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TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES:
Due to a few technical errors, not everyone received this newsletter that
was sent our Friday, December 29th. Therefore, it is being sent our again
this morning!
RMDRC News
Well, I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this winter. Here in
Colorado, we just received another 1 1/2 feet of snow! This is looking like
an active winter season, with 7 snowfalls already this year and our heaviest
storms yet to come - generally in April and May. We moved all the snow this
morning and the piles are getting pretty high. I took some pictures of the
storm this morning and included them below.
We originally scheduled Colorado Kid's FREE Day for December 29th. With all
the snow we received (and more coming in) we had to reschedule this event.
So mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 2nd from 9am until 6pm and bring
the entire family up for a visit. Remember,
all kids
ages 18 and under will receive FREE admission to RMDRC with an adult
admission. What better time to visit and save a few bucks at the same time.
On December 15th, we opened up our new exhibit, "Tiny Killers". This exhibit
focuses on the smaller meat eating terrors of the Late Cretaceous. You will
see specimens such as the Bambiraptor (sharp teeth and claws in a 1 foot
tall package) and Struthiomimus (7 feet tall, 14 feet long built for speed
and quick small snacks). Everyone knows about the BIG meat eating
dinosaurs, so we are giving visitors a fresh look at these "Tiny Killers".
We are still planning our 2007 calendar of events and will share this with
you once it is completed.
So stay safe and warm, have a great New Year, and I hope to see you here at
the RMDRC!
Another Colorado "Blizzard" hits the RMDRC
We are set to get a record amount of snowfall this year
Sincerely,
Dave Ehlert
RMDRC Director
dave@rmdrc.com
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RMDRC Upcoming Events
Colorado Kid's FREE Day at the Dinosaur
Resource Center RESCHEDULED to Jan 2nd, 2007
Due to the current weather forecast,
“Colorado Kid’s FREE Day” has been rescheduled from tomorrow (Dec 29th) to
Tuesday, January 2nd. Details for this event are below…
Don't miss out on the 2nd annual "Colorado Kid's FREE Day" at the Rocky Mountain
Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. On Tuesday, January 2nd, 2006 all
kids ages 18 and under will receive FREE admission to RMDRC with an adult
admission from 9 am to 6 pm. RMDRC believes "Colorado Kids FREE Day" is a great
educational opportunity for kids who might not otherwise have the chance to see
the #1 dinosaur attraction in Colorado!
At RMDRC you will see over 30 unique dinosaur exhibits, along with breathtaking
marine reptiles. You can also view our working fossil preparation lab. The kids
will love the paleo theater, awesome interactive children's area and world's
largest dino gift shop. We will be holding a drawing for a free family museum
membership (value $95).
You will love RMDRC newest exhibit. "Tiny Killers" is a new perspective into the
dangerous world of the Cretaceous. When people think of dinosaurs, visions of
huge creatures fill the mind. In fact, there are countless dinosaur specimens
that have not gained the spotlight simply due to their small size. With a
smaller, yet lethal set of teeth, greater speed and a hunger for survival, these
tiny killers represent a new vision of the dinosaur era.
The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is located at 201 S. Fairview in
Woodland Park, 18 miles west of Colorado Springs on Hwy. 24. The museum is open
9 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sundays. For more
information call 719-686-1820 or visit the web site at www.rmdrc.com.
All news media are welcome to schedule a live broadcast, please contact Melanie
Boss 719-686-1820 ext.111
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Prehistoric Paradise Store -
Gift Card Special
Holiday
Gift Card Special - Now through December 31st
Purchase a
$25 or more gift card from the Prehistoric Paradise gift shop and receive a
FREE dino gift pack that includes a museum keychain, an authentic piece of
dinosaur bone, and a mini dinosaur (an $8 value)—a great stocking stuffer
that comes gift wrapped. Gift cards may be redeemed for gift store
merchandise or museum admission. Check our website for more details or to
view our online catalog. Offer good through December 31st.
Prehistoric Paradise Store - NEW Arrivals
$9.99 -
Pteranodon or T. rex Mini book is available with 6" plush dinosaur to go
along with the story included. CD included with full sized books (sold
separately)
$16.99 - This amazing t-shirt looks like just a black and white ink design.
But take it out into the sunlight (or uv light) and it blazes into color!
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REMINDER - NEW Exhibit is
open at
the RMDRC
We are
proud to announce that our new exhibit "Tiny Killers" is now open at the museum. Learn about these fascinating new creature
many of which are being shown to the public for the first time. Come and
check out these new dinosaur specimens!
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Lab & Field News
It has been another
busy month in the lab, and we are making progress on some very exciting
new exhibits that will debut soon. We recently finished the reconstruction
of the skull of an new species of Plioplatecarpus. The process involved
separating the crushed bone parts, molding them, reconstructing the
plastic casts, and then remolding the finished assemblies. The entire
process took nearly three months, but we are happy with the results!
In July of 2006, our
owner, Mike Triebold, discovered a mammal skeleton that had weathered out
of an outcrop, not far from one of the Triceratops digsites. The mammal
has now been identified as Didelphodon vorax, however it is in many small
pieces. It is being sent to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in a
collaborative effort to reconstruct the animal. What we know for sure is
that it is a large example of this rare marsupial, and it is one of the
most complete ever found, with parts of the feet and even claws preserved!
Keep watching for updates on the progress of this exciting project.
Thanks,
Anthony Maltese
Curator
anthony@rmdrc.com
Here is our most
recent completed project: A new species of Plioplatecarpus
A close up of the same skull showing the detail of the teeth
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From the Education Desk
Welcome to 2007! I’d like
to say a special thank you to all of the children and adults who came to
RMDRC in December to make an ornament for our holiday tree. All of the
ornaments adorning our 12’ tree are magnificent! I selected a number of them
to hang around my office as an ongoing reminder of how very special all of
our visitors are!
During the month of
December, I had the opportunity to meet several families that receive our
newsletter and frequently visit our museum. I was amazed to hear examples of
how you are using RMDRC as a resource for education and a place to spend fun
family time together. Several adults told me that using some of the
suggested conversation starters with children while visiting the museum
(Dec. Education article) resulted in more creative and thoughtful ideas and
conversations. I also heard again and again how visiting RMDRC was a
memorable family experience.
There are quite a number
of our visitors that home-school children and come to the museum to complete
language arts, math, history, and science assignments. Last month, two
home-school children brought in pictures they made to show me. The pictures
had the dinosaurs from the museum grouped together by size and diet. Each
child also completed a creative writing exercise titled, “What would
Woodland Park be like if dinosaurs were here today”? Their brief stories
made me laugh and smile (and I must admit, made me wonder if they were onto
something!).
Reflecting upon 2006, I
am reminded, once again, of the incredible educational opportunities we have
here at the museum and how very special our visitors are to me. Whether you
are a first time visitor or a frequent visitor, I always enjoy hearing about
your experience at RMDRC. Please take a minute to drop me an email or a
short note. By the way, if you haven’t seen our amazing new “Tiny Killers”
exhibit or the wonderful new “Touch the Past” hands-on display, I hope you
will plan to visit soon.
I wish you all health and
happiness in 2007!
Regards,
Pat White
Education Director
pat@rmdrc.com
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Dinosaur News
A new discovery in Spain could possibly be
the largest dinosaur ever discovered
in Europe.
Dinosaurs such as the large suropods have been known to use stones (also
called Gastroliths) to aid in digestion. A team of scientists
is questioning their effectiveness in this article.
How do Dinosaur get their names? This is a question that our visitors
often ask us here at the RMDRC.
For a quick overview on dinosaur naming, click here
then scroll down the page until you see a section on dinosaur naming. |
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