tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19211112267587190022024-02-19T18:48:48.289-06:00Discovery Under The DomeThe place for news about what the paleontology department is up to at the Sternberg Museum and Fort Hays State UniversitySternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-38417640998924443152017-06-29T21:57:00.002-05:002017-06-29T21:57:43.194-05:00Achievement Unlocked: Paleontology Prep Lab Funded! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0S1UFYDm6RJXk7AVCbOfFy7Kxxrj6fPLRdV4xYxtOCa4CIgBCDumCKUf5UGavKIW_48zjycQIvaI-sSKdioTnoRPIUFI2WKQ_ZwuEkdfl84TlzE3TaPxnD_j8VBOwtRbIXBOhGvbiABL/s1600/Rendering+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0S1UFYDm6RJXk7AVCbOfFy7Kxxrj6fPLRdV4xYxtOCa4CIgBCDumCKUf5UGavKIW_48zjycQIvaI-sSKdioTnoRPIUFI2WKQ_ZwuEkdfl84TlzE3TaPxnD_j8VBOwtRbIXBOhGvbiABL/s400/Rendering+1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been a big year for the Paleontology Department at the Sternberg Museum. In the beginning of 2017, the <a href="https://danehansenfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Dane G. Hansen Foundation</a> awarded Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/news/Hansen-Foundation-gives-matching-grant-to-support-Sternberg-Museum-project/" target="_blank">a matching grant of $81,000 </a>to renovate the museum’s fossil preparation lab. Expanding the preparation lab benefits all who work, visit, volunteer and learn at the museum. The preparation lab is where staff, volunteers and students clean, stabilize and repair fossils for long-term preservation before they are ready for research or exhibit. It is a fundamental part of the museum, and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to improve how we serve the public. Enlarging and updating the prep lab will allow us to expand our educational resources, create new exhibits, train students and undertake scientific research -- all important aspects of the museum’s mission.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are thrilled to share that we
have reached our $81,000 match! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to proceeds raised from the <a href="https://sternberg.fhsu.edu/2016/05/10/museumlaunchesfundraiser/" target="_blank">2016</a> and 2017
Museum Galas, we had 58 donors come forward to see the lab come to life. This includes
a very generous donation from Mike and Pam Everhart. Mike is the Adjunct Curator of
Paleontology at the Sternberg Museum, author of the book “Oceans of Kansas” (second
edition coming soon!), and <a href="http://oceansofkansas.com/" target="_blank">author of the website by the same name</a>. He and Pam have
been active in Kansas paleontology for decades.
Museum scientists and staff are now working with the FHSU architect and builders to
design the space. Kick off of renovations is tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall to
expand the lab and redesign parts of the Cretaceous exhibits to incorporate a larger lab.
Once the lab is constructed and fitted with updated equipment, we will be able to train
students and volunteers, host workshops, and have a hands-on lab for our after school and
summer camp programs! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n6qAxBt_0Q" target="_blank"><br /></a></span>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n6qAxBt_0Q" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check out a recent </span>interview</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with our Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Laura Wilson, on projects being undertaken by the Paleontology Department. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you didn’t have a chance to donate during the fundraising campaign, we are still
accepting donations to expand ventilation capabilities in the lab and to fund students
to prep, train volunteers, and run workshops. Businesses and individuals can make a
tax-deductible contribution to the effort by contacting the Fort Hays State University
Foundation: <a href="http://foundation.fhsu.edu/donate/">http://foundation.fhsu.edu/donate/</a> (select “Other” under Designation
and specify Sternberg Museum), (785) 628-5620, or
<a href="mailto:foundation@fhsu.edu">foundation@fhsu.edu</a>.
More information about the project can be found online
(<a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/paleopreplab/">http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/paleopreplab/</a>) or by
contacting Dr. Laura Wilson, Curator of Paleontology
(<a href="mailto:lewilson6@fhsu.edu">lewilson6@fhsu.edu</a>; 785.639.6192).</span><br />
Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-7421636326974912902016-05-17T15:11:00.001-05:002016-05-17T15:11:02.341-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 8/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 33.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Spring Break wrap-up</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: David Levering </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xCjIQetaDDrRU03dNSuZBGIGgXKIXVGnrVj-eOCGzQxUuelzxruet_JkJ7zKJ6jq72ZAb7ke5r_2x0jk1h9SDCXLPP85GYKewIw91NUFM369SzCLIS1N9uvP98Yjq7oO6zaXA_DH_JBF/s1600/Paddleboarding+around+a+bay+at+Isla+San+Cristobal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xCjIQetaDDrRU03dNSuZBGIGgXKIXVGnrVj-eOCGzQxUuelzxruet_JkJ7zKJ6jq72ZAb7ke5r_2x0jk1h9SDCXLPP85GYKewIw91NUFM369SzCLIS1N9uvP98Yjq7oO6zaXA_DH_JBF/s320/Paddleboarding+around+a+bay+at+Isla+San+Cristobal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddle-boarding around a bay at Isla San Cristobal</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Running the FHSU Study Abroad trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was an incredible highlight of my career as an educator. Having an emphasis on experiential outdoor science education, there are few if any better places I can think of than these magnificent islands to show students the processes of evolution in action. The role of these islands in the history of science only adds to their mystique as an educational destination of choice for anyone interested in biology, evolution, or the development of human thought. Evolution is, for good reason, considered one of the greatest single ideas in human history. To visit and explore the Galapagos, a place so closely tied w</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ith this great idea, was a privilege for myself and my students.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeii-P1rlOWaPXewyhu5pU9yPW1LQrlBhecmikAr61SbdR_vRu31Nbh5tVaUDu6bK8WtbJJt-q-vMz26kWFRSeLSdlxprRy-vJ6jHcWIt7bhXY1pDoGDYjMNCfGE9g8E6fQwxl4PVAf_gt/s1600/Sparkling+Violet+Ear+humming+bird%252C+one+of+13+humming+bird+species+we+saw+in+Ecuador.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeii-P1rlOWaPXewyhu5pU9yPW1LQrlBhecmikAr61SbdR_vRu31Nbh5tVaUDu6bK8WtbJJt-q-vMz26kWFRSeLSdlxprRy-vJ6jHcWIt7bhXY1pDoGDYjMNCfGE9g8E6fQwxl4PVAf_gt/s320/Sparkling+Violet+Ear+humming+bird%252C+one+of+13+humming+bird+species+we+saw+in+Ecuador.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparkling Violet Ear Hummingbird, one of 13<br />hummingbird species we saw in Ecuador</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-bb5fde2d-c040-719f-3325-76891b0246b8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i2p7FkUwxa5XmNIM52opDFtnXoBQ3moeak7Sbl9GvoOAyAO4TowGOgR-qPG99mz329UFItK0jQ0cCqRcVLtpi307IWCOH6-NjSRwi4KGCV30tipDrZCdkoR8R-qW-i8wqX3ZMvKYwyPy/s1600/Group+shot+at+Tortuga+Bay+on+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i2p7FkUwxa5XmNIM52opDFtnXoBQ3moeak7Sbl9GvoOAyAO4TowGOgR-qPG99mz329UFItK0jQ0cCqRcVLtpi307IWCOH6-NjSRwi4KGCV30tipDrZCdkoR8R-qW-i8wqX3ZMvKYwyPy/s320/Group+shot+at+Tortuga+Bay+on+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group shot at Tortuga Bay on Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must take a moment to acknowledge the exceptional group of FHSU undergraduates that joined this adventure. Having a good group of students makes an enormous difference in the success of a trip such as this one. I count myself fortunate to have had an excellent group of bright, hardy, enthusiastic participants. If you are reading this, and have not yet perused the previous blog posts by the students, I encourage you to do so. They each did an excellent job communicating their experiences, and each post is well worth the read.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjL8Y3SPmCsopusEZ8ORZNFdho4KPDrF77_mrRTKjWoSC2KKV39n3bXa_Un5CqSVtO4bsLnYgujbTLQXQaxUtAKewP330j-iW9WGm8vDRAFkEYkaDD03F4el6Xiw0xbpkH2MtgnB1EFX3/s1600/Nazca+Boobies+at+Kicker+Rock%252C+a+fantastic+deep-water+snorkeling+spot+we+visited.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjL8Y3SPmCsopusEZ8ORZNFdho4KPDrF77_mrRTKjWoSC2KKV39n3bXa_Un5CqSVtO4bsLnYgujbTLQXQaxUtAKewP330j-iW9WGm8vDRAFkEYkaDD03F4el6Xiw0xbpkH2MtgnB1EFX3/s320/Nazca+Boobies+at+Kicker+Rock%252C+a+fantastic+deep-water+snorkeling+spot+we+visited.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nazca Boobies at Kicker Rocker, a fantastic deep-water<br />snorkeling spot we visited</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEN3x7t6rCEB6-xCl7MpnLusl_sWSwSmxyqLVnYPCxIqJiFUVOdAqINeG1LeXoJCNbN_YTToafr4zlkysPaiPUnZk3S__cYmiFtoifPOwU8pXcMZGQT8wlFvgMudPCEUtt2O82wBDJ02k/s1600/Stick+insect+from+the+cloud+forest+we+biked+through+in+Ecuador.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEN3x7t6rCEB6-xCl7MpnLusl_sWSwSmxyqLVnYPCxIqJiFUVOdAqINeG1LeXoJCNbN_YTToafr4zlkysPaiPUnZk3S__cYmiFtoifPOwU8pXcMZGQT8wlFvgMudPCEUtt2O82wBDJ02k/s320/Stick+insect+from+the+cloud+forest+we+biked+through+in+Ecuador.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stick insect from the cloud forest we biked<br />through in Ecuador</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am excited to be working on a student trip for spring break of 2017, this time to the Amazon Rainforest. This jungle continues our theme of locations relevant to the history of science. In the Amazon, Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Darwin who nearly proposed the theory of evolution first, spent many years collecting and studying wildlife specimens. His rigor as a field worker remain remarkable and inspiring, and is one of many excellent reasons our next trip will take us into this great wilderness. Most of the trip details are still being worked out, but we are well on our way. I expect we will formally announce the trip this coming August.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for reading, and go Tigers!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh, if you haven’t yet seen our highlights video from the trip, go watch it right now because it’s awesome!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 22.08px;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-48.html" target="_blank">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Giant Tortoises</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-58.html" target="_blank">Day 5: Snorkeling Trip</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/05/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-68.html" target="_blank">Day 6: Snorkeling at Kicker Rock</a>, and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/05/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-78.html" target="_blank">Day 7: The Last Day</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-29136811196537641012016-05-10T13:58:00.001-05:002016-05-10T13:58:56.044-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 7/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 7: The Last Day of a once in a lifetime trip</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Julie Clement</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPMMxZuAYk8UMxd2ndhcuvHFzGYwKMuJ2CMFcmOyu-bl7SKW5GuS52XCUPvs25Z9Z8nc1WwSUPXlelk9SOrmAJMn0u7dS7KlRz6_lSEB9kxgTJM5YqZ0KVHS5exno_9XmU4CUTK_awsUs/s1600/Garden+at+our+hostel+at+Isla+San+Cristobal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPMMxZuAYk8UMxd2ndhcuvHFzGYwKMuJ2CMFcmOyu-bl7SKW5GuS52XCUPvs25Z9Z8nc1WwSUPXlelk9SOrmAJMn0u7dS7KlRz6_lSEB9kxgTJM5YqZ0KVHS5exno_9XmU4CUTK_awsUs/s320/Garden+at+our+hostel+at+Isla+San+Cristobal.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden at our hostel on Isla San Cristobal</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today was our last day on the islands, and it started with a bittersweet morning. Some of you will ask what there could be sweet about leaving a tropical island. Well the answer is quite simple: we students hail from the middle of the United States, which means we don’t have stomach churning boat rides, nor are we used to being so close to the sun. Instead we are accustomed to miles of land instead of ocean, very different seasons, and weather that changes on a whim. By this point all of us were thoroughly sunburned and tired (despite liberal use of sunscreen), and generally ready to head home. As we left the hostel and headed for the café down the street, we had some choices to make. Our flight back to the mainland was scheduled for 1:20pm and we had the morning free. Some of us chose to bike ride around the town; others to headed to a museum down the way, while others of us didn’t make it to that. My group was the one that didn’t make it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSnoiMkDxc5qlx9-cit9yedqk08ryEqOdhyNjLSnLZbpZZ-o7_JmTIJiU9VkmoSJ3ccYaj6qu_hgrGd5jZshOsNvzYqHO7fTZbjHj_00THR0ErLRlFifTfcQrmFPJBo49kjExBy6Lrwo0/s1600/Isla+San+Cristobal-+a+place+of+beautiful+water%252C+lovely+friendly+people%252C+gorgeous+scenery%252C+and+more+sealions+than+you+can+count.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSnoiMkDxc5qlx9-cit9yedqk08ryEqOdhyNjLSnLZbpZZ-o7_JmTIJiU9VkmoSJ3ccYaj6qu_hgrGd5jZshOsNvzYqHO7fTZbjHj_00THR0ErLRlFifTfcQrmFPJBo49kjExBy6Lrwo0/s320/Isla+San+Cristobal-+a+place+of+beautiful+water%252C+lovely+friendly+people%252C+gorgeous+scenery%252C+and+more+sealions+than+you+can+count.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isla San Cristobal - a place of beautiful water,<br />lovely friendly people, gorgeous scenery,<br />and more sealions than you can count</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-908c2163-9bfb-2a17-8851-a0be2590b5e4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqUGEXg-1NHLCI5u1j8rwbkGYGtooFbWFpbQrDQPmqIhgHW7oexPmUU24HMgLrZpywqigVwYTggoaPY92NpxTHbRRY6weI_yV4f7bquIdmsjDRZXvl6k-RR_17ijq2DBHB84cjJYqRa0a/s1600/Sealions+sleeping+on+the+stairs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqUGEXg-1NHLCI5u1j8rwbkGYGtooFbWFpbQrDQPmqIhgHW7oexPmUU24HMgLrZpywqigVwYTggoaPY92NpxTHbRRY6weI_yV4f7bquIdmsjDRZXvl6k-RR_17ijq2DBHB84cjJYqRa0a/s320/Sealions+sleeping+on+the+stairs.png" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sealions sleeping on the stairs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8GgHPpf0ORNmbvbcw7RCQQ8GcNsYgM6NjGF7wMu5ax5e662SoMWgabSmfHjZbam_XCAcRknz0ME-iZRJmNPvuRJpV_yhUENiR49cWHExPtOixjV-ENDW05kZi-10-FqWKOgzz7fsfTKY/s1600/Galakiwi+office%252C+and+the+cafe+next+door.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8GgHPpf0ORNmbvbcw7RCQQ8GcNsYgM6NjGF7wMu5ax5e662SoMWgabSmfHjZbam_XCAcRknz0ME-iZRJmNPvuRJpV_yhUENiR49cWHExPtOixjV-ENDW05kZi-10-FqWKOgzz7fsfTKY/s320/Galakiwi+office%252C+and+the+cafe+next+door.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galakiwi office and the cafe next door</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The one thing that I wanted to do this last day was to take more pictures. I was the unofficial group photographer. But before we started our adventure, we had some last minute souvenir shopping to do, and I needed to mail postcards. You would think that a little square of paper would be fairly cheap to send, but you and I would both be wrong. I spent a few pretty pennies on postage for twelve postcards, but when they arrive it will all be worth it. After spending the last of my money on stamps, our group headed out to find this museum, I was of course taking pictures the whole way. As we got further away from the shops and people, sea lions littered the path. There was one right in front of us that we took pictures with, during this picture break we witnessed something we had only seen the aftermath of the whole trip, a sea lion climbing onto a bench. It is my most prized video. For those of you who haven’t seen a sea lion walk, they waddle and it’s adorable. As we continued on we had to go over a wooden walkway. On the other side there were some restaurants with a great view. When we came to the end of that street we thought we would find the museum, but it was nowhere to be seen. David our instructor had gone on his own and we later found out that we had a few more turns and a lot more walking if we were to find it. Since we failed to find the museum we headed to the Galakiwi office. This is the travel agency that we went through and there is a café right next door to their office. On the way back over the wall was an upside down boat, and on top the boat were three sea lions. One of them looked to be a baby and was snuggled up to his mom, and dreaming; it kept twitching. When we reached the café, the five us in the group settled down to relax and reflect. A few of us got ice cream, and we all looked at pictures and talked about the trip and what all we had done. Riding down a mountain on the second day may have only been five days ago, but it felt like a lifetime. The time we spent in Ecuador flew by and felt like forever all at the same. Our last morning on the islands came to a close all too soon.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6-__WvoE5Kb2HfiByPVcZf7AySg-voRfKhCNjjhpDqtqoggaLXU76vJ2FanwuBNmoTvXHVmoBojJYrNwFjvESI2aO0WwKOM7wk6E0lTxIpcYDPwCNnZL3yFLq4qNZDJ00htq28HGYbtg/s1600/A+map+of+the+Galapagos+Islands+at+the+museum+on+Isla+San+Cristobal+%2528taken+by+David+Levering%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6-__WvoE5Kb2HfiByPVcZf7AySg-voRfKhCNjjhpDqtqoggaLXU76vJ2FanwuBNmoTvXHVmoBojJYrNwFjvESI2aO0WwKOM7wk6E0lTxIpcYDPwCNnZL3yFLq4qNZDJ00htq28HGYbtg/s320/A+map+of+the+Galapagos+Islands+at+the+museum+on+Isla+San+Cristobal+%2528taken+by+David+Levering%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A map of the Galapagos Islands at the museum on<br />Isla San Cristobal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLeO579hC7D8a4SARawKBuaVm5xUJmSd207s5HGu5n9SwnYMIMSl_a3mwoG5BNvsDIva9V7qfeIAvGJ5-F6HLr5nlVF1nRvQuRRL6F7ZvUXaG2wPqkLvUiPb5jQJJYDs2P1fX3k2QnE1R/s1600/A+male+lava+lizard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLeO579hC7D8a4SARawKBuaVm5xUJmSd207s5HGu5n9SwnYMIMSl_a3mwoG5BNvsDIva9V7qfeIAvGJ5-F6HLr5nlVF1nRvQuRRL6F7ZvUXaG2wPqkLvUiPb5jQJJYDs2P1fX3k2QnE1R/s320/A+male+lava+lizard.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A male lava lizard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsavGVLSw5TdF51i_WAKo04vTg-pQlGi7-3pmnTzA5RPU22oD7_SDUanVLfvjs_PfYIMA-5lxLwXb55Y3gjps0ACyMRUQ87tqNKEQh6iKyz8YAZ1mw7b0Sz19k3lHQ5x-X_w3SAstX8q5i/s1600/A+dragonfly+on+Isla+San+Cristobal%252C+600+miles+from+mainland+South+America.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsavGVLSw5TdF51i_WAKo04vTg-pQlGi7-3pmnTzA5RPU22oD7_SDUanVLfvjs_PfYIMA-5lxLwXb55Y3gjps0ACyMRUQ87tqNKEQh6iKyz8YAZ1mw7b0Sz19k3lHQ5x-X_w3SAstX8q5i/s320/A+dragonfly+on+Isla+San+Cristobal%252C+600+miles+from+mainland+South+America.JPG" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dragonfly on Isla San<br />Cristobal, 600 miles from mainland</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is something about leaving a place that you never truly believed that you would visit. The Galapagos Islands is one of those places that you think sure, I would love to go, but you never really think you are going to. It’s a destination unlike any other and not a trip many will ever take. Over the next twenty-four hours we made our way back to Kansas, and our once in a lifetime trip was done. The students in our group came from a wide variety of majors and backgrounds, but we all had one thing in common: We wanted to go to the Galapagos for the island biodiversity, not just the island part. We had plenty of time to kill in the airports and so we did a little math. By the time we were to get back home, our transportation was thus: 3 cars, 9 buses, 7 planes, 1 train, 2 vans, 1 bike (each), 7 boats, 3 trucks, 3 flippers, and more walking than we could have possibly kept track of, and some of us had 1 more bike, and 1 paddleboard. That was a lot of transportation for an eight-day trip, and every single one of them was worth it. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYieDcXr97AHIPyblC3byBOugMCGT9oQJvPwykCspzDpfZainP0zMkVSGVbkTh8SgndJU89szEb65IyxJ0FYak08HW6z0cTG56lEBd6jCOYGq80vyc2bQAPLMD57lSLTwIXb34HnEobW5H/s1600/Map+illustrating+our+travel+stops.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYieDcXr97AHIPyblC3byBOugMCGT9oQJvPwykCspzDpfZainP0zMkVSGVbkTh8SgndJU89szEb65IyxJ0FYak08HW6z0cTG56lEBd6jCOYGq80vyc2bQAPLMD57lSLTwIXb34HnEobW5H/s320/Map+illustrating+our+travel+stops.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map illustrating our travel stops</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 22.08px;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-48.html" target="_blank">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Giant Tortoises</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-58.html" target="_blank">Day 5: Snorkeling Trip</a>, and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/05/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-68.html" target="_blank">Day 6: Snorkeling at Kicker Rock</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span><br />
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-91773295286290409002016-05-03T15:30:00.001-05:002016-05-10T13:59:28.281-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 6/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 6: Snorkeling at Kicker Rock</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Kayla Wright</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT1hc2LOjpnF0dOrjPzI1W0OoV8YMbMyLyiyRKSktH_4be5eEd7gOs9aLD-8DUBRLtobHEpV2TWzRfohHdRvh1EkFl2Y-qHSqWIgmI62sfqea3jFyvvrlYPNYbeNHehBBCqnhxC3-IKFr/s1600/Our+guide+Leo+giving+us+the+plan+for+the+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT1hc2LOjpnF0dOrjPzI1W0OoV8YMbMyLyiyRKSktH_4be5eEd7gOs9aLD-8DUBRLtobHEpV2TWzRfohHdRvh1EkFl2Y-qHSqWIgmI62sfqea3jFyvvrlYPNYbeNHehBBCqnhxC3-IKFr/s320/Our+guide+Leo+giving+us+the+plan+for+the+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide Leo giving us the plan for the day</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we came to our last day full day of planned activities a weird sense of accomplishment had come over me. Here we all were in a place that some people would never dream of getting to see, and we had been brought on an adventure of a life time. Some people would freak out over not being able to understand what was being said to them, but I believe for us it only made our experience a challenge and even more of a learning experience. It was crazy to think this whole time that these people that live on this island do things like snorkeling, biking, or just hanging out on a beach with a bunch of tourist as a way of life and as a way for them to pay the bills. Their way of life will always leave an impression on me; I will probably always be jealous of their lifestyle.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQly_3Oua9GWYugSvS9Tq2oU6vtH42KmHdEwluW_WW1vUgavjXkOh15DJjoKQXI1Q-G5Rs4VREe6i_fObHxZivxnxAXKC1HnhbEo3tzpfqwKG7Ven9hZp9yjyFRbRT1ShSRc_HMwHsV2i/s1600/-American-+breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQly_3Oua9GWYugSvS9Tq2oU6vtH42KmHdEwluW_WW1vUgavjXkOh15DJjoKQXI1Q-G5Rs4VREe6i_fObHxZivxnxAXKC1HnhbEo3tzpfqwKG7Ven9hZp9yjyFRbRT1ShSRc_HMwHsV2i/s320/-American-+breakfast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"American" breakfast</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we started our day, we got the chance to have an “American Breakfast” as our guide Leo put it. This included granola, toast, fruit, and eggs which I don’t know how many Americans really have all these things for breakfast even on a semi–occasional basis. This just goes to show though how not only do these Ecuadorians try to introduce us to their own traditional foods, but they also try to keep you comfortable and accommodate you with things we are familiar with. I believe one of the hardest parts of being on Isla San Cristobal was that when we did eat breakfast, we had to endure the awful but very familiar smell of sea lions all through the meal. It wasn’t hard eating all the food but remembering that you have to breathe and constantly be reminded of the smell and constant closeness of our friends the sea lions.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjvc6PgOUfWizXolgCp3MuV1fVpHLeEaiKWJJ8TsEQewP8Dfvxlf0SDXV3HmJJHV6FpbTDvciz1K7K4CYDptEJyEoB9oDXof6n6ZyalGVpA886Swttc0Wk-Em0hy_koMVfpW4kCXo3dUr/s1600/Manglecito+beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjvc6PgOUfWizXolgCp3MuV1fVpHLeEaiKWJJ8TsEQewP8Dfvxlf0SDXV3HmJJHV6FpbTDvciz1K7K4CYDptEJyEoB9oDXof6n6ZyalGVpA886Swttc0Wk-Em0hy_koMVfpW4kCXo3dUr/s400/Manglecito+beach.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manglecito beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNXqmaXHN2TFj4aAQXq8DCWku-3TniZvLsukqpXh1XmkVCjT1sHDUsEeAFepe62_OTiLBQp-C9ele8gT6My-02XFFI14vCQstrcHMaW9EzIrDq0zzC6PsHj2YRbv_r3GZia5Ol81AawRq/s1600/Some+shells+we+found+at+Manglecito+beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNXqmaXHN2TFj4aAQXq8DCWku-3TniZvLsukqpXh1XmkVCjT1sHDUsEeAFepe62_OTiLBQp-C9ele8gT6My-02XFFI14vCQstrcHMaW9EzIrDq0zzC6PsHj2YRbv_r3GZia5Ol81AawRq/s320/Some+shells+we+found+at+Manglecito+beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some shells we found at Manglecito beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZptfTuW1STShhKxcskIThKE-nBzxsPWY77e56KRTxuuLyTg-D01LuOvAO-Q6ps-idLFpjx8yLPn0gbEd5q3tmX7uOasMJbkbjlWeSTF1hweY0pD8QYLOkWTkDQsQCG-iVj18l42l2Jli/s1600/Male+Frigatebird+with+red+diplay+pouch+inflated.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZptfTuW1STShhKxcskIThKE-nBzxsPWY77e56KRTxuuLyTg-D01LuOvAO-Q6ps-idLFpjx8yLPn0gbEd5q3tmX7uOasMJbkbjlWeSTF1hweY0pD8QYLOkWTkDQsQCG-iVj18l42l2Jli/s320/Male+Frigatebird+with+red+diplay+pouch+inflated.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male frigate bird with red display pouch inflated</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We then made our way to our first activity of the day which was hanging out on a somewhat private beach named Manglecito. This beach had very white sands which are a product of Parrot fish eating the coral then pooping out the hard remains, and eaten shells that had been ground into smaller pieces, and then deposited onto the shores. The water was also some of the clearest blue water I had ever seen. From above the water you could clearly see some very cream-yellow fish swimming around our toes, sifting through the sand looking for some food. There were also some pelicans that joined us. One tried to snack on some trash. Some people may find this amusing, but for some of us it gave us the realization that if trash is making its way all the way out to this little beach that it could really be traveling all over the world using the ocean as a mode of transportation. This “little” problem could lead to a much bigger problem, with animal deaths from choking on this trash or simply emptying hazardous materials in these blue waters that are inhabited by so many species. We didn’t see very many Marine Iguanas out at this beach but there were some very big Carpenter bees and some pretty normal sized bees that decided to join us, along with the scalding sun. This was probably one of the biggest days we all got the most burnt, this was also the day I stopped believing in sun screen.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D8CeCwe_aUpCwkgigDjDrp6pj6NyWeFntDb4kLfxO1ABJEh0AYJvcfplKxgKnLt0TCwhpMGQzbWfil5za6sLmtVziqwAaBy-kZSPwJfZvBCrXgsSwkrbnCIjxhxvShvPZOyVk762btJf/s1600/Approaching+Kicker+Rock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D8CeCwe_aUpCwkgigDjDrp6pj6NyWeFntDb4kLfxO1ABJEh0AYJvcfplKxgKnLt0TCwhpMGQzbWfil5za6sLmtVziqwAaBy-kZSPwJfZvBCrXgsSwkrbnCIjxhxvShvPZOyVk762btJf/s400/Approaching+Kicker+Rock.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Kicker Rock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RrwZsyhNehSlAxXDCgfVq17ebjQCcTy5Da769R2aZd94o1sw6bJgDCxdKEpEgyvAEplykfd2pOz6Z34scauw44L6SYgHcm9P2E-ODhiKV6Ay89W6c6QKHnWXpM2nDfBh173iq3gpNYhx/s1600/Swimming+over+a+large+school+of+fish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RrwZsyhNehSlAxXDCgfVq17ebjQCcTy5Da769R2aZd94o1sw6bJgDCxdKEpEgyvAEplykfd2pOz6Z34scauw44L6SYgHcm9P2E-ODhiKV6Ay89W6c6QKHnWXpM2nDfBh173iq3gpNYhx/s320/Swimming+over+a+large+school+of+fish.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming over a large school of fish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkZjAqKJFA2M5tLLKPQ0Kr50MQBVoF5kzlzJ0lnzj06iR1KD1CTWu88qzyclkxzDJ47wzQNYugDZR3MdBtWNAVqkuxpmve1lpa1iciMWTCS35R2i1l2RQxZ590W2OWQOKGc8YqtkLkChE/s1600/A+huge+school+of+fish+swimming+below+us+at+Kicker+Rock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkZjAqKJFA2M5tLLKPQ0Kr50MQBVoF5kzlzJ0lnzj06iR1KD1CTWu88qzyclkxzDJ47wzQNYugDZR3MdBtWNAVqkuxpmve1lpa1iciMWTCS35R2i1l2RQxZ590W2OWQOKGc8YqtkLkChE/s320/A+huge+school+of+fish+swimming+below+us+at+Kicker+Rock.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A huge school of fish swimming below us<br />
at Kicker Rock</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After our adventure at Manglecito we made our way to Kicker Rock to do some deep sea snorkeling. We passed around some handouts telling us what all to look out for. Wildlife such as sea lions, Galapagos Sharks, and some very brightly colored fish are common there. In my head I was thinking that once we got in the water that we would see an underwater palace of bright fish of every color swimming right near us so close that we could touch them. But when we did get in the water all I saw was blue. So many shades of blue that I’d never even seen before. No pinks, no reds, no bright colors of any kind. I wasn’t disappointed but very surprised. Where were these beautiful bright fish hiding that I had just read about on the way over here? The fish we did see were all so far away, but when you did see them it was like a busy city of fish below us. The sun reflected of the deep blues in the water sometimes altering what your eyes could see but when you saw something special you knew right away. Some sea turtles did decide to join us while we were snorkeling. They didn’t stay long but it was the most beautiful 6 seconds of my life when I did see them. Sometimes it was hard focusing on all the cool things beneath the surface because of the semi-strong current that took place at this rock. Swimming to try and keep up with the group while still trying to see all that we could, sometimes proved to be a difficult task. Nonetheless we all still strived and pulled through. This was probably the second best workout I had the entire trip.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBizDWlbIVsZhCnP4XRYSqMoovypomdEZ2Aeho5dxricaQmqUFuEesjYkkzdhMRmQAxbSpSBJtC_PItZ__vNy_UsSVq3ODTIgJ3N_BBBSAIKJY3d_jRC7ISBfHJQcmaLkiwrMuZURJ8gZ/s1600/One+of+many+sea+turtles+we+saw+around+Kicker+Rock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBizDWlbIVsZhCnP4XRYSqMoovypomdEZ2Aeho5dxricaQmqUFuEesjYkkzdhMRmQAxbSpSBJtC_PItZ__vNy_UsSVq3ODTIgJ3N_BBBSAIKJY3d_jRC7ISBfHJQcmaLkiwrMuZURJ8gZ/s320/One+of+many+sea+turtles+we+saw+around+Kicker+Rock.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many sea turtles we saw around Kicker Rock</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all of our water adventures most of us decided to go back to the hostel and take little naps in the hammocks, which didn’t feel too great against the sunburns we got that day. The quiet times were the best times to reflect on the day’s activities and realize how cool the snorkeling had been. I didn’t realize it while I was actually in the water, but once I got back onto land and had some time to think about it I realized that I had just been swimming in some of the deepest water I’d ever seen. You think about how much could have gone wrong but everything just seemed to work out. We saw some pretty cool critters and got to see a part of the ocean that some people have never even dreamed of seeing.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-33f1d6ba-783f-afe5-3884-4bdc03090561"></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIR6xgqlgPFAyWKeXl8JX4v3uoghpLwQEnwwI0oVTvip_CjGo-_6vYZ5oBXaFo4tv7Gm-ASBsWPOhOnk0MwOmVje6LJGKtMGtTDvN4Un4Y4ZknjN1dwVUclgvmBTEpBzREmLRYbviTuBIB/s1600/Some+Nazca+Boobies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIR6xgqlgPFAyWKeXl8JX4v3uoghpLwQEnwwI0oVTvip_CjGo-_6vYZ5oBXaFo4tv7Gm-ASBsWPOhOnk0MwOmVje6LJGKtMGtTDvN4Un4Y4ZknjN1dwVUclgvmBTEpBzREmLRYbviTuBIB/s320/Some+Nazca+Boobies.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Nazca Boobies</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later that night we were brought to dinner at a restaurant that didn’t even look like a restaurant, more like a backyard cookout. I had the fish and shrimp. When I looked at my cut in half fish I remembered seeing this on the handout of things to look out for while snorkeling. I probably would have felt worse if I had actually seen this fish, but I didn’t, so I continued to enjoy it. This was probably one of the biggest dinners we had the whole time we were in Ecuador, and also one of the best tasting. Our tour guide Leo then proceeded to tell us how we had all made an impact on his life and will always be in his heart. This got to me a little bit, it amazed me how we had only known him for such a short amount of time but he was still so sincere with everything he did with us. All I could think was “ Wow I hope one day I will love my job as much as this man does, and find happiness in everything I do,” because that’s exactly how Leo was, genuinely happy all the time. I honestly believe this might have been one of the most fun days on the island and one I will remember for my whole life. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvFCR8MsxKRu-yNZz-g7hInzoXwmm3058G_yUO6V4iDcAIwMoot4r9DT5Pbk7MuWlmfBwT_IgmnvuQ9hvfY7IRwbxxew-3bqiS4RjoAe1OubHVRGhEXWf39pq0YJZ3bPiqMt9GqU5NRQU/s1600/Looking+down+into+the+depths.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvFCR8MsxKRu-yNZz-g7hInzoXwmm3058G_yUO6V4iDcAIwMoot4r9DT5Pbk7MuWlmfBwT_IgmnvuQ9hvfY7IRwbxxew-3bqiS4RjoAe1OubHVRGhEXWf39pq0YJZ3bPiqMt9GqU5NRQU/s320/Looking+down+into+the+depths.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down into the depths</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To continue the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/05/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-78.html" target="_blank">Day 7: Last Day of a once in a lifetime trip</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-48.html" target="_blank">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Giant Tortoises</a>, and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-58.html" target="_blank">Day 5: Snorkeling Trip</a></span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 22.08px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-57876271278083684942016-04-28T15:45:00.001-05:002016-05-03T15:31:17.105-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 5/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 5: Snorkeling Trip</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Connor Phelan</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today was the day I was dreading this entire trip. We had to take a boat ride from Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz to the island of San Cristobal that would last around two hours. I had come prepared with motion sickness pills, medicated patches for behind my ears, and wristbands in hopes that I wouldn’t become sick from the open waters. Although these items were supposed to keep me from getting sick, they also came with the unlikely but possible side effects of sleepiness, dehydration, and cottonmouth. I somehow hit the jackpot and woke up with an unquenchable thirst. All I could think about was getting through the next few hours.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAMuKwQuNsEuJ8vQIMsRt9cmpwHrCgcVExoAnPu9cUNlNhU8AT1Q9OrbbQA6cFVR0n7D_npuFDsQEmgkhYxv4EVLGd_HT6CPexPrE8DPnnMhgFp_44m4Nguk6syr64EwAM6Qkv3yh4ueI/s1600/Leaving+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAMuKwQuNsEuJ8vQIMsRt9cmpwHrCgcVExoAnPu9cUNlNhU8AT1Q9OrbbQA6cFVR0n7D_npuFDsQEmgkhYxv4EVLGd_HT6CPexPrE8DPnnMhgFp_44m4Nguk6syr64EwAM6Qkv3yh4ueI/s320/Leaving+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Leaving Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Early that morning we headed out to the boating dock where we experienced security for the seas. This was extremely interesting to me because I never thought that traveling by boat would require us to have our luggage checked. The islands’ one-of-a-kind wildlife needed to be protected. Another interesting thing was to get to the speedboat, we first boarded a water taxi that took us from the dock to another vessel about 40 feet away. The way the driver manipulated the taxi was impressive because there were so many boats in the bay that one bad turn would result in a costly collision.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO_N13TctUdbFB-BLGbcwyAXIm0ONUmXvkxphNKzfQX_SH1gR2zoBlDB0LSq8_Wmewwj8x2k1r_DsKxvAYlwdKCOEh7P5BYI9jq8T7tTGgghP3nUSNZ-hq_HP_zrYPBr0Uh0pXeBP2Qvd/s1600/We+passed+the+National+Geographic+ship+Endeavor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO_N13TctUdbFB-BLGbcwyAXIm0ONUmXvkxphNKzfQX_SH1gR2zoBlDB0LSq8_Wmewwj8x2k1r_DsKxvAYlwdKCOEh7P5BYI9jq8T7tTGgghP3nUSNZ-hq_HP_zrYPBr0Uh0pXeBP2Qvd/s320/We+passed+the+National+Geographic+ship+Endeavor.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">We passed the National Geographic Endeavour ship</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once we boarded the speedboat, we were off. At first the boat was fairly still and didn’t move too much, but then we hit open waters and all hell broke loose. People were being smacked around the crowded boat from the waves. You could definitely tell who the tourists were versus the natives because we were not used to being on the water. After an hour or so Jessi, Sammi and Audrey were not doing so well. Surprisingly, I was just fine! My various medications had done their job, and Poseidon granted me with a strong stomach to enjoy the journey. Having been deep sea fishing before, I had previously experienced open ocean. However, I had never been along for a trip of this magnitude. It is a truly humbling experience when you realize just how small you are. After examining the experiences of past explorers such as Darwin, it is almost unfathomable how they could have conquered the oceans without the use of a gas powered engine. We finally reached shore, and we all but sprinted off the boat to find our guide, Tim. He led us to our hotel and informed us that we would have a few hours to rest before heading to lunch.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaRUlir7PPyuw0MA4u2HD8QkI4m1nE6RcwRYf-u-PAuGiN-V380BR0j0TrHtvKYbp8gvM5l7yZUvmSRzibg-XBIYVH3AQmGvcx8pLzVOHfQBVr9kTLUOmGwLkKLNa4V8xqJR3gBOyTIjk/s1600/The+view+of+Isla+San+Cristobal+from+our+hotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaRUlir7PPyuw0MA4u2HD8QkI4m1nE6RcwRYf-u-PAuGiN-V380BR0j0TrHtvKYbp8gvM5l7yZUvmSRzibg-XBIYVH3AQmGvcx8pLzVOHfQBVr9kTLUOmGwLkKLNa4V8xqJR3gBOyTIjk/s320/The+view+of+Isla+San+Cristobal+from+our+hotel.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The view of Isla San Cristobal from the hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK9AcHht2GqWxrf-KzdaN5U9LyO3xzZcDbX0V6J1xUEmoKjE2QHaoAETjZ4Nr5Dp8ys5ZJ_7aH-7P5Ax7WP-7Sf32GgTZzURJl2dVOxaEsnhvPQdURCsH2VcudF4_vd4fPQ5T85o1iPa0/s1600/First+sea+turtle+of+the+trip%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK9AcHht2GqWxrf-KzdaN5U9LyO3xzZcDbX0V6J1xUEmoKjE2QHaoAETjZ4Nr5Dp8ys5ZJ_7aH-7P5Ax7WP-7Sf32GgTZzURJl2dVOxaEsnhvPQdURCsH2VcudF4_vd4fPQ5T85o1iPa0/s320/First+sea+turtle+of+the+trip%2521.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">The first sea turtle of the trip.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a good two hours of deep sleep, we headed to an outdoor restaurant. Most of our group couldn’t eat due to stomach issues from the boat. I really enjoyed all the different foods on the islands. It seemed fresh and healthier than my usual taco-bell, Wendy’s diet. After lunch we drove a few miles to snorkel at the first beach of the San Cristobal portion of the trip, and the beauty of the ocean and the sand was indescribable. After a long evening at the beach, we headed back to the hotel and washed up for dinner.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Diamond Stingray</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although today was long, I truly enjoyed snorkeling. The vast and exotic species I had the pleasure of experiencing will not soon fade from my memory. Immediately upon entering the water I observed sea turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, sea urchins, and a plethora of fish that will take time to identify from our photos. Given that we were confined to a small cove, the amount of life one could find in our oceans seems unimaginable. I have always been a fan of wildlife ever since I was little. I had ant farms and a paleontology kit and a general love of nature and wildlife, so I really enjoyed seeing the underwater sea life.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Spinster Wrasse</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To continue the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/05/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-68.html" target="_blank">Day 6: Snorkling at Kicker Rock</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</a>, and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-48.html" target="_blank">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Giant Tortoises</a></span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 22.08px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span><br />
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-40668878812035403122016-04-25T17:03:00.001-05:002016-05-03T15:31:08.081-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 4/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Giant Tortoises</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Audrey Baumbach</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggrhv7g9JAZnqzogOkFWorS5Trbc5j9fGtX30ZbDto26F0EVnbeT9lqWV65r50oD0_gDVykMPWFa4pi_KU-DmyCeDkTa7Fu69zHjse_pnh-7JAbRwAqdWBYdyGkQoPWX4xx1tWNzcoOjU/s1600/The+trail+to+Tortuga+Bay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggrhv7g9JAZnqzogOkFWorS5Trbc5j9fGtX30ZbDto26F0EVnbeT9lqWV65r50oD0_gDVykMPWFa4pi_KU-DmyCeDkTa7Fu69zHjse_pnh-7JAbRwAqdWBYdyGkQoPWX4xx1tWNzcoOjU/s320/The+trail+to+Tortuga+Bay.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail to Tortuga Bay</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the fourth day of our trip, the group and I got to experience our first true island adventure. After breakfast at the hotel, we were quickly in our swimsuits and headed towards Tortuga Bay. With the prospect of seeing our first marine Iguana or Galapagos shark, the group was in high spirits as we climbed a large, stone stairwell leading to a forest. While it wasn’t as flashy as some of the Galápagos’ other tourist attractions, once one stopped to just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">look</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, there were many unique things there as well. Many small, multi-colored lizards skittered across the rock pathways and Galapagos mockingbirds sang in the trees above us. What I found most interesting were the cacti. With tasty, water filled fruits they had evolved to protect themselves from land iguanas by developing thick bark at the base of the plant. It was hard to imagine what Darwin must have thought, in the 1830s, looking at such a plant for the first time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS_FLPBJT-aekn_2Lag5U37E33HyML59Ns6enySHzkETWcHJ3dM0a1L7apMzMOTH4liFHnwwd7aIHHy6jGN65irvDyNE7Q5jRVgpJxvT9JTymMslq6X0fbNEqnYnaR-wlX-1Y5BypOvet/s1600/The+trunk+of+a+Galapagos+prickly+pear%252C+with+very+thick+tree-like+bark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS_FLPBJT-aekn_2Lag5U37E33HyML59Ns6enySHzkETWcHJ3dM0a1L7apMzMOTH4liFHnwwd7aIHHy6jGN65irvDyNE7Q5jRVgpJxvT9JTymMslq6X0fbNEqnYnaR-wlX-1Y5BypOvet/s320/The+trunk+of+a+Galapagos+prickly+pear%252C+with+very+thick+tree-like+bark.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trunk of a Galapagos prickly<br />
pear with very thick tree-like bark</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A female lava lizard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYO_YZgJpvVXL0qRA_PgvDGyNaXrmQCMJxFFMUMWzgrbr9yDy4h-nTqwlG3fHCL18o3hMJVIWdX7tmSokmHZapxGCJX_3_DNDirQbP8QehA0w3Fk3S66N4FoYurbZgCNFuYp4l3etTtt4/s1600/A+male+lava+lizard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYO_YZgJpvVXL0qRA_PgvDGyNaXrmQCMJxFFMUMWzgrbr9yDy4h-nTqwlG3fHCL18o3hMJVIWdX7tmSokmHZapxGCJX_3_DNDirQbP8QehA0w3Fk3S66N4FoYurbZgCNFuYp4l3etTtt4/s320/A+male+lava+lizard.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A male lava lizard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQpI5NQBCPb_M4jPI7ekMEhTyRyplPX_zNyKO-o_My_oyJYJ8-GN6d6voj5vBIQS8sFAKemuNbKxekcAGmMOZTfCn8007pWV5hzUc2bEDgrBq4EvmmDZMcQkzPjx2vFaPHjxnJ-wGn2ul/s1600/Tortuga+Bay+beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQpI5NQBCPb_M4jPI7ekMEhTyRyplPX_zNyKO-o_My_oyJYJ8-GN6d6voj5vBIQS8sFAKemuNbKxekcAGmMOZTfCn8007pWV5hzUc2bEDgrBq4EvmmDZMcQkzPjx2vFaPHjxnJ-wGn2ul/s320/Tortuga+Bay+beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuga Bay beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iLZ5TtiFrthsr3jcw89AgMG4hP5lJLCFP1hLmI7nNB6kFiDt2C1WoN9MvqtRbcTuvfEBOlL-dmMGeNJOJ73QjuwT20l599rvXzZzEBQ3xTv2xLcgZL4ujW09GOCfJNH944V_qVM3I5m4/s1600/Sally+Lightfoot+Crabs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iLZ5TtiFrthsr3jcw89AgMG4hP5lJLCFP1hLmI7nNB6kFiDt2C1WoN9MvqtRbcTuvfEBOlL-dmMGeNJOJ73QjuwT20l599rvXzZzEBQ3xTv2xLcgZL4ujW09GOCfJNH944V_qVM3I5m4/s320/Sally+Lightfoot+Crabs.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sally Lightfoot crabs</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the small trek through the forest, we arrived at a beach that seemed too perfect to be real. I had never seen sand that white or soft. It felt although it had the consistency of flour. We learned later on this type of sand was the product of Parrotfish poop and makes up a lot of the beaches on the Galapagos. Taking our time and making sure to snap many pictures, the group moved slowly across the beach to get to Tortuga Bay. On the way, we spotted several pelicans both flying, and floating on the water; we also saw orange and black crabs (Sally Lightfoot Crab) of numerous sizes moving across the rocks and tidal pools, and our first marine iguana. It was camouflaged so well into the black lava rock and kept still enough that I would have stepped on it had another group member not pointed it out to me. It was a smaller individual, black as the lava rock with small spines down its back. Further down the beach, large groups of them sat covered in sand next to dunes. Surprisingly, they were even well camouflaged there as well.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6fO6bJgnzKlYS_MbEerOpheF6LObBSk_LXMoSjMfbVFebJ6LqyoGQstDCtDCu_PPRet7uqibkc7xF3dFMd7PcKb193weZmEmmCNuqpMyFCQRxZabXgVjrnx22EOFWz17Jiah9OJZvij/s1600/A+Galapagos+marine+iguana%252C+blending+in+with+volcanic+rock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6fO6bJgnzKlYS_MbEerOpheF6LObBSk_LXMoSjMfbVFebJ6LqyoGQstDCtDCu_PPRet7uqibkc7xF3dFMd7PcKb193weZmEmmCNuqpMyFCQRxZabXgVjrnx22EOFWz17Jiah9OJZvij/s320/A+Galapagos+marine+iguana%252C+blending+in+with+volcanic+rock.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Galapagos marine iguana blending in with<br />
volcanic rocks</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took a while for me to be pulled away from watching the motionless iguanas, but after some prodding we walked past a few trees to finally arrive at Tortuga Bay. The waves were small and the color of turquoise, lapping slowly up onto more white sand. Several species of finches hopped branch to branch of the nearby trees and left tracks in the sand. More iguanas laid in the shade of trees and bushes, hidden until one was only an inch or two away. It was a paradise we were thankful to have a couple hours in. Quickly, our group was in the water and enjoying the fish and cool water. We explored the surrounding rocks and were lucky enough to spot a marine iguana swimming back to land. Mangroves covered the outer edge of the bay where we all re-grouped. It was here we saw the sharks. It started off fun, spotting several small black tip reef sharks. There were many, more than we thought at first. When one disappeared there would be another quickly arriving in its place. Excitedly, we stood in a circle and watched them swim around us. This lasted for a few minutes, until another member had the privilege of being next to a White-tip reef shark as it swam by. Being a larger, more impressive specimen, we were all eager to catch another glimpse of it but unfortunately it disappeared into the mangroves. After realizing we weren’t sure where the White-tip reef shark had a gone a few of us were eager to swim back to shore.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq_RP_uYQi3Kz9B_sQLq-7ol4L06zsnNUKkB1E7VvCcUf7Kfi3ZrcEgRdK_QaOWKMvnNNsAbg-FqaCwjroEozn728TYeUv6JqjOQC1jHiyfuMBoKtkNdJU_qPGKHTCcfuhW5kuKLcVPVH/s1600/Tortuga+Bay+on+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq_RP_uYQi3Kz9B_sQLq-7ol4L06zsnNUKkB1E7VvCcUf7Kfi3ZrcEgRdK_QaOWKMvnNNsAbg-FqaCwjroEozn728TYeUv6JqjOQC1jHiyfuMBoKtkNdJU_qPGKHTCcfuhW5kuKLcVPVH/s400/Tortuga+Bay+on+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuga Bay on Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4cTtXg6-cK7p51XFMVzN2LmANjxpAlgYHHHjlwIqgva7NzRs1FlfTxzqCOgzJpKKai2PCEUlg5Zx2DkvZA-ZCvUzusQmUjBg2PRL0FYJNj9P2tELa0JoeTtyUxP0w9KqeewRYbSzmRGb/s1600/Group+photo+inside+the+lava+tube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4cTtXg6-cK7p51XFMVzN2LmANjxpAlgYHHHjlwIqgva7NzRs1FlfTxzqCOgzJpKKai2PCEUlg5Zx2DkvZA-ZCvUzusQmUjBg2PRL0FYJNj9P2tELa0JoeTtyUxP0w9KqeewRYbSzmRGb/s320/Group+photo+inside+the+lava+tube.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo inside the lava tube</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The excitement of the sharks was not outdone for the rest of our time at beach. Some of us went bird spotting, while others dug in the sand and looked for small schools of fish along the shore. It wasn’t too long before we were packing up and saying goodbye to Tortuga Bay. We ate lunch at small restaurant by our hotel, enjoying local favorites such as papaya juice and fried plantains. It was a quick change of clothes and then we were back at it again. The lava tube located near Primicias Ranch was our next stop. I personally was unsure what to expect. While the idea itself sounded fun, I was skeptical. It turns out I was not disappointed. Avoiding spider webs while navigating a deteriorating staircase, we walked nearly straight down into a large hole in the ground. It was surprisingly cool compared to the humid air outside. Moisture dripped from the walls and squished beneath our tennis shoes as we explored the large tube. I tried to picture lava coursing through and bursting from one side to next. The vast amount that could fit in the large tunnel alone was enough to cause quite a bit of damage to the surrounding areas. It made one wonder what would happen to the wildlife and the homes of those close by if it were to happen again. Thankfully, we did not have to survive through a lava flow that day and explored the different patterns on the rock wall and climbed over those in our way. It was a muddy experience, especially because we had to crawl at one point through an opening no more than two feet high, but it was eye opening. I had never realized lava carved such vast tunnels. As soon as we began, we reached the end of the tunnel and turned to face our next adventure for the day.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfCP8UNdCMegaTuG9Pt23o7oqgdZUo3FFjYsO8_HhN889lSRt96Y39XrbZPYcK42edkCHVINqRNlJ87t6aD6WG22yEtF6WXkXNldI76muLrclrUneqbFc_4B8E07tK3H0KfPqmFKfzYjx/s1600/Giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfCP8UNdCMegaTuG9Pt23o7oqgdZUo3FFjYsO8_HhN889lSRt96Y39XrbZPYcK42edkCHVINqRNlJ87t6aD6WG22yEtF6WXkXNldI76muLrclrUneqbFc_4B8E07tK3H0KfPqmFKfzYjx/s320/Giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ki0lnBUS7dOB1Mm6fyP5aZHPYLPANIIp1YgXHp68fmHw__j6OvKEMFROOR7GBpqSJSSRocF9H9rTUjO0TCOa_SFS0Xiz3Uxfg5w9zRT1DNRObuV4KSGjYA3I5kNZsM-FZFZNkPevUrtM/s1600/Giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ki0lnBUS7dOB1Mm6fyP5aZHPYLPANIIp1YgXHp68fmHw__j6OvKEMFROOR7GBpqSJSSRocF9H9rTUjO0TCOa_SFS0Xiz3Uxfg5w9zRT1DNRObuV4KSGjYA3I5kNZsM-FZFZNkPevUrtM/s320/Giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant tortoises at Primicias Ranc</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Practically next door, the tortoises at Primicias Ranch were waiting for us. We had seen giant tortoises before at the Charles Darwin Research Center, but these were closer and in a more natural environment. The sheer enormity is hard to describe in words when you’re only accustomed to seeing Box turtles. Slow and large, it was unexpected when we saw a female dart fairly quickly across a dirt pathway not far from where we were standing. It’s hard to believe these large, slow-blinking creatures could move as they did. It was then that Darwin came to my mind. In a modern world, it was amazing to see these creature. However, in the 1830s when an exotic creature was a colorful bird, one can only imagine what was going through their minds when they came across a five hundred pound tortoise. To view this place from their perspective must have absolutely unbelievable. If I had been in their shoes, I would have been concerned with people back home actually believing the things I saw. The tortoises were definitely one of a kind and it wasn’t hard to see why they were so easily hunted by sailors and whalers for food after they were discovered. I left that day with a new appreciation for the islands. The beauty of the landscape and uniqueness of the creatures I saw in one day was incredible. It left me eager and ready for the adventures to follow.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1idVAnE4CvMF7PfRjeY09zMsfk96LdkbFiForhvr_1sB9IHB3JT7jG4crG8Xl8ZS0tJX6cOwJMmzW08IcCVL37OXU8knqza0O0nBVbLg4emuqv5-TQIGLnZhQZ_ks7j1aeLdAmFmFmUnW/s1600/Galapagos+mockingbird.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1idVAnE4CvMF7PfRjeY09zMsfk96LdkbFiForhvr_1sB9IHB3JT7jG4crG8Xl8ZS0tJX6cOwJMmzW08IcCVL37OXU8knqza0O0nBVbLg4emuqv5-TQIGLnZhQZ_ks7j1aeLdAmFmFmUnW/s320/Galapagos+mockingbird.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos Mockingbird</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirB182E4FtMWMAdXikwHhZQRTlAUIHMKiyOQvXObMF0b79-RAAXBpEXqPItUZTXqTJn5Y-zKLB2eZ0M9ZFzpPBB-11T7sOqMF5QTnZhoBpaNwcQ7In_RIyupMdzPfdl4jhCQA7YpWpxrwh/s1600/Group+shot+with+a+giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirB182E4FtMWMAdXikwHhZQRTlAUIHMKiyOQvXObMF0b79-RAAXBpEXqPItUZTXqTJn5Y-zKLB2eZ0M9ZFzpPBB-11T7sOqMF5QTnZhoBpaNwcQ7In_RIyupMdzPfdl4jhCQA7YpWpxrwh/s320/Group+shot+with+a+giant+tortoise+at+Principias+Ranch.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group shot with a giant tortoise at Primicias Ranch</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To continue the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-58.html" target="_blank">Day 5: Snorkling Trip</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>, <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>, and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</a></span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 22.08px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-867672599130792912016-04-19T20:18:00.005-05:002016-04-25T17:05:43.680-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 3/8<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, </span><a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">David Levering</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">, lead a </span><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a><span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 3: Heading to the Islands</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Museum of the Center of the World and Charles Darwin Research Station</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Sami Mongomery</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnahhNpxfdq4WdMZe3IvUwWQUmn_uXNnLuUPVUy7-xc8e8hNjF9AmvqN6O0Ei-r8GcKnxmO07B2CaZLgXhTfpsa6gSLrUIKbRRnyz7_6HqRhtG6ZedOySuFnAb-RTJfcD9JRaIRMC0K5q/s1600/The+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnahhNpxfdq4WdMZe3IvUwWQUmn_uXNnLuUPVUy7-xc8e8hNjF9AmvqN6O0Ei-r8GcKnxmO07B2CaZLgXhTfpsa6gSLrUIKbRRnyz7_6HqRhtG6ZedOySuFnAb-RTJfcD9JRaIRMC0K5q/s320/The+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Museum of the Center of the World</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our third day of the trip started out perfectly. We got to sleep in and eat another interestingly delicious breakfast that the family who owned our hostel made. Just the few days we had spent in Ecuador allowed us to have a look into parts of daily life of families like theirs, but today was the day that we left their home and began the next part of our trip. Our guide service picked us up at 9:00 and we started our short drive to the “Valley of the Center of the World”. This is a place where the equator passes through Quito and an entire museum has been built around it. On our drive, Lenin (our Quito guide) gave us a lot of history and important facts about Ecuador and the city of Quito. This included information about how Quito came to be the capital city, which goes all the way back to the Incan empire. He also discussed the geography of Quito. Because Quito is located between two strings of mountains the city can only expand to the North and South, and it suffers from the rain shadow effect. Humidity from the Amazon rainforest gets stuck on one mountain chain and the other side catches the humidity from the Pacific Ocean, therefore Quito is very dry. An important issue he pointed out is that the city currently has a population of around 2.5 million people and it is constantly growing, so they are working to put in an efficient subway system. This growth is due to the fact that Ecuador’s currency is finally stable after switching to the U.S. Dollar, and people are coming to the capital city to find better work.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqFYi7PqCWgnczp9sUQHOKnXAAoq2Vcz3TUGE8djx6lrMXRXJ5gAGliLtJQlySP_WESRpGjlaWSsOMSBMUfGiyBoiLXt9sQIDWJ-CbbOXSy1BrfOirk5_JeZBbc4vLIbKd-FFvAjSRNYV/s1600/Learning+about+the+process+of+chocolate+production+in+Ecuador.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqFYi7PqCWgnczp9sUQHOKnXAAoq2Vcz3TUGE8djx6lrMXRXJ5gAGliLtJQlySP_WESRpGjlaWSsOMSBMUfGiyBoiLXt9sQIDWJ-CbbOXSy1BrfOirk5_JeZBbc4vLIbKd-FFvAjSRNYV/s320/Learning+about+the+process+of+chocolate+production+in+Ecuador.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning about the process of chocolate production</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ2ERt9WD9pcW0DvWwcn4qnhCr7k2fSIj4kaOQg0HLU4UN8P-JV4xK-OayyGwdiYILahLrLVigVwNYsVxrGmrma9irD0g0iN_xCuyRQf7ngMnqQzyu_Noo0RgcXlzng7F4O1HhHZ4LotA/s1600/A+fermented%252C+roasted+cacao+bean+ready+to+be+ground+into+powder+for+choclate+production.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ2ERt9WD9pcW0DvWwcn4qnhCr7k2fSIj4kaOQg0HLU4UN8P-JV4xK-OayyGwdiYILahLrLVigVwNYsVxrGmrma9irD0g0iN_xCuyRQf7ngMnqQzyu_Noo0RgcXlzng7F4O1HhHZ4LotA/s320/A+fermented%252C+roasted+cacao+bean+ready+to+be+ground+into+powder+for+choclate+production.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fermented, roasted cocao bean ready to be<br />
ground into powder</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a bit of a lesson on Quito’s history, we arrived at the museum. I personally expected to see a line on the ground and have someone tell us “that is the equator”, but it was so much more than that! This day was incredibly educational for the entire group. Our guide for the museum did in fact take us to a line, but then began telling us a myriad of information about the placement, significance, and uniqueness of this line. She then had us participate in some activities to back up what she was saying. It was fascinating! When we were done checking out the actual equator, we </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">went to a little hut where we learned a lot about the shrunken heads that indigenous tribes used to create in memory of important figures. Lastly, we were lead into heaven as Lenin called it. It was another hut that had a great amount of information about the process and significance of Ecuadorian chocolate. Let me tell you, it was delicious! Our guide showed us the process from when the cocoa is picked to when the bean is crushed into the actual product. We then got to buy some and get our passport stamped. We were all very pleased with the museum.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWZqf-k1I_3lXLR0gfnC-8CihtiGajPEp1QGCFnaGVNoMTpBkw27I7Km0PMDCX4aH-BdMrFI8nW8JcMlUj3YP2_R_REMnSiiG-Zgh34_vexzZPLCaonBHrCASXNjcOC9KgJwMDRVIN5CK/s1600/Sparkling+Violetear+%2528Colibri+coruscans%2529+at+the+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWZqf-k1I_3lXLR0gfnC-8CihtiGajPEp1QGCFnaGVNoMTpBkw27I7Km0PMDCX4aH-BdMrFI8nW8JcMlUj3YP2_R_REMnSiiG-Zgh34_vexzZPLCaonBHrCASXNjcOC9KgJwMDRVIN5CK/s320/Sparkling+Violetear+%2528Colibri+coruscans%2529+at+the+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) at the<br />
Museum of the Center of the World</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD8azRezzCYMmJC0mQmVbit0_DU8OpRP4FO81_Hc495Jm6y89kCyB7GFtcKOnNIDZ7we-HbzH6o-mposeL-hlRoSghL15KtBje5fn8Ioaf4GNTF1_8rGWjiYrhLFOUV_Fp0cdJR0zhfPr/s1600/Seeing+the+Galapagos+Islands+for+the+first+time+from+the+plane%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD8azRezzCYMmJC0mQmVbit0_DU8OpRP4FO81_Hc495Jm6y89kCyB7GFtcKOnNIDZ7we-HbzH6o-mposeL-hlRoSghL15KtBje5fn8Ioaf4GNTF1_8rGWjiYrhLFOUV_Fp0cdJR0zhfPr/s320/Seeing+the+Galapagos+Islands+for+the+first+time+from+the+plane%2521.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing the Galapagos Islands for the first time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlSPPV7H8U_ye0kI5iZvRwJmEuL7eJppFJYN90Zke4CrajUsVlGLeUUOYhUsAEbEDfnMd1sUajI7LyNlUpAPNZMukkFQECANIQyEZfJkEklHdMhnH9zXumy8zrVF49b3CQOzpEcU_ADu1/s1600/Short+boat+ride+from+Baltra+island+to+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlSPPV7H8U_ye0kI5iZvRwJmEuL7eJppFJYN90Zke4CrajUsVlGLeUUOYhUsAEbEDfnMd1sUajI7LyNlUpAPNZMukkFQECANIQyEZfJkEklHdMhnH9zXumy8zrVF49b3CQOzpEcU_ADu1/s320/Short+boat+ride+from+Baltra+island+to+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short boat ride from Baltra Island to Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The museum concluded our time in Ecuador and we were off to the airport. We had a short plane ride to the islands and we landed on Baltra. The only word to describe how I felt when we landed was shock. The island was a very barren, arid landscape. This allowed me to appreciate the incredible amount of diversity that the islands had to offer. After getting through airport checkpoints our instructor informed us that we were going to be taking a boat to our first island, Santa Cruz. When we got to the channel the water was beautiful! It was a five-minute boat ride to the other side </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">and then we took a much longer bus ride, through the national park part of the island, to get to the small town we would be staying. Our bus stopped in front of our hotel and again I was so shocked it was almost scary. This hotel was gorgeous and nothing like I had ever seen before. There were four floors with a very unique layout. There was no roof on most of the main lobby area and there was a beautiful pool on the roof of the top floor.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05WdxA1jD8GSjQLh79XAzTGi-jA_8QBVQeAXR99K1b6Op1PZrOjXs5k2OI0cYg-naCU52Yo-zgoTfZoPM9gKP-of4sO1fbBXb8jUssRDD2aYxrcT7erDQ4T6bOOZ-AaRZnhJQ3jkpQqMu/s1600/The+Red+Booby+hotel+where+we+stayed+while+in+Puerto+Ayora+on+Isla+Sanata+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05WdxA1jD8GSjQLh79XAzTGi-jA_8QBVQeAXR99K1b6Op1PZrOjXs5k2OI0cYg-naCU52Yo-zgoTfZoPM9gKP-of4sO1fbBXb8jUssRDD2aYxrcT7erDQ4T6bOOZ-AaRZnhJQ3jkpQqMu/s320/The+Red+Booby+hotel+where+we+stayed+while+in+Puerto+Ayora+on+Isla+Sanata+Cruz.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Booby Hotel in Puerto Ayora<br />
in Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4QtlGKIdVVv9hLPQKNJ7lD3GIibt2hbqJ9B97k3pWCR7ARX5CSrYf-dCXvnTIl3zA0kllxzNAZ5Pdjfe96uzG7T_ZmEK9_3SwJVucTl8J8TvQpFEw5453iVjx80-A4SB06qtAxfHiwk1/s1600/Group+shot+at+the+Charles+Darwin+Rsearch+Station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4QtlGKIdVVv9hLPQKNJ7lD3GIibt2hbqJ9B97k3pWCR7ARX5CSrYf-dCXvnTIl3zA0kllxzNAZ5Pdjfe96uzG7T_ZmEK9_3SwJVucTl8J8TvQpFEw5453iVjx80-A4SB06qtAxfHiwk1/s320/Group+shot+at+the+Charles+Darwin+Rsearch+Station.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group shot at the Charles Darwin Research Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDsONMQ0qhc_HsdPTvc0rfu7x5ziFeC88DIfvk-rJUyKkJoeJvT360ie4jlnKCEQ8qT21ECQh1RztpfBkK_zoHWfCF8AgBSxN5vWVpO_b8armE7et8FwXr-kQsRVIi-m2p_X0eaOtDdVv/s1600/Galapagos+land+iguana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDsONMQ0qhc_HsdPTvc0rfu7x5ziFeC88DIfvk-rJUyKkJoeJvT360ie4jlnKCEQ8qT21ECQh1RztpfBkK_zoHWfCF8AgBSxN5vWVpO_b8armE7et8FwXr-kQsRVIi-m2p_X0eaOtDdVv/s320/Galapagos+land+iguana.JPG" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos land iguana</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">After we got settled, we began our walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station. This time allowed us to see more of the culture and scenery of the exceptional area we were blessed to be in. When we arrived at the station it was all outside exhibits and our tour guide Leo talked a lot about the animals and their history. It was very informative and this was our first sighting of the animals that most people refer to when talking about the Galapagos Islands. This included a land iguana, some bird life, and the giant tortoises. Although they were in cages it was still </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">unbelievable. After spending a bit of time there we headed back to our hotel and got to kind of wind down from the day full of travel. Later, we got to explore around the town and find some dinner. The owner of our guide service, Tim, suggested that we eat at a restaurant on the main street that turns into a huge event at night for the tourists and people of the town. All of the restaurants fill up the street with tables and the entire street is filled with people by the end of the night. It was a very different and inspiring environment that really showed how close the people there were. Our food was delicious and when we were done we went down to a pier where there was a small park and another really great atmosphere. We walked out on some of the docks and got to see different marine life, such as sea lions, stingrays, and pelicans. After being there for a while we all decided to head back to the hotel and end our first night on the islands with a roof top swim!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJumXKq3ohT6lZKQvb_1gWLmfdw3G321SknqTKls6WPPVSUmhJ09bYopCmSsTEuvXhpSbgoTNQecOvCf8Sq7pinyD_2czfCrX7MEtp9mO-9hGTerELmNB6LyA7IYEHQIAsnnaJAfnCjtM/s320/Southern+Yellow+Grosbeak+%2528Pheucticus+chrysogaster%2529+at+the+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) at<br />
the Museum of the Center of the World</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bE4vV_wZjeDsxaLd-dhFYMDih38uSJz6Tu_9dh5njd6ZoG8ugfp3Q0a3UIpSBHZ6T3FTvJBEKUOuj9LxwYrjkMOA4nCY9_aFAnS_eW2knU66j4rSw021assnuzW4kKFSQrFN43l-9M5p/s1600/Eagle+rays+visible+below+the+Puerto+Ayora+pier+at+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bE4vV_wZjeDsxaLd-dhFYMDih38uSJz6Tu_9dh5njd6ZoG8ugfp3Q0a3UIpSBHZ6T3FTvJBEKUOuj9LxwYrjkMOA4nCY9_aFAnS_eW2knU66j4rSw021assnuzW4kKFSQrFN43l-9M5p/s320/Eagle+rays+visible+below+the+Puerto+Ayora+pier+at+Isla+Santa+Cruz.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle rays below the Puerto Ayora pier on Isla Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJumXKq3ohT6lZKQvb_1gWLmfdw3G321SknqTKls6WPPVSUmhJ09bYopCmSsTEuvXhpSbgoTNQecOvCf8Sq7pinyD_2czfCrX7MEtp9mO-9hGTerELmNB6LyA7IYEHQIAsnnaJAfnCjtM/s1600/Southern+Yellow+Grosbeak+%2528Pheucticus+chrysogaster%2529+at+the+Museum+of+the+Center+of+the+World.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a> and <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25.2px;">To continue the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-48.html" target="_blank">Day 4: Tortuga Bay and Galapagos Tortoises</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-53578914114803318512016-04-14T14:25:00.003-05:002016-04-20T13:50:16.753-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 2/8Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" target="_blank">David Levering</a>, lead a <a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/news/Galapagos-trip-big-adventure-for-FHSU-students/" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip</a> of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 2: Bike Trip</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Outside Quito, Ecuador</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Aaron Janiec</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting picked up by the mountain bike guides <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the things the group was looking forward to the most was the bike trip. We had to be up and ready to go by 7:00 AM. The </span><span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">bike</span><span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tour service came and picked us up to take us to back side of Pichincha, where the tour would start. Pichincha is an active stratovolcano that is covered by forest. When looking at the different peaks, it was hard to differentiate between other mountains and the volcano because of the cloud forest surrounding it. If I was not told Pichincha is a volcano, I would have just thought it was just another mountain, because of all the forest around it. As we were driving to the drop-off point, we drove through an area that was definitely poorer </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Overlooking Quito on our way to the top <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">than the inner city of Quito. The people were living in small concrete block-shaped buildings, which made up shops and homes. The day before we walked around the entire city of Quito and saw the city life. As soon as we get outside of the city, on the eastern slope towards Mindo away from Quito, the demographics definitely changed. This reminded me of my trip to Chimbote, Peru where everyone was living in makeshift buildings made from woven plant material and posts. It was a definite culture shock. One thing I noticed after we started the tour was trash had been thrown down the hillside like it was a dumpster. I also noticed that it looked like most of the locals made a living through agriculture. As we rode around, we saw a considerable amount of domestic animals, mostly dogs. Along the trail we also saw some farm animals, including chickens and horses in some sections, and cows which were grazing cleared out pasture areas. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVh572VqR3LEGsaGhrmRvSLqwxmKCZSCecCCXYKyrbiDQS3URzEZmKfjWOu-EmQHIQrRMbHcPfCbcA87xc3QJ8FBc_xkiMiXtE6r4OvguTsITiqkSA0MAdQMhChqmKOhXZGR7p78jYSCx/s1600/IMGP9821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVh572VqR3LEGsaGhrmRvSLqwxmKCZSCecCCXYKyrbiDQS3URzEZmKfjWOu-EmQHIQrRMbHcPfCbcA87xc3QJ8FBc_xkiMiXtE6r4OvguTsITiqkSA0MAdQMhChqmKOhXZGR7p78jYSCx/s320/IMGP9821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-yD17pWURU4Cb0BfmCrwHBu7KbbIIwnKU1ve0P3oXzN8uanUT1Wmk9mDbCMnsFt0ywxBuwRvrDFgYbvHQ9qiFFYtUR8xW4z1Id4AW_Lj41wG_f1i51klTZEMahdbz4Degam8nDfCarvi/s1600/A+waterfall+we+found+up+in+the+cloud+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-yD17pWURU4Cb0BfmCrwHBu7KbbIIwnKU1ve0P3oXzN8uanUT1Wmk9mDbCMnsFt0ywxBuwRvrDFgYbvHQ9qiFFYtUR8xW4z1Id4AW_Lj41wG_f1i51klTZEMahdbz4Degam8nDfCarvi/s320/A+waterfall+we+found+up+in+the+cloud+forest.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A waterfall we found up in the<br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first 10 kilometers were mostly downhill on pavement and the view was breathtaking. We were able to look out and see the mountains and cloud forest. It was amazing to look down the hill and see what we were about to ride our bikes through. Sometimes it would be wide open and clear, other times it would be a thick forest. We made it to a town called Nono before we had a two kilometer uphill climb. Even though the climb was only two kilometers, it was a very rocky and physically demanding. The lack of oxygen took a toll on my physical ability. We were about 10,000 feet up, a definite change from Kansas. The last 25 kilometers was mostly downhill on a road through the cloud forest. This portion was more diverse than the first 10 kilometers. This part of our bike ride had a lot more plant life from small flowers to big trees. This was a forest for sure but we had not reached the cloud forest yet. The road was very muddy and rocky. I felt like I was actually mountain biking for the first time. We were all splattered with mud head to toe. Everywhere you looked was either forest, waterfall, or rock features. When I looked at these different parts of the forest, it is amazing to see something naturally made over time.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1t841eBlGfNAtrprMLsCROcBrOlbOWVjrXcxJTfNB53vHTb0QLqLrMfnHQTrm5h9HvcAqHzNrb42M-qR_fnMUXGYv2aEyA-t2NVCU-Om7sANmLJxKDAfWhMyHcKjLlI9UmY7o_t83tu-/s1600/Our+guide%252C+pointing+out+features+in+the+landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1t841eBlGfNAtrprMLsCROcBrOlbOWVjrXcxJTfNB53vHTb0QLqLrMfnHQTrm5h9HvcAqHzNrb42M-qR_fnMUXGYv2aEyA-t2NVCU-Om7sANmLJxKDAfWhMyHcKjLlI9UmY7o_t83tu-/s400/Our+guide%252C+pointing+out+features+in+the+landscape.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide pointing out features in the landscape</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Along the trail we passed a religious building called Virgen del Camino. The tour guide <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd45jPBRpf1e09fto_aQ1HNjjG0bFwqjbmEj_vv9ViB1VKlfbWXPwXrVIerif9-_KkxI8cIeIv7wnWdeLhuuPqr0bqjMeEtSGzeFP20vmwu5akdjI0CxyRrD1x5SfkegVgPcnG8DcFAcA/s1600/A+place+of+worship+we+passed+on+our+way+through+the+mountains.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd45jPBRpf1e09fto_aQ1HNjjG0bFwqjbmEj_vv9ViB1VKlfbWXPwXrVIerif9-_KkxI8cIeIv7wnWdeLhuuPqr0bqjMeEtSGzeFP20vmwu5akdjI0CxyRrD1x5SfkegVgPcnG8DcFAcA/s320/A+place+of+worship+we+passed+on+our+way+through+the+mountains.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A place of worship we passed on our way<br />
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informed us that at certain points of the year many locals will come to this building to worship. Along the trail there are several waterfalls and geologic features such as dormant basalt flows. As a geology student, I thought seeing these dormant basalt flows surrounded by an active volcano was very interesting. I get to see pictures of different geologic features from around the world in class. But you can never really get a full grasp until you see it in person. (Last year, I went on the study abroad to France. Before the trip I came across pictures of a place called Etretat, France. This place looked amazing, it was in Normandy and was on the coast. Etretat had two large cliffs and one had some erosion happen to it, creating a n-shaped cliff. The pictures on the internet do not do it justice.)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7yhZyM4vf0IVKEuNUY6bxdJzJpUyXk9abFE4lgnBc_6g0lE2Nf44UST1r1BEzITyEedPZ4HFlln2pwnYNU4mO6S1CzdEwpl_0krz1CaJkVBmCRrhkyzEBJmc4yVEPY7ytMWOlshTug30/s1600/Silver+trees%252C+visible+in+the+center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7yhZyM4vf0IVKEuNUY6bxdJzJpUyXk9abFE4lgnBc_6g0lE2Nf44UST1r1BEzITyEedPZ4HFlln2pwnYNU4mO6S1CzdEwpl_0krz1CaJkVBmCRrhkyzEBJmc4yVEPY7ytMWOlshTug30/s320/Silver+trees%252C+visible+in+the+center.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver trees, visible in the center of the photo,<br />
look like metal from a distance</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we continued down through the mountain valleys we saw a great variety of plant and animal life. In the cloud forest we got to see some really cool trees called silver trees. These trees were different because when you look down on them they look silver but the closer you get, the greener they are. This was very interesting to see because they looks like a metal tree from a distance. It is also something we do not get to see back home. We also saw a great variety of hummingbirds in the hummingbird reserve at the end of our ride. These hummingbirds were very colorful and stood out like color on a blank canvas. All of the hummingbirds we saw are indigenous to the cloud forest region of Ecuador. There were also animals we did not get to see because they stay away from the roads, including bears, wild pigs, monkeys, pumas, jaguars. We then had lunch in Condiapa outside of a small convenience store. To really understand where we were, this convenience store was on the side of the road amidst a fortress of surrounding mountain peaks. That road probably does not get a lot of traffic. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8dIDDTftRyEjJBo-TXVy_PPPw9tY3eXO48Xo9m6Lt_fZIKMKBtD832SkK6P5htM-AEEftqBRjiTQYgD8sFWxoNxOmyWk_htvu-wd5ayS47IlLVcqylHNLAp9EdR1LV9gKtpDl4_5FJTZ/s1600/A+Booted+Rackettail%252C+one+of+13+species+of+hummingbird+we+saw+in+Ecuador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8dIDDTftRyEjJBo-TXVy_PPPw9tY3eXO48Xo9m6Lt_fZIKMKBtD832SkK6P5htM-AEEftqBRjiTQYgD8sFWxoNxOmyWk_htvu-wd5ayS47IlLVcqylHNLAp9EdR1LV9gKtpDl4_5FJTZ/s400/A+Booted+Rackettail%252C+one+of+13+species+of+hummingbird+we+saw+in+Ecuador.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A booted racketttail, one of the 13 species of hummingbird we saw in Ecuador</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 1.2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the end, it is an experience that we will never forget. Getting to see a great variety of plant and animal life while mountain biking down a volcano through a forest makes for a great day. That was a day to remember, and a trip of a lifetime.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many, many brilliantly colored flowers we saw on our bike trip</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To catch up on the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-18.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Exploring Quito</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 25.2px;">To continue the adventure, read about </span><a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-38.html" target="_blank">Day 3: The Museum of the Center of the World and Charles Darwin Research Station</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 25.2px;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span></div>
Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-77741260194116972452016-04-12T15:50:00.001-05:002016-04-14T14:36:14.666-05:00Ecuador Adventure Guest Blog Series 1/8Sternberg Museum of Natural History Education Director, <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" target="_blank">David Levering</a>, lead a <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/news/FHSU-programs-help-student-see-the-world/" target="_blank">spring break study abroad trip </a>of seven Fort Hays State University undergraduate students to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The students documented their adventures and explorations during the trip, and these travelogues will be featured here through a series of eight posts (with a finally reflection from David). Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 1: Exploring Quito</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Location: Quito, Ecuador</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">By: Jessica Johnson</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-f2ee66c2-0c25-2320-04c9-2a575144fa42" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">This morning all was quiet in our hostel. We were all exhausted from the full day of driving and flying, but the excitement for our upcoming journey was in the air. Personally, it still hadn’t hit me that I was in a foreign country thousands of miles away from home. I mean I’m only 19 years old! I’m practically still a child, and I was exploring places grown adults only dream about.</span></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyKWuDgAJk53-Po8DjZBbOXpbpNcsRjWAayLxQIe-jg9aIbAPaio8CUUS8jlgbFGnFku3yi6BFL4EKExlvD50wgXm8CdmdpSOEKx6_ZJpmGWiNCRlaGZGlU1VR2E4HeQGz8iQXHhyphenhyphenvElo/s1600/Jess_Breakfast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyKWuDgAJk53-Po8DjZBbOXpbpNcsRjWAayLxQIe-jg9aIbAPaio8CUUS8jlgbFGnFku3yi6BFL4EKExlvD50wgXm8CdmdpSOEKx6_ZJpmGWiNCRlaGZGlU1VR2E4HeQGz8iQXHhyphenhyphenvElo/s320/Jess_Breakfast.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at the Quito hostel.</td></tr>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After my morning prepping routine, I meandered down to the breakfast nook to meet up with the rest of our group to eat breakfast. A few unique things happened: we were introduced to the cultural cuisine of eggs, toast, coffee, hot chocolate, and a fruit blend drink which was personally prepared and served to us by the owner of the hostel, and we finally interacted with native Ecuadorian people that spoke no English. I could tell that the language barrier was going to effect me greatly, and I was going to have to use my communication major skills. After our group was showered, rested, and reenergized we took off to explore the city of Quito. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first place that we walked to was a formal park in the middle of the city. It seemed like this park was more for the natives of Quito because there were no other people walking around with cameras and fanny packs. It was exciting to see something that was so authentic to the people from Quito. I was worried that all we’d get to see was the glamorous parts of the city and not what Ecuador was really about. During our visit to this park, we also got our first glimpses of Quito’s plant and animal life.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj823-tpzJZVpuJvTbqRU12MvmrhAhm-DSSdn72QD59UVkwdVFu23DpmOWUh6VbEZbgqs4dbj9aysLs5PN7Mmy7bZwQEtZhdhyphenhyphenUGnnR611EEU6OEot-acV6a56tWzJbXnvuS-nWPQEFMg9z/s1600/The+first+park+we+found+in+our+exploration+of+Quito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj823-tpzJZVpuJvTbqRU12MvmrhAhm-DSSdn72QD59UVkwdVFu23DpmOWUh6VbEZbgqs4dbj9aysLs5PN7Mmy7bZwQEtZhdhyphenhyphenUGnnR611EEU6OEot-acV6a56tWzJbXnvuS-nWPQEFMg9z/s400/The+first+park+we+found+in+our+exploration+of+Quito.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first stop and first park of our day exploring Quito.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next spot we walked towards was De Voto Nacional, a cathedral of grand architecture that </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CVJ5uNyhRb32DDXWk-bWU1x5kfXZKcJpMCASbWm5Zrx_17PXgMk2bs3FjbE75jEagFRptE8BR3Dj-97iVF_oHnPlMqsfK8x_D5YSWQQaJndorWxf1KxYPAdjmh13_ZLErySAd0b_liQW/s1600/Inside+the+De+Voto+Nacional+cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CVJ5uNyhRb32DDXWk-bWU1x5kfXZKcJpMCASbWm5Zrx_17PXgMk2bs3FjbE75jEagFRptE8BR3Dj-97iVF_oHnPlMqsfK8x_D5YSWQQaJndorWxf1KxYPAdjmh13_ZLErySAd0b_liQW/s320/Inside+the+De+Voto+Nacional+cathedral.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of De Voto National. </td></tr>
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</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">allowed us a look at Catholicism in Quito. This. Was. Phenomenal. It was humbling to see one of </span>the only places in Quito where tourism was not the main focus. Although this church was thousands of miles away from my home, their customs still mirrored the Catholic Church that I attended in my small, western hometown. This was special to me because even though our cultures and living styles were so different, we still have something in common.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-fznYFSQ0PHNqC44r9fzqvsKQhYkNlY2yxNLrkKyYHZcA4lnIuMNvKYDzUm73njLI6VcKZXi0OZXvX_xh9-Jk7wkpuDk5UDHtkvtP14OwYT_SlqJysVmbKTkJodabgkYi1d69qa-jstH/s400/Outside+of+the+De+Voto+Nacional+cathedral.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">De Voto National from the outside.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRpv2hs_nsJwwxuYYhpq-dDDhLvnMrGGQ1Zqs6EmyOUxvw2CFtDhUb7IRzX_244xE1tD-2KDoS0fP6x0ascdg3TXAK7R7H5R4T-gmIfhhOQT4r2QCJJCLv0n7cZQH-Acg7Hd_ehQRgwG6/s1600/Pulled+into+the+park+comedy+show.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRpv2hs_nsJwwxuYYhpq-dDDhLvnMrGGQ1Zqs6EmyOUxvw2CFtDhUb7IRzX_244xE1tD-2KDoS0fP6x0ascdg3TXAK7R7H5R4T-gmIfhhOQT4r2QCJJCLv0n7cZQH-Acg7Hd_ehQRgwG6/s320/Pulled+into+the+park+comedy+show.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulled into the park comedy show. </td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By this time of the day we were tired and hungry, so we stopped for some Ecuadorian fast food, then made our way to another park. I was not expecting to be pulled into the comedy show that was entertaining a group of around 30 natives, but Connor, Sami, and I were pulled into the spotlight. THAT. WAS. CRAZY.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The two comedians were throwing props at us speaking in fast Spanish to the crowd. Although I was completely clueless, Connor could pick out a few broken Spanish phrases that still left us confused, a little uncomfortable, and out of our comfort zone. Apparently we were pretty funny though because the crowd was cackling and doubling over in laughter.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although it was all in good fun, this made an impact on me, being a communication major, because I have never been unable to understand what was being said. I felt awkward and nervous trying to read body language and trying to remember some of the theories that I had learned in my numerous communication classes. I never realized just how important my major was and what I did was so useful. I decided right then and there that I wanted to learn Spanish.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUEpqgdFmYChKafnG1kVsX1_DB2-XuMIHFXOcVveiKO9fA0Lb0nM8FW6r_N77vkH6FVsXrfFygopHEuT3k4DFht2THwFSLOP8Ph7s032sbK5DcWsRpW7XQKA7KB6fP8B73VY6VlmBWctv/s1600/Group+shot+in+the+second+park+we+found+in+Quito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUEpqgdFmYChKafnG1kVsX1_DB2-XuMIHFXOcVveiKO9fA0Lb0nM8FW6r_N77vkH6FVsXrfFygopHEuT3k4DFht2THwFSLOP8Ph7s032sbK5DcWsRpW7XQKA7KB6fP8B73VY6VlmBWctv/s400/Group+shot+in+the+second+park+we+found+in+Quito.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group in the second park. </td></tr>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After our standup comedy fun, we spent a good portion of the afternoon looking at trinkets and admiring some of the work that the locals made. It was incredible that so many people’s livelihood depended on selling their crafts and wares. I ended up buying a turquoise wrapped ring for my sister and a black and green stone bracelet for my boyfriend’s mother. After our shopping, we were ready to head back to the hostel and to grab some food. I was exhausted and still in disbelief that I was in Ecuador.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXNe3_FSawfxRMs-f7H7pL7s7JChgk-OtO5j3cK8BfPXqvH9l-tm4AsV45Jp-T7P6qLmsM5icfu3LReAmU1gr2pTxmDmEaaIhsmpH36WuvV3mtJrC-xBz_StKBRAnHm88X9W9dsZsjYLD/s1600/Exploring+Quito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXNe3_FSawfxRMs-f7H7pL7s7JChgk-OtO5j3cK8BfPXqvH9l-tm4AsV45Jp-T7P6qLmsM5icfu3LReAmU1gr2pTxmDmEaaIhsmpH36WuvV3mtJrC-xBz_StKBRAnHm88X9W9dsZsjYLD/s400/Exploring+Quito.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Quito on Day 1</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To continue the adventure, read about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecuador-adventure-guest-blog-series-28.html" target="_blank">Day 2: Bike Trip</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Ue_Y85LcQVE" target="_blank">Watch a video</a> with highlights from the Ecuador/Galapagos adventure!</span>Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-60395378183092891172016-01-03T14:05:00.000-06:002016-01-05T10:33:06.004-06:002015: Comings and Goings<div>
The end of the year is always a good time for reflecting on recent accomplishments - especially since I am writing the Sternberg Museum Paleontology Department's annual report. 2015 was a great year for paleontology at the Museum, with exciting plans on the horizon. </div>
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<b>New Programs</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0Z5NEtD3mixrBlLdRoV67kogfVHXz4ezaDtfP6G0gcjOJwPZDLC6s1OEbeCs79v8ZTD8byYllfSmuG87FsXoQHE6fXfdcSN4aj321Q7-x5viNdRw1EmdHadQSVGTK3M282gsNKL8tT0h/s1600/2016+PenguinDay_Newsletter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0Z5NEtD3mixrBlLdRoV67kogfVHXz4ezaDtfP6G0gcjOJwPZDLC6s1OEbeCs79v8ZTD8byYllfSmuG87FsXoQHE6fXfdcSN4aj321Q7-x5viNdRw1EmdHadQSVGTK3M282gsNKL8tT0h/s320/2016+PenguinDay_Newsletter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We continued established traditions like celebrating <a href="http://www.hdnews.net/news/local/big-crowd-turns-out-for-free-fossil-day/article_8b942e1e-ca51-5826-9a6b-63d4c762c422.html" target="_blank">National Fossil Day </a>(October), and added new annual programs like Penguin Awareness Day (January) and Darwin Day (February). Our attendance numbers for these events are growing, showing that we are reaching more and more people with science education. Perhaps rather selfishly, these events also allow me to celebrate things I'm passionate about: the history of science, evolutionary theory, the importance of preserving and studying fossils, and cute penguin pictures. Over the summer, Sternberg Museum Education Director David Levering led a <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/news/Paleontology-field-camp-deemed-a-success/" target="_blank">tremendously successful </a>second year of summer science camps. Paleontology continues to play a large role in the elementary, junior high, and high school camps. </div>
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<b>New Exhibits</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnWWOTSFB5BvLYVJkX5uUAREFCMY1GTXRcerRH0RjoYR7BTuUkrYP9Y0AFsgw-YqXWwF133O-SjCGFg6EAsuEGCm-6bmUC3gogA9g4BnjKQaLC1FtWWAxeBJAr_G7zH6S3hkR1KpCKJue/s1600/BringingFossilsToLife_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnWWOTSFB5BvLYVJkX5uUAREFCMY1GTXRcerRH0RjoYR7BTuUkrYP9Y0AFsgw-YqXWwF133O-SjCGFg6EAsuEGCm-6bmUC3gogA9g4BnjKQaLC1FtWWAxeBJAr_G7zH6S3hkR1KpCKJue/s320/BringingFossilsToLife_1.jpg" width="320" /></a>In April of 2015 we also had the excitement of <a href="http://www.hdnews.net/news/local/new-sternberg-exhibit-brings-fossils-to-life/article_8308de09-b620-51de-aeb8-cf753e922efd.html" target="_blank">opening a new permanent exhibit </a>in our main exhibit gallery. "Bringing Fossils To Life" is an engaging exhibit pairing living organisms with fossil counterparts to teach various aspects of evolutionary theory. Fossil tortoises are exhibited with living African spurred-thigh tortoises to demonstrate evolutionary stasis; living sassafras trees are paired with fossil leaves that were originally (mis)identified as sassafras to demonstrate convergent evolution; a fossil mosasaur from Kansas is compared to a living Merten's Water Monitor to illustrate functional morphology; and we have live salamanders and mudskippers displayed with fossils salamanders to explain how animals transitioned from water to land. The mudskippers are pretty damn cool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdzA1eH7iMFa2_kVZg-4U_huZ2t27Zk66bcT_FfMHwo365ybwlkyw-yehPb8gghg5uGksvt3F2cgHT1kFPPzVnfIShSIfsNSBC1T0Zw7hf3pF2xGC3xc9vlttApNSapq8zwxw6VEfZ16a/s1600/Titanoboa_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdzA1eH7iMFa2_kVZg-4U_huZ2t27Zk66bcT_FfMHwo365ybwlkyw-yehPb8gghg5uGksvt3F2cgHT1kFPPzVnfIShSIfsNSBC1T0Zw7hf3pF2xGC3xc9vlttApNSapq8zwxw6VEfZ16a/s320/Titanoboa_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Museum also hosted <a href="http://www.sites.si.edu/titanoboa/" target="_blank">"Titanoboa: Monster Snake"</a> as our summer traveling exhibit. <i>Titanoboa</i> was a 60 million year old, 48 foot long fossil snake found in Columbia. The excellent, and <a href="http://www.hdnews.net/news/local/titanoboa-slithers-into-sternberg/article_b95d1997-18d6-5651-b93d-1fd72f6d1f42.html" target="_blank">very well received</a> exhibit details the story of the discovery of the fossil and what we have learned by studying this beast's fossil remains and ecosystem. </div>
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<b>New Science</b></div>
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As always, new science made headlines for the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/wilsonpaleolab/" target="_blank">paleontology program at the Sternberg Museum and Fort Hays State University</a>. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/wilsonpaleolab/meet-the-lab" target="_blank">My students and I </a>attended multiple conferences where we had the opportunity to present novel research to the scientific community. Seven graduate students and I drove to Pittsburg, Kansas for the <a href="http://www.kansasacademyscience.org/files/kas2015-program.pdf" target="_blank">Kansas Academy of Science annual meeting</a>, where six of us gave presentations. Adjunct Curator of Paleontology Michael Everhart was the 2015 president of KAS and put on a fantastic conference (as well as gave a talk). Two of my students successfully defended their MS theses over the summer, and I had the opportunity to present new pterosaur histology research at the <a href="http://bonn2015.isph.org/" target="_blank">International Symposium on Paleohistology</a> in Bonn, Germany. We rounded out the year of conferences by attending the <a href="http://vertpaleo.org/Annual-Meeting/Future-Past-Meetings/SVP-75th-Annual-Meeting-Summary.aspx" target="_blank">75th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology </a>in Dallas, Texas. A huge contingency from FHSU showed up, with <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/paleocomm/2015/10/28/pteranodon-osteohistology-or-bizarrely-bacon-esque-pteranodon-bones/" target="_blank">many of us presenting research</a>. Recent MS graduate Makenzie Kirchner-Smith and I gave talks. Mike Everhart presented a poster. Recent grad Josh Fry and finishing MS students Kelsie Abrums and Melissa Macias presented posters, along with current MS students Tom Buskuskie, Logan King, and Patrick Wilson. Recently hired (and finishing FHSU grad student) Outreach Coordinator Ian Trevethan also presented a poster. Four first year graduate students (Cyrus Green, Mariah Towell, Jessica Barnett, and Darrah Jorgensen), two undergraduate students (Kris Super and Ted Vlamis), and David Levering attended, as well.<br />
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My students and I also had several opportunities to get outside during the spring, summer, and fall of 2015 and dig up some fossils! Excavations recovered fossils from Cretaceous, Miocene, and Pleistocene deposits of western Kansas. Additionally, Darrah and I were able to work with David Levering and his High School Paleontology Camp to teach paleontology excavation techniques.</div>
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<b>So what's new for 2016?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDz8k8hnfxvo8rPUu84VS139usvKtqoTdcYoVM-VJ2x-UYbhpUJom38WxfnZv6JuUdDug0vrwqGFJv_TuOV27xBn7M2zolzXAS1y7g2UT5ahHkm_yWhFmXtStT02oN7hJopUa6FeqR-_I/s1600/Rendering+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDz8k8hnfxvo8rPUu84VS139usvKtqoTdcYoVM-VJ2x-UYbhpUJom38WxfnZv6JuUdDug0vrwqGFJv_TuOV27xBn7M2zolzXAS1y7g2UT5ahHkm_yWhFmXtStT02oN7hJopUa6FeqR-_I/s320/Rendering+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's just say I'm extremely excited for what we have planned for our headlining events of 2016 so far. In addition to continued programming like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sternberg.museum/photos/a.190919480932237.45997.135194889838030/1125449937479182/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Penguin Awareness Day</a>, Darwin Day, and National Fossil Day, we will be heading up a new capital campaign. <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/paleopreplab/" target="_blank">The main campaign goal for the paleontology program at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History is to build a new paleo prep lab.</a> This includes renovating and expanding the current lab, creating new research space, improving health and safety conditions for our preparators, and updating equipment. Our goal is high ($150,000), but we're excited about the project and the potential for increased paleontology opportunities for students, visitors, volunteers, and scientific research.<br />
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<a href="https://www.museumoftherockies.org/research/jack-horner/" target="_blank">World famous paleontologist Dr. Jack Horner from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman</a>, Montana will be visiting us in April to help with our fundraising efforts. In addition to decades of scientific innovation and education, Jack is also the technical advisor for the Jurassic Park movies. So keep a look out for news about Jack's visit, public talk, and the first annual Sternberg Museum Spring Gala! (And <a href="mailto:lewilson6@fhsu.edu" target="_blank">let me know</a> if you would like more information about the fundraising campaign!)</div>
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2015 was a huge success and we expect even more excitement in 2016. We hope to see you at the Museum!</div>
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<a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/geo/faculty/Wilson/" target="_blank">Laura Wilson</a></div>
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Curator of Paleontology</div>
Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-11387059691515614842015-04-01T16:26:00.001-05:002015-04-07T09:41:53.168-05:00Paleo-girls and boys and their toysThere are a lot of cool toys out there. Not just <a href="http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Research-Institute-21110" target="_blank">Research Institute Legos</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barbie-Can-Be-Paleontologist-Doll/dp/B0064O3UK8" target="_blank">Paleontology Barbie</a>, and a new generation of <a href="http://www.jurassicworld.org/?id=242" target="_blank">Jurassic World figurines</a>, but toys that are products of technological advancement. What's even cooler is that we have applied many of them to help advance our scientific knowledge. Paleontology is no exception - technology toys are increasingly being adapted into research tools. To name a few examples: 3-D scanning and 3-D printing has hit the scene in the past few years, with applications from manufacturing to education to entertainment. Paleontologists have adopted 3-D scanning as a means for comparing shapes of bones (<a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/evolution/files/morphometrics.htm" target="_blank">using 3D geometric morphometrics</a>). 3-D printing is assisting with visualizations and analysis of <a href="http://www.digimorph.org/resources/endocasts.phtml" target="_blank">brain evolution</a> in extinct animals, improving our <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/2/3105916/3d-printing-dinosaur-fossils-drexel-lacovara" target="_blank">understanding of dinosaur biomechanics</a>, providing fossil replicas for <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915202814.htm" target="_blank">classroom education</a>, and so forth. Technological advancements have lead to increased accuracy in <a href="http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/benton.html" target="_blank">radiometric age dating</a>, helping us pinpoint absolute age dates for geologic events (<a href="http://www.sci-news.com/geology/science-deccan-traps-volcanism-dinosaur-extinction-02345.html" target="_blank">like volcanic eruptions and extinctions</a>). Even state-of-the-art medical equipment can help with anatomical diagnoses of fossils - not just living animals. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://oceansofkansas.com/Tylo-new/Update08/2295left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://oceansofkansas.com/Tylo-new/Update08/2295left.jpg" height="129" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull of the type specimen of <i>Tylosaurus kansasensis</i><br />
at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rockfordbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Tylosaurus-kansasensis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.rockfordbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Tylosaurus-kansasensis.png" height="75" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tylosaurus kansasensis</i> skeleton mounted at the <br />
Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center</td></tr>
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Recently, we took the skull of the type specimen of the mosasaur <i>Tylosaurus kansasensis</i> to the local hospital (thanks, <a href="http://www.haysmed.com/" target="_blank">Hays Medical Center</a>!) to be CT scanned. A type specimen is THE specimen used as the basis for naming a taxon. In this case, a new species. So all other specimens found will be compared to the type specimen to see if it is the same species or not. Considering this, it's pretty important to know as much as possible about a type specimen. <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ct-scan/basics/definition/prc-20014610" target="_blank">CT (Computerized Tomography) scanning </a>involves taking x-ray images from multiple angles to create image slices of the inside of an object. For humans, CT scans are used to examine hard and soft tissues within the body (this is especially useful for diagnosing internal injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs, etc.). Importantly for paleontology, CT scans produce 3-D images. Because the skull of this specimen is crushed and flattened, it is difficult to see and understand how all of the bones fit together. The shape, size, and placement of skull bones is very important to understanding what makes each species unique, and important to understanding how the skull and jaws functioned. So we took in our <i>Tylosaurus kansasensis</i> skull to generate 3-dimensional images of all the skull bones.<br />
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Check out our video for images and more information on CT scanning and paleontology research!<br />
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Technological advancements are exciting. And scientific advancements are exciting. So it's a welcome challenge to adapt the newest hot piece of technology into a tool for understanding extinct life and deep time!</div>
<br />Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-65227419255958029772015-02-01T13:44:00.004-06:002015-02-01T14:11:42.587-06:00Darwin Day: It's for the birdsBirds have played a large role in understanding the origin of species. Birds are abundant and diverse, with some great examples of over-the-top plumage and behaviors. Knowing what we know now about evolutionary mechanisms, it's easy to see why birds continue to be model organisms for studying natural selection, sexual selection (a sub-category of natural selection), behavioral ecology, and ecologic health. Birds also played a significant role in providing examples of change for early naturalists, like Charles Darwin, who were looking for the mechanisms to explain how organisms change through time.<br />
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Charles Darwin published <i><a href="http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Freeman_OntheOriginofSpecies.html" target="_blank">On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection</a> </i>in 1859 (Darwin removed "On" from the title after the first edition), revolutionizing the way we think about the natural world. He wasn't the first one to think that species slowly change over time, morphing from one form into the next; many naturalists who came before him were also searching for the secrets to "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmutation_of_species" target="_blank">transmutation</a>" (the term used before people understood what caused species to change). For example, <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/lamarck.html" target="_blank">Jean-Baptiste Lamarck</a> (1724-1829) thought that characteristics changed between generations of organisms because of use or disuse; and these changes were heritable. The classic example of Lamarkian evolution was a giraffe stretching its neck throughout its life to reach higher leaves, and the giraffe with the stretched neck had offspring with a longer neck. Essentially, Lamarck's idea of <a href="http://necsi.edu/projects/evolution/lamarck/lamarck/lamarck_lamarck.html" target="_blank">acquired characteristics</a> stated that behavior could drive evolutionary change. Although Lamarkism has been falsified (though the new field of <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/epigenetics-the-sins-of-the-father-1.14816" target="_blank">epigenetics may eventually vindicate Lamarck</a>), his ideas are important because he was the first to come up with a mechanism to drive evolutionary change. It wasn't until decades later that the correct mechanism was identified: natural selection.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mistaken Associations </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KZmvVD63sPZPwagXhFW4iTQNgV8Dh-EPCscSkWRxLmRj5XoP52bjmEShuc8uQ1X87n5rFIl7QxEMcbcwFdtyOQp8jNJ2PujmEbCjruf-_kUdTB4EGfnHumBnZcq6dMt1WQW7XaVcHgwy/s1600/charles-darwins-finches-2-9.1665-650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KZmvVD63sPZPwagXhFW4iTQNgV8Dh-EPCscSkWRxLmRj5XoP52bjmEShuc8uQ1X87n5rFIl7QxEMcbcwFdtyOQp8jNJ2PujmEbCjruf-_kUdTB4EGfnHumBnZcq6dMt1WQW7XaVcHgwy/s1600/charles-darwins-finches-2-9.1665-650.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a><a href="http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_25" target="_blank">Natural selection</a> is the process by which characteristics become more or less common in a population based on whether the characteristic provides an advantage or disadvantage to the survival and reproduction success of an organism in a specific environment. Darwin and his idea of natural selection are quickly associated with Galapagos finches. When Darwin was traveling aboard <i>The Beagle</i>, he spent time observing and collecting finch species on the various Galapagos islands. Textbooks and popular science articles tell us that the differences in beak sizes and shapes between populations on various islands made a huge impact on Darwin when he was figuring out why species changed. However, finches are never mentioned in <i>The Origin of Species</i>. In fact, they're only passingly mentioned in his journals. The truth is, Darwin never fully realized the importance of variation among Galapagos finches in light of natural selection. He actually didn't label his collections while on <i>The Beagle </i>and later had to figure out which birds came from where (a lesson on the importance of always keeping good field notes!). In fact, the term "Darwin's Finches" wasn't applied until 1936 (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Finches-Cambridge-Science-Classics/dp/0521272424" target="_blank">and made popular in 1947</a>).<br />
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Despite the lack of realization on Darwin's part, Galapagos finches have played a large role in our understanding of natural selection. The huge bulk of work by <a href="https://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2014/04/23/pages/5638/index.xml" target="_blank">Peter and Rosemary Grant</a> (<a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10282.html" target="_blank"><i>40 Years of Evolution</i></a> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Beak-Finch-Story-Evolution/dp/067973337X" target="_blank">The Beak of the Finch</a></i> are two great summaries of their research) demonstrate evolution in action. Evolution is commonly touted as a process that takes place over long periods of time; those too long to be observed by individuals. The Grant's research changes that idea. Rather, their life's work shows that variation in beak size and shape within a single finch population can change significantly from year to year based on environmental factors. The amount of rainfall influences the food supplies; beak size and shape determines which seeds and nuts can be eaten by an individual; so the survivorship of individuals in the population is based on who has the beak morphology that can crack the seeds that are produced, which varies depending on annual precipitation. These observations have been strengthened by the addition of genetic data - tracing gene flow and genetic variation within and between finch populations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Pigeon Fancier, You Say?</b></span><br />
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Birds still played an important part in Darwin's theory. But it was a different group that influenced Darwin's ideas on natural selection: pigeons. <a href="http://darwinspigeons.com/" target="_blank">Charles Darwin was a pigeon fancier</a>. The Victorian Period (1830-1900) was known for it's Cabinets of Curiosities. These were for people to display their collections, and people loved to collect and display all sorts of natural history items - fossils, exotic skins and furs, artifacts, etc. People extended their curios to live animals, as Victorian England also saw an increased interest in animal husbandry and breeding. Collections of cattle, dog, sheep, and pigeon breeds were common. But Darwin wasn't just a collector and keeper of pigeons, he turned his pigeons into an experiment. He found that he could take one species, <i><a href="http://www.ibri.org/Books/Pun_Evolution/Chapter3/fig3-06.jpg" target="_blank">Columba livia</a></i>, and, through selective breeding, breed hundreds of varieties. By choosing which male pigeon mated with which female, he could study how variation could be introduced into a population, and how specific variable characteristics could be passed from one generation to the next. It was these observations during pigeon breeding - artificial selection - that he could articulate how the environment could drive changes in the wild - natural selection.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Chapter 1 of <i>The Origin of Species</i>: <span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Although an English carrier or short-faced tumbler differs immensely in certain characters from the rock-pigeon, yet by comparing the several sub=breeds of these breeds, more specially those brought from distant countries, we can make an almost perfect series between the extremes of structure."</span></span></td></tr>
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Unlike finches, which never made it into <i>The Origin of Species</i>, pigeons made the cut and took center stage. Darwin opens his book (or "abstract", as he put it since he intended to publish many volumes) with a chapter on domestication. The fact that his seminal work begins with domestication, not variation in nature, was a huge surprise to me the first time I read <i>The Origin of Species</i>, but it makes perfect, beautiful sense. Artificial selection is the key to Darwin convincing readers of his ideas. By the end of Darwin's book, he has laid out a series of logical steps that takes the reader from relatable experiences into the whole of nature:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Individuals in a population are not all identical.</li>
<li>This variation is heritable.</li>
<li>Variation affords different advantages and disadvantages to individuals in a population.</li>
<li>Through selective breeding, man can alter species.</li>
<li>If man can direct change (artificial selection), it can also happen in nature (natural selection).</li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Obligatory Discussion of Sex</b></span></div>
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An important aspect of natural selection is sexual selection - where reproductive success is a result of an individual's success in securing a mate (rather than avoiding death before reproducing). As Darwin states in Chapter 4 of <i>The Origin of Species</i>, </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[Sexual selection] depends, not on a struggle for existence, but on a struggle between the males for possession of the females; the result is not death to the unsuccessful competitor, but few or no offspring."</blockquote>
To emphasize this point, Darwin invokes examples from peacocks and birds of paradise. Birds are textbook examples of sexual selection. Many male species have f<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7QZnwKqopo" target="_blank">lamboyant plumage and intricate courtship rituals</a> they use to attract female partners. In the case of <a href="http://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/?__hstc=75100365.f19fd43d98d41555707e918a3d06b972.1422814609700.1422814609700.1422814609700.1&__hssc=75100365.1.1422814609700&__hsfp=4131396700" target="_blank">birds of paradise</a>, male plumage would obviously make them more obvious to predators, but it would seem that the drive for mate selection out-weighs pressures from predators. Another example (perhaps a bit closer to home) is the cardinal. Males have evolved bright red plumage to help them attract mates, while the females are more drab to help with camouflage. If female cardinals are choosing mates with the brightest plumage (as a sign of their vitality), then the genes that control bright colors in males are being preferentially kept in the population. Darwin expands on his ideas of sexual selection in <i>The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex</i> (1871).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Celebration of Birds</span></b><br />
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The connection between Darwin and birds and his articulation of natural selection is undeniable. Since 1859, evolutionary theory has grown. While natural selection is still a driving force of change, we have added to that the knowledge of genetics and mutations. Despite additions to Darwin's original idea, birds have continued to play a significant role in the past 156 years of research supporting evolutionary theory. And it's time to celebrate!<br />
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<br />
This year, 2015, we are excited to host our first <a href="http://darwinday.org/" target="_blank">Darwin Day</a> celebration at the <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/" target="_blank">Sternberg Museum of Natural History</a>! Darwin Day is held on or around Darwin's birthday - February 12. Choosing a theme for our first Darwin Day didn't prove to be as difficult as we feared. In this year's event, we are celebrating the huge impact birds and bird research has made on our understanding of evolutionary theory. Avian analogies are fantastic for hands-on lessons on natural selection, sexual selection, camouflage, ecosystem structure, sexual dimorphism, observing patterns in nature, and unique adaptations. And we can't wait to share this with the community!Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-52772971054869023642015-01-13T10:51:00.000-06:002015-01-13T11:07:14.635-06:00You're doing WHAT to those bones?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYvvZN_15TYpG1smp-c4CSXoYh3ToHz7WxvI7b1HGe4Ivq__7EtsthBBRqDaLG-DYy61TJGQ-wTJgqyG_RZBKogMpm1YmHUrCUQ9oJ4eA6XfyocgzCI7fSDzpgRLLuctTgDG4DAkkcAVB/s1600/Hesperornis+bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYvvZN_15TYpG1smp-c4CSXoYh3ToHz7WxvI7b1HGe4Ivq__7EtsthBBRqDaLG-DYy61TJGQ-wTJgqyG_RZBKogMpm1YmHUrCUQ9oJ4eA6XfyocgzCI7fSDzpgRLLuctTgDG4DAkkcAVB/s1600/Hesperornis+bone.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross section through the femur of a fossil<br />
bird called <i>Hesperornis</i>. Fossil bones<br />
preserve many of the same structural features<br />
that can be observed in modern bones. In this<br />
image, the marrow cavity is the black portion<br />
in the middle, and the bone tissue is the<br />
golden/brown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fossils are not renewable resources. While there is the potential that animals alive today may become fossils when they die, there are a finite number of<i> T. rex</i> and <i>Smiledon</i> (saber-tooth cat) fossils out there. Once an animal goes extinct, no more fossils of that animal can form. This means that every fossil is precious to a paleontologist because it offers a unique glimpse into the biology, ecology, and evolutionary history of an extinct organism. Since people first understood that fossils are evidence of past life (which dates back to the mid-1600s and the work of <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/hooke.html" target="_blank">Robert Hooke</a> and <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/steno.html" target="_blank">Nicholas Steno</a>), naturalists studied these biological remains by examining their size, shape, and similarities and differences to other fossil and living organisms. Given the scientific value of each specimen, it may be surprising to know that some researchers undertake destructive analysis (meaning they permanently alter bone) as part of their research methods. So why would paleontologists charged with preserving fossils into perpetuity do anything that would permanently alter a fossil? What information could be so important?<br />
<br />
Histology is the study of tissue, and osteohistology is the study of bone tissue. Medical doctors and veterinarians study soft tissue and bone samples to look for disease, abnormalities, etc. Paleontologists study bone tissue to look for evidence of the life history of an extinct animal. Only in the past few decades have paleontologists come to understand the wealth of information that can be gained from studying bone tissue. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tqSGdlVW8_gC&pg=PA1&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">The internal microstructure of bone tells us about how an organism grew and how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affected how an organism grew.</a> Specifically, evolutionary relationships (phylogeny), age of the organism (ontogeny), how the animal used the bone (biomechanics), and environment directly influence bone growth. How an animals grows then tells us specifically about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_history_theory" target="_blank">life history of that animal</a>: rate of juvenile development, age of sexual maturity, growth rate, etc.. To study bone tissue on a level that gives us useful information, one looks at just a thin sliver of the bone under a microscope. This requires cutting a chunk out of the middle of the bone, gluing it to a slide, and grinding it thin enough so light shines through the bone. Of course we photograph, measure, and make replicas (molds and casts) of the bone before cutting, but this process obviously permanently alters a bone.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DhA1ttpX48IggYysOFn5hR6xW9gSVzkAKCP8eR8AlXy8tS4QRpKoUOap6jnOHnPTBtaGd8gRQvAnzPcVeXPdgDBgQTwU-tx-eSS77XiSYwM2-Gtd78oai509SX7G9Iap9AU5z5jEiZFM/s1600/bone+drawing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DhA1ttpX48IggYysOFn5hR6xW9gSVzkAKCP8eR8AlXy8tS4QRpKoUOap6jnOHnPTBtaGd8gRQvAnzPcVeXPdgDBgQTwU-tx-eSS77XiSYwM2-Gtd78oai509SX7G9Iap9AU5z5jEiZFM/s1600/bone+drawing.png" height="312" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schemtic drawing of internal bone structure showing<br />
possible features that may be present.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ultimately, justifying the time, effort, and destruction of cutting a bone is simple: looking at the internal structure of bone gives us information than we cannot gain just by looking at the outside of the bone (at least with current technology). Inside every bone is a network of vascular canals, osteocytes, collagen fibers, and other microstructures. Vascular canals contain vessels that carry blood and nutrients through the bone; these canals come in different shapes and sizes. Osteocytes are the cells that deposit new bone tissue; collagen fibers (made of proteins) are the organic portion of bone tissue and may vary in how well or poorly organized they are within the bone matrix. Importantly, many of these features have been experimentally shown (using living species) to be related to growth rates. Other features like lines of arrested growth (LAGs) show when bone pauses growing and have been shown to be deposited annually. And amazingly enough, these features are preserved during fossilization so that fossil bone microstructure can be studied just like modern bone microstructure. (It should be noted that actual osteocytes - the cells - are not fossilized, rather the space they occupy in the bone (termed osteocyte lacunae) are preserved.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjg2ahZWmeRtJSAEgzOy18bHM2GpSpQZ89PoZi0CS_wPVbzXjodwidoGBD-f1Xyfn2L-UDy3zXcpiekXJO3vTJ_eGeYOG7bQGCkHQN0DSFGz0q5YwgQXWtWQLG2iP7ZQQvJneuqAYTuH2/s1600/Gentoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjg2ahZWmeRtJSAEgzOy18bHM2GpSpQZ89PoZi0CS_wPVbzXjodwidoGBD-f1Xyfn2L-UDy3zXcpiekXJO3vTJ_eGeYOG7bQGCkHQN0DSFGz0q5YwgQXWtWQLG2iP7ZQQvJneuqAYTuH2/s1600/Gentoo.jpg" height="152" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross section through a Gentoo Penguin femur under plain light (A) and polarized light (B). Under polarized light (B), collagen fibers become apparent (the light and dark regions show changes in collagen fiber orientation). Gentoo penguins were one of three modern penguins species used to help interpret fossil bird bone in a <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/1/3/140245" target="_blank">study I recently published</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By studying how modern animals grow, and looking at their bone microstructure, we can understand how features like vascular canal density (canals/unit area), vascular canal orientation (radial, transverse, reticular, etc.), osteocyte density (osteocytes/unit area), osteocyte shape (globular or elongate), and collagen fiber orientation (well organized or poorly organized) relate to growth rates and metabolism. For example, high vascular canal density and unorganized collagen fiber orientations are associated with rapid growth rates; conversely, few vascular canals in well-organized collagen fiber matrix is associated with lower growth rates. Using what we know about living animals to interpret and predict the biology, ecology, and behavior of extinct animals is an important aspect of paleontology. Armed with this knowledge of bone growth in living animals, paleontologists can begin to study the metabolism, effects of locomotion, effects of climate, and aging process of extinct animals. Bone histology is also the only way of knowing the age of an individual (extinct) animal at the time of death.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LrTisjGFW_wxICGqAHPfmgYGOHHxWS0QJjPE1NaTll7Z2eGR8bLozv7uiiaSRtDQZb5mTgwygSw63DuUFuduWmfBSQfHg2zDdesfzKJR0cwXUVfSaCoa9ruJBVWcjPOjJjF5JMtfyoXY/s1600/slow+and+fast+bone+growth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LrTisjGFW_wxICGqAHPfmgYGOHHxWS0QJjPE1NaTll7Z2eGR8bLozv7uiiaSRtDQZb5mTgwygSw63DuUFuduWmfBSQfHg2zDdesfzKJR0cwXUVfSaCoa9ruJBVWcjPOjJjF5JMtfyoXY/s1600/slow+and+fast+bone+growth.png" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Histology is often the focus of studies pursuing a better understanding of ontogeny, paleoecology, and behavior. Even descriptions of new species often include bone histology. Knowing that an animal is an adult (and has completed development and growth) is important when describing a new species. Studying bone microstructure is the only way to determine if an animal had reached skeletal maturity by the time of death - in other words, whether the animal was an adult at the time of death. Because of all we can learn from fossils by cutting them open, histology is a rapidly growing field in paleontology. We are at a point where very few (at least in my experience) paleontology curators and collection managers (those who permit access to fossil for research purposes) don't permit researchers to section at least some bone for histology research.<br />
<br />
Studying the internal microstructure of bone is a research trend that isn't going away any time soon - and this is a good thing. There is too much valuable information yet to be uncovered that can come from studying bone growth. As <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/1/3/140245" target="_blank">one of my primary research focuses is on osteohistology</a>, I sometimes find myself getting defensive when explaining my research to a lay audience. I feel that I need to justify why destructive analysis (or permanently altering bone, which sounds at least a bit more innocuous) is important. Luckily I have generally found that explaining the range and depth of information that can be gained from histology is very effective in relaying the significance of this research. Perhaps this research method doesn't seem so destructive when you consider how much information can only be gained by cutting open bone. Knowing that we make replicas of everything we sample also helps.<br />
<br />
So while paleontologists work hard to preserve fossils, the goal of preserving them is to use these fossils for education and research. Sometimes the quest for knowledge requires seemingly unconventional research methods. Histology has opened our minds to how extinct animals grew from hatching/birth to adulthood, how these animals responded to their physical environment, what their metabolism was like. It has also provided valuable information about the growth and development of modern animals! Bone microstructure has provided information that we could not imagine knowing just a few decades ago. It may seem paradoxical to alter bone to advance the science of paleontology, but in the case of bone histology, I feel it is clear that the ends justify the means.Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-86981450096303027592014-10-13T22:47:00.000-05:002014-10-14T08:13:36.902-05:00National Fossil Day...why?<a href="http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/images/2014_artwork/NFD_2014_oval_300dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/images/2014_artwork/NFD_2014_oval_300dpi.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a>Wednesday, October 15th is National Fossil Day. And in case you didn't know it, this is the 5th annual National Fossil Day. In 2010, The National Park service joined together with <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/10/national-fossil-day-2014.html" target="_blank">museums</a>, institutions, organizations, and other educational and natural history groups to initiate a <a href="http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/" target="_blank">nation-wide celebration of our fossil resources</a>. This day is held annually on the Wednesday of <a href="http://www.earthsciweek.org/" target="_blank">Earth Science Week</a>. <br />
<br />
As a paleontologist, I think that having a National Fossil Day is pretty darn cool. But justifying the need for a "National Fossil Day" is much like justifying the need for paleontologists in today's society - the need is very clear to us in the profession or with a passion for Earth's history, but often not as obvious to the average citizen. Paleontology has historically been described as a "pure science" or "fundamental science", meaning that the focus is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This is different from applied sciences like engineering, biomedical sciences, and behavioral sciences. The need for cancer researchers is clear to anyone who has watched a loved one fight cancer, but the need for someone who studies the anatomy and behavior of an organism that went extinct 80 million years ago is a little less obvious. When I was a student just breaking into the field, I often felt the need to justify my passion and career path.<br />
<br />
Over the years, I've found that there are many reasons why studying past life on Earth is important. Most basically, it's important to understand our planet's past and where we, as a species that evolved on this Earth, came from. Additionally, fossils are not renewable resources. Much like we talk about fossil fuels running out, there is also a limited number of fossils. Less than 1% of all living organisms are fossilized to begin with, so we already start at a huge disadvantage when trying to understand past ecosystems and evolutionary history. Preserving what IS left in the fossil record is very important for saving these resources for future generations of citizens, students, and scholars. There are also applied uses for fossils that are important, such as the the fact that dead organisms form oil and gas resources (our fossil fuels); we can also use fossils to find these resources. Understanding earth processes can also help with engineering and building safe structures. There's also the personal passion and thrill. Knowing that when you dig up a fossil you are the first person EVER to see that fossil is a pretty incredible thing. There are so many questions, answers, mysteries, and adventures ahead just with that one fossil - not to mention what questions may be asked and answered when you add the new fossil to our growing datasets available for research and education.<br />
<br />
I generally emphasize two reasons for why understanding and protecting fossil resources is important: understanding Earth's future and education. There is a reigning paradigm in the earth sciences called Uniformitarianism or Actualism: The Present is the Key to the Past. This means that the processes that shape Earth today are the same that operated in the past. Thus, to understand the events and sequences preserved in the rocks and fossils, we need to understand how different environments work today. Understanding how rivers and streams erode and deposit sediments, understanding how environmental and genetic pressures affect the evolution of a bird's beak, understanding how the decay of organic carbon produces oil, etc. I think that the concept of Uniformitarianism is reversible, too: The Past is the Key to the Present and Future. This means that by studying changes in Earth's past, we can understand where we are now AND we can begin to predict the future. Understanding how organisms responded to climate change, sea level rises, habitat changes, invasive species, etc. in the past is the only way to realistically predict how plants and animals will respond to current changes into the future. This understanding comes from studying fossils. Consequently, paleontology is becoming more and more relevant in discussions of <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/paleo/2013/08/02/climate-change-and-paleontology-back-to-the-future/" target="_blank">global climate change</a> (<a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ancient-fossils-hold-clues-for-199756" target="_blank">including climate modelling</a>) and <a href="http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/barnosky/PSP%2015%20Hadly%20and%20Barnosky.pdf" target="_blank">conservation biology</a>. These discussions may often seem esoteric or politically-driven, but they are essential to the future of the human race.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the discussion of education - and especially science education (and especially science education related to evolution) - can be just as politically charged as talking about climate change and endangered species. But the role of fossils in education can be distilled to the simple fact that at some point, most children are fascinated by dinosaurs. <a href="http://scottsampson.blogspot.com/2010/02/riding-dinosaur-train.html" target="_blank">The success of Dinosaur Train </a>speaks to this. Extinct animals are big, foreign, sometime terrifying, and utterly cool. To this end, I often refer to fossils as a "gateway drug" to science. This awe and fascination is a great way to get kids engaged in science and interested in the world around them. Not every kid is going to grow up to be a scientist (which is a good thing - I've been to enough professional conferences to know that a world of scientists would be completely dysfunctional); but just because you aren't a scientist, doesn't mean that you should stop asking questions. People of all ages should spend their lives as students of science - asking questions about nature and forming logical answers by making observations and gathering evidence. The more people interested in science and technology and engaged in becoming life-long learners, the better the world will be.<br />
<br />
Essentially, National Fossil Day is a wonderful opportunity to provide engaging educational programming using fossils as a vessel to inspire an interest in science. Although how and why we study fossils is the focus of the day, the real lessons are how science works, to explore the mysteries of the natural world, the importance of preserving and protecting limited resources, and to inspire the next generation of question-askers and answerers. It's wonderful to see so many museums, organizations, agencies, and institutions embrace the opportunity to immerse children, students, adults, and families in innovative programs. And it's wonderful to see the public get excited about it. So contact your local museum to find out how you can participate in National Fossil Day 2014!Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-46221455543907814932014-10-01T13:56:00.000-05:002014-10-08T08:14:32.342-05:00National Fossil Day 2014<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarDv3BXyvo5zIdlxR7X0DzmWmO6O83HwW5YQlhOY2sUUlIINq7hbFRcxb4coJyGDKxCQnrTaBvH6mWeNKDMtN2pAO0ujBsXrMhGRO970mBrRVprDnyhHpaAuDIHj2CxTcsybB7oEegc8U/s1600/NFD+2014-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarDv3BXyvo5zIdlxR7X0DzmWmO6O83HwW5YQlhOY2sUUlIINq7hbFRcxb4coJyGDKxCQnrTaBvH6mWeNKDMtN2pAO0ujBsXrMhGRO970mBrRVprDnyhHpaAuDIHj2CxTcsybB7oEegc8U/s1600/NFD+2014-01.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On Wednesday, October 15th, the United States is celebrating National Fossil Day. And the Sternberg Museum is joining in the fun! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">National Fossil Day is a day museums, organizations, institutions, government agencies, and other groups dedicate to educating the public on the importance of preserving and understanding fossils. To this end, the Sternberg is extending their hours and opening their doors free of charge to offer special fossil-focused programs from 9:00am to 9:00pm. We invite kids, adults, families, and students of all ages to come celebrate and learn about the fossil resources of Kansas! Including our <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/04/celebrating-kansass-new-state-fossils.html" target="_blank">two newly appointed State Fossils</a>: Tylosaurus and Pteranodon!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The day's events include:</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> <span style="color: purple;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-indent: -0.25in;">All Day:
</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Free admission to our exhibits and special programming</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"><span style="color: purple;"> </span></span></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: purple;">9:00am –
2:30pm:</span> </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">K-12 school groups touring special exhibits** (see note at bottom of post)</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Student groups will visit special exhibits set up around the Museum focusing on how and why we study fossils. Topics include how we dig up and clean fossils, how bones and animals grow, how we can tells males from females in the fossil record, and how skeletons relate to how animals lived their lives.</span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 4</span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: purple;">:00pm –
6:00pm:</span> </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Fossil ID, Gallery Tours, Post Rock Carving</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Post Rock quarrying demo (in Museum parking lot)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Post Rock Country” book signing by author Brad
Penka</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Guided tours of fossil gallery (tours at 4pm and
5pm)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">o Guided tours of zoology and paleontology collections (tours at 4pm and 5pm)</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Bring in your rocks and fossils for
identification by Museum scientists<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: purple;">7:00pm –
9:00pm:</span> </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Scientific Presentations and Discovery Room Activities</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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paleontology collections. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->7:00pm: Ian Trevethan, Mosasaur thermoregulation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->8:00pm: Thomas Buskuskie, Dinosaurs of Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As always, the overarching theme of National Fossil Day is education. This year, we are not only providing a variety of educational experiences to the public, but are showcasing several educational partnerships within our community. Students from Quinter High School will be talking about <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/05/just-another-mosasaur-dig.html" target="_blank">their experience digging up a Mosasaur</a> with the Museum. Post Rock Country events will get the community involved exploring the bridge between Kansas's natural history and cultural history. FHSU Department of Geoscience graduate students are presenting their research on Museum fossils. And we are celebrating the newly named State Fossils of Kansas, legislature that results from <a href="http://hdnews.net/news/statefossils042414" target="_blank">the work of Kansas museums, patrons, and fossil hunters</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Come join in the fun as we learn about Kansas natural
history!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">**If you are interested in your child’s class attending National Fossil Day events, have his/her teacher contact Education Director David Levering (</span><a href="mailto:dalevering@fhsu.edu" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">dalevering@fhsu.edu</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">).**</span></span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-61153732589426786492014-05-28T14:07:00.001-05:002014-05-28T14:09:50.323-05:00Just another mosasaur dig?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OkrLqPriBlstcwfEHu75pv3p4WCnAiuo3EaWqggNiS446QP1o8jeXMtx9XeW2VG7cZ634hB0v3CBkAgIoLE1DAlnpDTWuWx5AwVk-bxdSaxLLyU6OEx9zkwtLwXuhZZRy_pPSwrIFZgh/s1600/2014-04-19+13.47.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OkrLqPriBlstcwfEHu75pv3p4WCnAiuo3EaWqggNiS446QP1o8jeXMtx9XeW2VG7cZ634hB0v3CBkAgIoLE1DAlnpDTWuWx5AwVk-bxdSaxLLyU6OEx9zkwtLwXuhZZRy_pPSwrIFZgh/s1600/2014-04-19+13.47.16.jpg" height="96" width="400" /></a></div>
Few things are more rewarding for an educator than the opportunity to work with a group of excited, engaged students - whether the students are children, teens, young adults, or mature adults. Having the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to education in the field is the cherry on top. Over the past few weeks, Sternberg Museum staff have had the wonderful opportunity to work with local high school students on a mosasaur dig in Western Kansas. Two students from the Quinter High School advanced biology class contacted me for instructions on how to safely and properly excavate a mosasaur fossil. They were working on a capstone research project for their class. After some discussion of techniques and equipment, we decided to join forces and dig together. This way, we could provide hands-on instruction on proper collection techniques, and continue discussions on the importance of data collection and scientific research. After contacting the landowners for permission to excavate and arrange for the specimen to be donated to the Museum, Museum staff - including myself (Sternberg paleontologist), David Levering (Sternberg education director), and Dr. Reese Barrick (Sternberg director) - joined a group of high school biology students and their teacher to begin field work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6EWeZuzQ-1nWPxEe_Ju44M_pSTsggCTOT3qPdHjF8PxmaBYTV8nhS6StS-4WKsEBJ22jmCMT2wPUE-MTqj3_7c304prvUSibwi5yb9smNUwUt5TGmhZw6KPv-XWoIAE6u3Owx68VrzG5/s1600/20140506_094855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6EWeZuzQ-1nWPxEe_Ju44M_pSTsggCTOT3qPdHjF8PxmaBYTV8nhS6StS-4WKsEBJ22jmCMT2wPUE-MTqj3_7c304prvUSibwi5yb9smNUwUt5TGmhZw6KPv-XWoIAE6u3Owx68VrzG5/s1600/20140506_094855.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Through the months of April and May, professionals, educators, high school students, graduate students, and local land owners all pitched in to excavate a partial <i>Tylosaurus</i> skeleton from the lower Smoky Hill Chalk of Gove County, Kansas. It didn't take long for the quarry to turn into an outdoor classroom as we talked about everything from the geologic history of Western Kansas to the skeletal anatomy of mosasaurs to different excavation techniques (including a few impromptu physics lessons as we figured out how to get a 1000 lb jacket into a truck bed). Ultimately, our classroom provided first dig experiences, a science project for two advanced biology students, a gathering point for ranchers around the area to drop by and see what was going on (lawn chairs and grills included!), and a launch pad for future student research and community collaborations. <a href="http://hdnews.net/news/fossil051514" target="_blank">Local media outlets also helped spread our story</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEZrVSk4DNsu8gnTb7l23BMqSjqtmny1YRyzrSdN15TbqBK0XZceJSKJnCM5Qwp6WG83lEWaizjDpxZhbQYafaDwZ67nPb71XaOAmFhzF0ZCOTrjaJ6KGikFn7pIW1RkzIjVOwFSVb6BT/s1600/Photo+May+19,+9+46+25+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEZrVSk4DNsu8gnTb7l23BMqSjqtmny1YRyzrSdN15TbqBK0XZceJSKJnCM5Qwp6WG83lEWaizjDpxZhbQYafaDwZ67nPb71XaOAmFhzF0ZCOTrjaJ6KGikFn7pIW1RkzIjVOwFSVb6BT/s1600/Photo+May+19,+9+46+25+AM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jacket containing the fossil mosasaur getting fork lifted <br />
to its new home in our prep lab at the Sternberg Museum.</td></tr>
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Despite holiday weekends, exam schedules, a very heavy jacket, and a very old truck, the mosasaur skeleton was safely removed from the ground and transported to its new home at the Sternberg Museum. Where our story continues into the future. Thanks to new connections and sparked interest, we have the opportunity to continue to use this fossil to work with local students. Through the course of the summer (and however long it takes after that), students will be volunteering at the Museum as we teach them how to prep, curate, and study fossils. This mosasaur specimen will be the first fossil used to teach a new generation of students interested in paleontology and natural history.<br />
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Of course, not all students are looking to build a career in the field of paleontology (talk about a flooded job market!), but it is the core mission of natural history museums to instill an interest in and understanding of science. We strive to encourage people to ask and answer questions about the world around them and figure out ways to solve problems. We aim to build a respect for the knowledge and advancements that scientific research, engineering, and technology can provide. I like to think that by giving students of all ages hands-on experiences exploring what science is and why it's important, we are leaving them better equipped to shoulder the responsibility for our future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs399Hq-yD4Zh7FlnO76qMDDu8jE_HkqM5GhZdRkIferQfW9R0VAql43XqRz5XIY5s56tX8Svl0Tp5LSwVR1ab0kHPg0pA4b2lzikEZBU1nwSogsqvhPJAY252IRILs0bTajCcC0w_1u17/s1600/P1018832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs399Hq-yD4Zh7FlnO76qMDDu8jE_HkqM5GhZdRkIferQfW9R0VAql43XqRz5XIY5s56tX8Svl0Tp5LSwVR1ab0kHPg0pA4b2lzikEZBU1nwSogsqvhPJAY252IRILs0bTajCcC0w_1u17/s1600/P1018832.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crew including Sternberg Museum paleontologist, Sternberg Museum education director, Fort Hays State graduate students, Quinter High School biology teacher, Quinter High School biology students, and our fantastic land owners! May 2014</td></tr>
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-- Dr. Laura E. Wilson</div>
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Curator of Paleontology</div>
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Sternberg Museum of Natural History</div>
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And all with only one truck snafu (this is par for the course for me...)</div>
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<br />Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-57269891740254091792014-05-05T16:58:00.000-05:002014-05-05T16:58:07.517-05:00FHSU Paleontology Student ScholarsOn April 30, 2014, Fort Hays State University students and faculty participated in the 10th annual <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Hays-State-University-Scholarly-and-Creative-Activities-Day/245330452174144" target="_blank">Scholarly and Creative Activity Day</a> (SACAD) held on campus. This event showcases research undertaken by members of the FHSU community across all colleges and departments. The FHSU Department of Geosciences has a very strong history of participation and award-winning at this event. The 2014 SACAD was particularly special, as it marks a change in the name of the event to the John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Day. It was renamed in remembrance of the late chair of the Department of Geosciences, who passed away in January of this year. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAPVlA-qQXkzRf8V647sW65ZF8PeRfgDyGQdK6jFeHNUfiyD5L40JVnhg6d3b2RiOpok0krD4G_XoYDwXkfloNS7JcWm4NP5iYW1FqkizoZiurQc64GtFM-8mIyZo2jGj7_VkvfmBq5QW/s1600/Abrams_SACAD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAPVlA-qQXkzRf8V647sW65ZF8PeRfgDyGQdK6jFeHNUfiyD5L40JVnhg6d3b2RiOpok0krD4G_XoYDwXkfloNS7JcWm4NP5iYW1FqkizoZiurQc64GtFM-8mIyZo2jGj7_VkvfmBq5QW/s1600/Abrams_SACAD.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelsie Abrams, second place for "Preparation of <br /><i>Teleoceras fossiger</i> teeth for dental microware analysis".</td></tr>
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Over a dozen and a half undergraduate and graduate students from the Department of Geosciences presented posters at SACAD on original research, highlighting a variety of geology and geography topics. Five of these students are currently studying paleontology at FHSU. First year graduate student Melissa Macias is studying sloth migration across the Caribbean from South America and North America using a cool GIS application (<a href="http://www.paleogis.com/" target="_blank">PaleoGIS</a>). First year graduate student Tom Buskuskie described new <i>Niobrarasaurus</i> dinosaur material from the Smoky Hill Chalk of the Niobrara Formation recently donated to the Sternberg Museum. First year graduate student Mackenzie Kirchner-Smith presented her finding on sexual dimorphism on the tarsometatarsi in pheasants using 3D geometric morphometrics (<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/academic/college-of-education-and-technology/smei/MakerSpace/" target="_blank">and the 3D scanner at Forsyth Library</a>). Second year graduate student Kelsie Abrams presented her preliminary results on a microwear study of <i>Teleoceras </i>rhinoceros teeth from Kansas housed at the Sternberg Museum. Representing some undergraduate research, senior Jason Hughes showcased his project looking at comparative taphonomy between two <i>Teleoceras</i> quarries from Western Kansas (also based on specimens at the Sternberg Museum). As Jason is blind, his project focused on the application of using tactile markers to characterize the taphonomy of individual bones. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BMeYozKRlMQy-PkeN0z6yC7GwakjFQWjWB33yxzxLqlTS5VRGPiPVExTXBTUAKsrbxikc7PMw15yTBVz9P8EiB4_vTTgcARH0LhyphenhyphendArDRb8id6k-5vvZuz0lEA9utNtcWgreYggc-Y41/s1600/Buskuskie_SACAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BMeYozKRlMQy-PkeN0z6yC7GwakjFQWjWB33yxzxLqlTS5VRGPiPVExTXBTUAKsrbxikc7PMw15yTBVz9P8EiB4_vTTgcARH0LhyphenhyphendArDRb8id6k-5vvZuz0lEA9utNtcWgreYggc-Y41/s1600/Buskuskie_SACAD.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Buskuskie, second place for "New dinosaur material <br />from the Niobrara Formation assigned to <i>Niobrarasaurus</i> <br /><i>coleii</i> (Thyreophora, Ankylosauria)".</td></tr>
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Overall, SACAD was a great day for creativity at FHSU, scholarship in Geosciences, and continuing excellence in paleontology research. To cap the day, Kelsie and Tom tied for second place for best graduate student presentations. These undergraduate and graduate students are setting the bar high for research at FHSU! Congratuations to all who participated!</div>
Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-91761761475447282412014-04-22T09:48:00.002-05:002014-04-22T09:50:16.857-05:00Celebrating Kansas's new state fossils at the Sternberg Museum!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUWm8ZQRqOmcNKAwzFxoNLP9Vx33ZTfWWiMPlzt_8wkkzOSR-QFAAXdOuOXqSt5yA09TgKxsHWsddR-q6rWXbEthooWD-n1uBMBTWsPzB7Gqrbl0dERVjl48EZgkvMlX1tyQPeXK9-OaA/s1600/1617632_801240146566831_1917176692843978898_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUWm8ZQRqOmcNKAwzFxoNLP9Vx33ZTfWWiMPlzt_8wkkzOSR-QFAAXdOuOXqSt5yA09TgKxsHWsddR-q6rWXbEthooWD-n1uBMBTWsPzB7Gqrbl0dERVjl48EZgkvMlX1tyQPeXK9-OaA/s1600/1617632_801240146566831_1917176692843978898_o.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tylosaurus</i> (top) and <i>Pteranodon</i> (bottom) fossils on<br />
displayat the Sternberg Museum of Natural History<br />
in Hays, Kansas.</td></tr>
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Last month, the Kansas legislators passed a bill naming <i>Pteranodon</i> and <i>Tylosaurus</i> as the state fossils of Kansas. Tomorrow, Wednesday April 23rd, Kansas governor Sam Brownback will visit the Sternberg Museum here in Hays for a ceremonial signing of the fossil bill. The bill was formally signed into law on April 4th, but Governor Brownback and supporters of the bill felt it appropriate for the ceremony of formally recognizing state fossils to be held at the Sternberg Museum. The Governor will be signing the bill at 3:30pm in the lobby of the Museum and the event is open to the public.<br />
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Prior to April 4th, Kansas was one of ten states in the union without a state fossil. So to make up for lost time, we now have two. <i>Pteranodon</i> and <i>Tylosaurus</i> are iconic Kansas fossils representing a time 85 million years ago when the state was covered by an inland sea that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. <i>Pteranodon</i> was one of the flying reptiles (pterosaurs) the lived along side dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic Era (The Age of the Dinosaurs). They were the first reptiles to evolve flight capabilities. The fossils of these flying reptiles are found almost exclusively in the marine chalks and shales of western Kansas. The <i>Pteranodon</i> has long been the symbol of the Sternberg Museum. <i>Tylosaurus</i> is a group of mosasaurs - marine reptiles that dominated the oceans of the Mesozoic. They were powerful swimmers with mouths full of sharp teeth. Both fossils are featured in the Chalk Bed Gallery at the Sternberg Museum.<br />
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Many members of the paleontology community in Kansas helped pushed the legislation forward. Sternberg Museum's own Adjunct Curator of Paleontology Mike Everhart testified before the legislators on behalf of the bill naming the state fossils. Local fossil hunter Alan Detrich pushed the bill forward, and students, fossil hunters, and paleontologists from across the state emailed and called in their support for the bill to state senators and congressmen.<br />
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All are welcome to come celebrate with us at 3:30pm on Wednesday April 23rd in the lobby of the Sternberg Museum for the ceremonial signing of the fossil bill by Governor Brownback. Bring your kids, bring your friend, bring yourselves!<br />
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<br />Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-29455815659655392002014-04-16T22:36:00.002-05:002014-04-16T23:07:46.869-05:00Sternberg Summer Camps Update<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnudmkONmKg41vbbcbgIG2OtIMnVSWoXkuX8lm5c71jqtTtp5eFYo_urVkShGkqRHuRtv0NXyDJe4sNaBO1nKNHlzdw_TK4iM-b6uKYreYz_lYg89asaFdRqosoi_bXxALjYV3oMYK9ju/s1600/camps+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnudmkONmKg41vbbcbgIG2OtIMnVSWoXkuX8lm5c71jqtTtp5eFYo_urVkShGkqRHuRtv0NXyDJe4sNaBO1nKNHlzdw_TK4iM-b6uKYreYz_lYg89asaFdRqosoi_bXxALjYV3oMYK9ju/s1600/camps+cover.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a>The Mission of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History is to foster "an appreciation and understanding of Earth's natural history and the evolutionary forces that impact it...with an emphasis on the Great Plains." Located in Western Kansas, we have a unique position serving rural regions of the Great Plains and surrounding urban populations with science education. While continuing with school tour groups, after school programming, adult programming, family days, and community events, we are now expanding our reach by bringing Kansas' natural history to K-12 students, and brining K-12 students to Kansas' natural history.<br />
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As announced in a <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2014/02/crowdfunding-museum-education.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, the Sternberg Museum is offering summer camps for elementary, junior high, and high school students beginning in the summer of 2014 (that's THIS summer!!). These camps focus on introducing students to hands on field- and lab-based biology, ecology, and paleontology educational activities and adventures. Western Kansas is filled with exceptional, accessible natural resources that we are excited to introduce to and share with learners of all ages. These camps are one more way the Sternberg Museum can provide science education to K-12 students and families. And in a world that is moving indoors and moving less, we can offer our camp-goers outdoor adventures in the wilds of Kansas. <br />
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We are offering single day camps for grades K-5, three day camps for grades 6-8, and a 2 week camp for grades 9-12. You can find more information in the <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/Camps-catalog-small.pdf" target="_blank">Camp Catalog</a> posted on the <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/" target="_blank">Museum website</a>. There are still openings for new campers, but register soon because spots are filling! Contact the Education Director <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/staff/david-levering/" target="_blank">David Levering</a> (the mastermind, energy source, organizer, and facilitator behind the camps) with questions or for more information.<br />
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So what could be more awesome than biology and paleontology camps in Kansas? How about our efforts to keep registration costs down?! As with any new venture, there are a lot of start-up costs associated with getting the summer camp program off the ground. Using a <a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/36964-sternberg-museum-outdoor-science-camps-education-by-adventure" target="_blank">crowdfunding website called RocketHub</a>, we are raising money to purchase camping gear like tents, stoves, and pots and pans for use in the overnight camps. This keeps students from having to purchase/bring more than the personal essentials for camping. We are also raising money to purchase the more technical gear associated with biology, ecology, and paleontology field work (GPS units, compasses, excavation supplies, etc.). All in all, these fundraising efforts mean that we can keep the registration costs for each student down, making camps available to a wide range of students.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3VWvPw5aRn6qP2yuS41Xno58qbxZ0wBUqo1Cz7QSWIcxezAVD4IC6z5U4w3jMMtcKZAhYg1zpbkYFFpjvcZNXBKfesQhYJqotN5XiUT15ih0ZZDR-oPzmz7obEZtAde44mrbal6oj3Va/s1600/Camp+finanical+aid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3VWvPw5aRn6qP2yuS41Xno58qbxZ0wBUqo1Cz7QSWIcxezAVD4IC6z5U4w3jMMtcKZAhYg1zpbkYFFpjvcZNXBKfesQhYJqotN5XiUT15ih0ZZDR-oPzmz7obEZtAde44mrbal6oj3Va/s1600/Camp+finanical+aid.jpg" height="50" width="320" /></a>Amid our fundraising efforts, we have also had several generous donors donate money specifically for student scholarships. There are 10 scholarships available for elementary students, one for junior high students, and two for high school students. The application process for financial aid is included in the <a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/Camps-catalog-small.pdf" target="_blank">Camp Catalog</a>.<br />
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In the past months, we have had a tremendous outpouring of support for our camps by way of private donations, donations through RocketHub, and student registrations. But we have a bit further to go to help our camps live up to their potential. Please consider signing a young family member up for a camp or supporting our fund raising efforts - we can't do it without you!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXq5SnW7kD1pEPmwOCLFhfL69RWgGk_ERw345yVFbbpacRehghpcE9LnVw5wG8uOEUWfpftStDlTIrHCYSrVChe9oL1uUBV3qRi02nTyhVSTv0BV7ZUuWILgtr11u6tkytfULZaHR28x6_/s1600/Camps+Logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXq5SnW7kD1pEPmwOCLFhfL69RWgGk_ERw345yVFbbpacRehghpcE9LnVw5wG8uOEUWfpftStDlTIrHCYSrVChe9oL1uUBV3qRi02nTyhVSTv0BV7ZUuWILgtr11u6tkytfULZaHR28x6_/s1600/Camps+Logo.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Check it out! Our upcoming camps were also recently featured in an awesome write-up in the </span><a href="http://outboundadventurer.com/dig-paleontology-digs-united-states-sternberg-museum-natural-history/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Outbound Adventurer blog</a><span style="text-align: left;">. </span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-74501143323213858172014-02-10T12:34:00.001-06:002014-02-10T12:34:32.774-06:00Crowdfunding Museum Education<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1O6pJhpaQf1JurBh_jvvs4FzIGfkKNI8ofGcaHFOa5dL1OxO9MdB5pgqW5SIP2X4pBaLOgAIFnkiVUSK82tnEZMFSoOw2BaIQHzKYlFKa93NxdVFcG3hR54gnSlxo9Pwk9gakPvA4dKU/s1600/Camps+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1O6pJhpaQf1JurBh_jvvs4FzIGfkKNI8ofGcaHFOa5dL1OxO9MdB5pgqW5SIP2X4pBaLOgAIFnkiVUSK82tnEZMFSoOw2BaIQHzKYlFKa93NxdVFcG3hR54gnSlxo9Pwk9gakPvA4dKU/s1600/Camps+Logo.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a>The Sternberg Museum has launched a <a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/36964-sternberg-museum-outdoor-science-camps-education-by-adventure" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">new fundraising campaign</span></a> to help support our summer field programs for elementary, junior high, and high school students. Located in rural western Kansas, our museum has the opportunity to provide science education not only to the Hays, KS community, but all of western Kansas and the Central Great Plains region. Traditionally the education department, with support from the rest of the Museum staff, organizes events at the Museum and in the community (including schools) around the region to provide educational programming to inquisitive minds of all age. We are now expanding our program to take students into the field to experience a hands-on, outdoors approach biology, geology, and paleontology.<br />
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Summer camps kick off in June 2014! There are day camps for elementary school students, overnight camps for junior high aged students, and 1-2 week long camps for high school students. All the camps focus on local and regional biology, paleontology, and geology. They not only get students outside and exploring the environment, but also learning how to ask and answer scientific questions; these camps provide a great way for students to develop analytical skills they will take with them beyond school. There will also be some family-based programming, as well!<br />
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Fundraising is underway to help cover the initical costs of camping and field equiment needed to run the biology and paleontology field camps. Covering these costs through crowdfunding means that we can keep camp fees down for students.<br />
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Check out our <a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/36964-sternberg-museum-outdoor-science-camps-education-by-adventure" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">RocketHub website</span></a> for more information. <a href="http://www.hayspost.com/2014/01/25/sternberg-summer-camps-aim-to-inspire-passion-for-science/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Recent press coverage</span></a> provides additional information about the camps, too.<br />
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As always, you can find Sternberg actives online!<br />
<a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/"><span style="color: blue;">http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/active-learning/camps/"><span style="color: blue;">http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/active-learning/camps/</span></a><br />
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You can also contact Education Director David Levering for more information:<br />
<a href="mailto:DALevering@FHSU.edu" target="_blank">DALevering @FHSU.edu</a><br />
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Please think about supporting the Sternberg Museum and our efforts to provide more, engaging science education for all ages!Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-69946869560864467232013-12-17T17:03:00.000-06:002013-12-17T17:03:46.761-06:00Titans of the Ice Age: When Big was CoolWe have a new exhibit at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWmatw5ri3RRP7O7o48wGdl2cxHzxrJLvmhHq99nbaDia0id3F5O4Ze_cGSHg-sXL8PVoJjno10A4hdlx1IEToCttS87GybK4cEHgVlzQLg8uq8JVD_oGy_C7uKeBXWATYbRqx_nkcIHJ/s1600/Titans_Filtered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWmatw5ri3RRP7O7o48wGdl2cxHzxrJLvmhHq99nbaDia0id3F5O4Ze_cGSHg-sXL8PVoJjno10A4hdlx1IEToCttS87GybK4cEHgVlzQLg8uq8JVD_oGy_C7uKeBXWATYbRqx_nkcIHJ/s320/Titans_Filtered.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last Saturday, December 14, we opened Titans of the Ice Age: When Big was Cool! This new exhibit was built by Sternberg Museum staff and features information about Ice Age mammals. The last ice age took place during the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted 2.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. During this time, large portions of Earth's surface (up to 30%) was repeatedly covered by glaciers, and then uncovered when glaciers retreated as climate warmed. Many of the animals that lived at this time are referred to as the Pleistocene Megafauna because they were bigger than their modern descendants.<br />
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This new exhibit explains why the climate was colder during the Pleistocene and why many of the animals were bigger. It compares extinct Ice Age animals to their living descendants and discusses the current scientific hypotheses surround the extinction of the Megafauna around 10,000 years ago.<br />
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This new exhibit showcases Pleistocene animals next to their modern counterparts, demonstrating the changes in size, ecology, and behavior within different mammal lineages. <i>Bison latifrons</i> (the long-horned bison), <i>Panthera atrox</i> (the North American lion), and <i>Mammuthus columbi </i>(the Columbian mammoth), and <i>Arctodus simus</i> (the short-faced bear) are just some of the animals on display. These animal are distinctly different from their modern relatives. Understanding these differences is important for scientists, policy makers, and anyone concerned about the future of our ecosystems given ongoing global climate change.<br />
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Kansas is well known for our Cretaceous Seaway fossils like mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, sharks, and sea turtles, but we also have a record of the animals that roamed the grasslands at the edge of the ice sheets during the Pleistocene. Mammoth, horse, bison, camel, and sloth skeletons can be found in gravels and other glacial deposits around the state. With the unveiling of this new exhibit, we are finally able to tell the stories of the animals that lived not too long ago, but during a time that was characterized by extreme changes in the climate and landscape.<br />
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Titans of the Ice Age: When Big was Cool will be open for the next year and is part of a series of exhibits the Sternberg Museum will be building and opening over the next few years. <br />
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Come discover what's under the Dome!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMylxIUMwdJlIhVuGYF9LESSds2UMCrPDdNzFIgSxXEXnQDFkVOm9Yoy-dL-tI-DeexnkdRaXbv1Kgi94ec05uc7OlzHoNPgziX4XmGl6e95mn4Yj9iP_hxJCqfMXTAEgZ45oaEJ6OozrG/s1600/Too+Cool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMylxIUMwdJlIhVuGYF9LESSds2UMCrPDdNzFIgSxXEXnQDFkVOm9Yoy-dL-tI-DeexnkdRaXbv1Kgi94ec05uc7OlzHoNPgziX4XmGl6e95mn4Yj9iP_hxJCqfMXTAEgZ45oaEJ6OozrG/s320/Too+Cool.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Panthera atrox</i>, the North American lion that used to roam the plains during the last Ice Age. This cat was larger than any known lion species - past or present.</td></tr>
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<br />Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-33003965776024362492013-12-09T22:41:00.001-06:002013-12-11T13:59:47.342-06:00New Exhibit Opening!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening Saturday December 14th, 2013:</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">TITANS OF THE ICE AGE:</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> When Big Was Cool</span></div>
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By comparing fossils from the most recent Ice Age with their modern descendants, this new exhibit showcases some of the Megafauna that used to roam North America. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why was the Ice Age cold?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did mammals get so much bigger?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did the Megafauna die 10,000 years ago?</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Museum members-only opening is<span style="color: blue;"> 10am - Noon on Saturday</span>.*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The exhibit opens to the public at <span style="color: blue;">NOON on Saturday</span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Come visit the Museum if you're looking for something to do with the family, an escape from the cold, or to do some holiday shopping at the Excavations Gift Shop!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">*Members-only opening includes a guided tour of the new exhibit, Q&A with Museum staff, and refreshments. If you want to become a member, membership registration will be available on-site Saturday morning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">UPDATE: KSN <a href="http://www.ksn.com/web/ksn/news/local/sternberg-museum-will-be-showing-off-some-new-fossils-in-exhibit" target="_blank">aired a nice segment</a> on the new exhibit opening. Thanks, Molly Hadfield and KSN!</span></div>
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-69994858130461457802013-11-18T16:30:00.001-06:002013-11-18T16:30:07.116-06:00Update: San Diego Museum fossils pulled from auctionThe world of vertebrate paleontology has been <a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/14/historical-fossils-may-be-lost-at-auction/" target="_blank">abuzz over the past week</a> about the pending sale of 12 fossil vertebrate to the highest bidder. What was different about the auctioning of these fossils, compared to other fossil sales, is that they were being sold by a public museum. The San Diego Natural History Museum de-accessioned 12 vertebrate fossils to sell at auction - meaning they would most likely be sold into private collections where they could no longer be used for education and science. Please see my <a href="http://sternbergpaleo.blogspot.com/2013/11/an-open-letter-to-san-diego-natural.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for more information on the significance of these fossils and why the sale of them would have been devastating to natural history museums, professional paleontologists, and our communities.<br />
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In this light, the good news just broke that the <a href="http://www.sdnhm.org/blog/blog_details/fossils-withdrawn-from-auction/9/" target="_blank">San Diego Museum Natural History Museum has pulled all of its fossils from the auction</a>. In their official statement, SDMNH states:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.46875px;">The San Diego Natural History Museum has made a decision to withdraw the 12 fossils listed for sale in the Bonhams public auction scheduled for November 19, 2013 ...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.46875px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20.46875px;">By withdrawing the specimens from the auction, and in light of the recent interest shown by numerous institutions in these fossils, we will be reevaluating how to proceed. This will allow us to revisit alternative strategies that would allow the fossils to remain in the public trust."</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></blockquote>
A large outcry of concern from the paleontology community as well as the general public, has resulted in the preservation of these historically and scientifically significant specimens. Thank you to everyone who joined your voices together to let the SDNHM know the implications of their actions - from the paleontologists who led the charge, to the western Kansas community members who grew up with a love and respect for our natural history. It has been wonderful to see professionals, amateurs, students, museum patrons, and concerned citizens stand on the same side of an important issue.<br />
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Well Done.<br />
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Laura Wilson<br />
Chief Curator/Curator of Paleontology<br />
Sternberg Museum of Natural History<br />
Fort Hays State University<br />
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** As an aside, although the San Diego Museum has not decided how to proceed with keeping these fossils in the public trust, the Sternberg Museum has let them know that our offer to accept their Charles Sternberg collection is still on the table. **<br />
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Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-19016007941367054102013-11-17T09:50:00.000-06:002013-11-17T09:52:08.608-06:00An Open Letter to the San Diego Natural History MuseumOn November 19, 2013 the <a href="http://www.sdnhm.org/" target="_blank">San Diego Natural History Museum</a> (SDNHM) is set to sell 11 fossils on public auction through <a href="http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21076/" target="_blank">Bonhams</a>. Six of these fossils were collected by Charles H. Sternberg from the chalks of western Kansas (note that the Canadian chasmosaur dinosaur skull has been withdrawn from auction), and so have significant historical and scientific value. Specimens like the large <i>Xiphactinus</i> have been studied by researchers and been included in scientific publications. The selling of fossils is a direct breech of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's code of ethics. On the subject of commercial sale or trade, the <a href="http://vertpaleo.org/Membership/Member-Ethics/Member-Bylaw-on-Ethics-Statement.aspx">Member Bylaw on Ethics Statement </a>reads:<br />
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"The barter, sale or purchase of scientifically significant vertebrate fossils is not condoned, unless it brings them into, or keeps them within, a public trust. Any other trade or commerce in scientifically significant vertebrate fossils is inconsistent with the foregoing, in that it deprives both the public and professionals of important specimens, which are part of our natural heritage."</blockquote>
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Below is the letter I sent to the SDNHM expressing my concern over the sale of fossils. This is not a matter of amateur vs. professional paleontologist, or even commercial collecting, but is about the role of museums in safeguarding our natural history collections. For a public, federally recognized repository to sell fossils into private collections (sadly, museums just don't have the financial resources to purchase fossils) violates the very essence of a museum. If sold, these spectacular specimens will be lost from public education and scientific research forever. This is a crucial issue for paleontologists, museum professionals, and members of our community who trust us to care for and preserve our human and natural history heritage.<br />
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Please feel free to leave comments on this thread and/or share this thread with others. If you wish to send comments directly to the San Diego Natural History Museum speaking out against selling these fossils, you can contact them <a href="http://www.sdnhm.org/about-us/our-museum/contact-us/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Please feel free to contact me, as well.<br />
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Thank you for your concern,<br />
<br />
Laura Wilson<br />
Chief Curator/Curator of Paleontology<br />
Sternberg Museum of Natural History<br />
Fort Hays State University<br />
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**It should be noted that the decision to sell these fossils was not made by paleontology or science staff at the San Diego museum, but by the Museum President, Board of Directors, and other administrators.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>Xiphactinus</i> mount on auction by the San Diego Natural History Museum. Collected by Charles H. Sternberg and accessioned into SDNHM in the 1920s. Image taken from the Bonhams catalog (linked above).<br />
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<br />Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1921111226758719002.post-72059744419520483762013-11-14T20:31:00.001-06:002013-11-14T20:31:21.844-06:00#2013SVP<div class="Body">
From October 30 to November 2, paleontologists from around the world came together for the Society of Vertebrate
Paleontology annual meeting. Professors, curators, students, and other paleo aficionados descended upon the unsuspecting city of Los Angeles, California. Conferences are always a fun
and exciting mix of hot-off-the-press science, visiting with old friends,
making new connections, developing new research projects, and late night
schmoozing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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This year, Fort Hays State University and the Sternberg Museum
were well-represented by students, faculty, and staff. Seven graduate students
from the Department of Geosciences attended SVP, including Kelsie Abrams, Tom
Buskuskie, Josh Fry, Seth Hammond, Mackenzie Kirchner-Smith, Melissa Macias,
and Ian Trevethan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Undergraduate paleo
student Jason Hughes and his guide dog, Indie, also joined the motley crew. Geosciences professor and Sternberg
curator Dr. Laura Wilson, Sternberg education director David Levering, and
Biological sciences professor Dr. Chris Bennett rounded out the Hays contingent.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHdK4as6AniigzxxgDwGzFkzZxu3u6SOqy2srzcDNNRND4gm6P_ZKqzSF1HtB2u_YPLswilD1EeghVdpKzVTMQ4_BDKxfHn4sBbIAUVbLpzFvifvlsl6iRJvCzzIZm679AlxR8W-qhpfD/s1600/935519_10151765221136309_1809621992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHdK4as6AniigzxxgDwGzFkzZxu3u6SOqy2srzcDNNRND4gm6P_ZKqzSF1HtB2u_YPLswilD1EeghVdpKzVTMQ4_BDKxfHn4sBbIAUVbLpzFvifvlsl6iRJvCzzIZm679AlxR8W-qhpfD/s320/935519_10151765221136309_1809621992_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Hays State paleontologists at the LA County Museum welcome reception at SVP. <br />(L to R: Josh Fry, Melissa Macias, Ian Trevethan, Laura Wilson, Mackenzie Kirchner-Smith, Tom Buskuskie, Jason Hughes, Kelsie Abrams)</td></tr>
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SVP conferences are filled with scientific talks by top minds in the field, followed by afternoon poster sessions for more discussions on new research. Evenings allow for a time to take scientific conversations and catching up with friends into a more casual atmosphere. Many of us were there not only to learn, but to educate as well. Ian presented a poster on preliminary results from his Master's project:
"Thermoregulatory status of mosasaurs from the Western Interior Seaway of
Kansas, USA". Mackenzie and Melissa both had poster presentations
showcasing undergraduate research projects completed at Indiana University and
UC Santa Barbara, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In her research, Mackenzie used modern analogs to help study fossils. Her poster explained "Hind limb morphology of carnivorous birds: A morphometic analysis of prey preference and predatory techniques</span>". Melissa brought us into the world of giant ground sloths with a poster on "New Pleistocene megafauna localities in Santa Barbara County, California: Paleontological reconnaissance of the marine terrace deposits at Vandenberg Air Force Base."</div>
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David gave a talk on his Master's research from Oklahoma State University, "Of multituberculates and mass extinction: Evidence of selection for small body size within the Cimolodonta (Multituberculata) across the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction boundary, followed by morphospace recovery and expansion in the earliest Paleogene". A mouthful, but an interesting look at body size change in a group of mammals during the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs (or at least the dinosaurs that weren't birds). Lastly, Dr. Bennett presented a poster on the enigmatic pterosaurs, "Reinterpretation of the wings of <i>Pterodactylus antiquus</i> based on the Vienna specimen".</div>
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Another noteworthy event at this year's conference was in the awards ceremony. Every year at the award's banquet that closes the conference, SVP gives out research grants and awards of recognition to students, paleo-artists, and professions alike. One of these is the Romer-Simpson Medal, "awarded for sustained and outstanding scholarly excellence in the discipline of Vertebrate Paleontology". This is the society's highest award. This year's Romer-Simpson medal was awarded to <a href="http://www.museumoftherockies.org/AboutMOR/WhoWeAre/JackHorner.aspx" target="_blank">Dr. Jack Horner</a>, Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. This hits particularly close to home because Jack was Dr. Laura Wilson Master's advisor and mentor since entering the field of paleontology. Laura and her students (technically, Jack's grand-students) have a huge legacy to live up to and pass on to the next generation of scientists. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10mfNSTUJCVFH2tiYT9qzyiz0UBsnLMYe2iMayF8nvWOk9Ip2oXip5jaIfPbklexFuZN9yaYurxJWa0qGO6jZ_il3tvWDCuf3UxVAOv4X2CGCPm8vo0a-O1ZZC4GCCuPJ-M3o504oCC8e/s1600/1403126_10100120453986662_1732089033_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10mfNSTUJCVFH2tiYT9qzyiz0UBsnLMYe2iMayF8nvWOk9Ip2oXip5jaIfPbklexFuZN9yaYurxJWa0qGO6jZ_il3tvWDCuf3UxVAOv4X2CGCPm8vo0a-O1ZZC4GCCuPJ-M3o504oCC8e/s320/1403126_10100120453986662_1732089033_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Jack Horner with some of his former and current students after receiving the Romer-Simpson Medal at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting.</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Between presentations on cutting edge science, discussions with colleagues, student recruitment, catching up with old friends, making new friends, gorging on ethnic food, and visiting local museums, SVP 2013 was a successful meeting for all! I hope everyone is starting to save for SVP 2014 in Berlin, Germany!</span></div>
Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State Universityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004171455787083762noreply@blogger.com0