JOURNALS. BY KIMBERlY HORGWEBB. Discover~ Center

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1 JOURNALS Fa55iI BY KIMBERlY HORGWEBB Discover~ 20 SIERRA HERITAGE MAGAZINE

2 The Fossil Discovery opportunity During the summer the movie "Jurassic Park" "The greatest thing about the discovery is that hit theatres, operator we can see a glimpse of how life was 700,000 the fossils at the Fairmead Landfill in Madera County years ago," Fossil Discovery manager photo courtesy of the Fossil unexpectedly uncovered an ancient mammoth Blake Bufford said. "The San Joaquin was a tusk. Fifteen years after the discovery, in dry climate, similar to what it is now." ohers visitors an to explore the ancient and natural history of the San Joaquin. from the dig site in Madera were first discovered Discovery a (inset) where The Fossil has a school outreach traveling Discovery program paleontological photo courtesy of the Fossil Discovery with presentation (right) Outside the Fossil Discovery visitors can walk a heavy equipment It is located across 2010, the San Joaquin Valley Paleontology Foundation (SJVPF) opened the Fossil Discovery in Madera. through a path of native trees and plants that would have prehistoric animals a watering existed during to what would have existed thousands of years ago photo by Kimberly HorgWebb horses and camels. Interesting facts can be found about these animals, for instance, the the time the lived. The path surrounds hole similar The two most common fossils found were The fossils date back almost a million years first horse that was found in North America to the middlepleistocene period. Since 1993, was the size of a fox. It had toes and walked on 40 different extinct animals have been found. its middle toe for so long that it evolved into a The fossils range from Columbian mammoth hoof and lost its other toes over time. tusks and teeth, giant ground sloth claws, horse and llama bones that were gnawed by The Discovery sabertoothed cats as well as other prehistoric from the largest deposit of fossils on the West animals of that time. Coast. Diversity is what makes the Fossil is across the street SIERRA HERITAGE iv,agazine 21

3 Discovery different from other fossil museums. There have been 15,000 fossils found and more are still gening discovered. awe still only found 10% of what is out mere," Bufford said. Ir houses various fossil exhibits and visual displays, fossil stations with demonstrations of excavation and a handson mock "dig area" to sift for microfossils. The mock dig consists of 21 different replica fossils buried where kids learn how to excavate them. "I liked how I can find the different fossils here to dig up," Isabella Hartunian, third grade student at Charlie Keyan Armenian School in Clovis, said. Her teacher, Talin Tamossian, took the class was on a field trip at the Fossil Discovery after finishing a lesson about extinct animals. "I am really enjoying myself," Tamossian said. "This is a great place for students. There are not too many places to go in the Valley to learn about history so I am glad this is here." According to Fresno resident Lusine Hartunian, the Fossil is an educational experience for her daughter that is not only handson but also informative. Exact replica models are made from real bone to help illustrate to kids what the animals looked like without harming the fossils. The fossils are cleaned and prepared by placing a jacket around it, similar to a cast. The paleontologists first use toiletpaper or foil to protect it before placing a cast on it so it won't break or chip when removed to identify the fossil. There is a fossil repository in Madera and one at Fresno State University so the preparation is done at one of the two locations. After the fossils are removed the area is covered with trash on the 40acre landfill but not without first dating the soil; the deeper down, the older the fossils get. Environmental laws protect the fossils so there is a working relationship with Madera County to excavate. Bufford was a paleontological moniror at the landfill so he was naturally interested in the discovery. The fossils at the Fairmead site range from the largest Columbian mammoth down to the smallest pocket gopher. Bufford said, "The tiny animal fossils are just as important as the big ones because the bigger animals migrated whereas the small animals were here yearround so we have a better idea of the environment by looking at them." The Fairmead site fossils present a unique crosssection of life in the San Joaquin Valley during the last Ice Age. It is not known exactly how large the fossil bed is because it is limited by the boundaries of the landfill but fossils have been throughout the entire 40 acres. Although an entire skeleton is rarely found, Bufford does know when and what particular animals roamed the land. "We never find a whole skeleton because of natural weathering, predators and the river spreading them out so they are randomly scattered. We know there weren't bison living here so that alone tells us the fossils are older than 200,000 years old," Bufford said.

4 Fossil manager Blake Bufford explains how the Mammoth tusks and teeth were preserved. He can tell what type of food the animals ate and the weather conditions by the shape and condition of the fossils photo by Kimberly HorgWebb (inset) The Fossil Discovery has many handson activities for children including a mock dig for kids to dig fossils. Children can use tools to dig the mock bones and each fossil is flagged so children can easily identify what type of fossil it is photo courtesy of the Fossil Discovery 24 SIERRA HERITAGE MAGAZINE

5 The Fossil Discovery offers VIsitors a personal tour and detailed presentation on the fossil exhibits. There is also a video that explains the discovery of the fossils, their history, environment and what types of animals were located here. Additionally, there is a "Pleistocene Pond" exhibit that is landscaped only with plants native to the San Joaquin Valley to give visitors a glimpse of what the Valley looked like thousands of years ago. Lori Pond, president of the Fossil Discovery and SJVPF came on board because she knew the center offered a world class educational and visual product to present to the public. "I wanted to be involved with the Fossil Discovery because we give our visitors the opportunity to see firsthand, real fossils," Pond said. "Locals and outofour area visitors alike get a glimpse of what was here hundreds of thousands of years ago." Future plans for the Discovery are to keep adding new displays including a lifesize full replica body of the Columbian mammoth this year. The Columbian mammoth was the largest mammoth in North America, bigger than the wooly mammoth that lived in colder climates. The Fossil Discovery has additional plans to construct an authentic Native American village adjacent to the pond. The village will be constructed using authentic natural materials. The Fossil Discovery 's goal is to add exhibits on geology, natural history and local history so children can learn in a fun environment. "Talking to kids is my favorite part of my job," Bufford said. "I try to communicate my excitement about fossils to them to get them excited about fossils so they will be interested in them when they are older." SH +Map reference, page 3: M3 The Fossil Discovery is a nonprofit organization that welcomes volunteers and donations. To donate or volunteer please visit maderarnammoths. org or phone