picture of what life on earth was like millions of years ago in this riveting book.