PENN DIXIE PUBLIC HOURS

The Penn Dixie Site is open to the public for fossil collecting every Saturday, from May through October, 9 AM to 4 PM; Sundays, May-October, 11 AM to 4PM; and Spring Break-April 6-7 & 9-15, and June 16–Sept. 4, Mon.-Fri., 9 AM-4 PM, rain or shine.  Closed Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4 & Labor Day September 3. Open Columbus Day, October 8, 9 AM-4 PM. Penn Dixie members free, non-member adults $7 and children 12 and under $6, and children 2 and under free.  Penn Dixie visits may be scheduled at other times by calling (716) 627-4560.

Schools and groups wishing to schedule a field trip to the Penn Dixie Site should email jbpendix@gmail.com or call (716) 627-4560.

All other groups, families, scouts, birthday parties, & individuals, wishing to schedule a visit at other times, should call (716) 627- 4560 or email jbpendix@gmail.com.  Please call or visit our web site at www.penndixie.org for programs, upcoming events, membership & directions.

TEACHERS AND GROUP LEADERS –BOOK YOUR FIELD TRIP TO PENN DIXIE NOW

Schools, day cares, scouts, recreation departments, and other group field trips to visit Penn Dixie for the spring and summer of 2012 are now being booked.  Please call 627-4560, if you are interested in scheduling your class to visit to collect fossils, learn about what the area was like 380 million years ago, and the local geology.  Any HNHS members interested in volunteering to lead or assist with school groups should call 627-4560 and leave your name and phone number.

 PLANETARIUM SHOW – “OASIS IN SPACE” & VIEWING OF THE WILLIAMSVILLE SKIES APRIL 4 – 6 PM

The Penn Dixie Site and the Williamsville North Space Planetarium are providing a program on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 6 PM at the Williamsville Space Planetarium at 1595 Hopkins Road (corner of Dodge Rd).  “Oasis in Space”, the featured planetarium show, which will be shown at 6:30 PM & 7:15 PM. We invite you to journey through the solar system and gaze at beautiful images of the planets and their satellites. We start by exploring Earth, with its vast oceans that make life possible. One by one, we fly by the other planets and moons, accompanied by full descriptions of their characteristics, such as atmosphere, temperature, and composition. Spectacular pictures invite students to draw their own conclusions about the other orbiting bodies in our solar system: is there water out there? Is there life beyond Earth? (Recommended for ages 7 and up)

Penn Dixie telescopes will be available to view the Williamsville skies to observe planets and constellations.   Jupiter will be in the west and the moon will rise in the east.  The telescopes will be available regardless of the weather conditions. This is a great opportunity to learn what type of telescope you may like to purchase or to learn how to operate your own telescope.

This program is open to the Public and is FREE.  No pre-registrations are required.  For additional information or directions, please call (716) 627-4560.

PENN DIXIE OPEN DURING SPRING BREAK

Penn Dixie will be open to the public during Spring Break from April 6-7 & 9-15, 2012, M-SA, 9 AM to 4 PM and SU 11 AM-4 PM.  No pre-registrations are required.  Penn Dixie members free, non-member adults $7, children 12 & under $6, and children 2 and under free .  The winter frost and spring rains have exposed thousands of fossils waiting to be discovered.  Dress for the weather.  Penn Dixie will be open rain or shine.

PENN DIXIE EXHIBIT AT COOL KIDS ECO FEST EARTH DAY AT GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN BATAVIA APRIL 14

 The Penn Dixie exhibit will be at the Cool Kids 7^th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Genesee Community College on Saturday, April 14, 2012, from 10 AM-2 PM.  The Penn Dixie exhibit will have fossils displayed, program information, and the fossil dig for children.  If you are interested in volunteering to help with this event please email jbpendixe@gmail.com or (716) call 627-4560.

 ICELAND: GEOLOGY AND SCENERYON A NORTH ATLANTIC HOTSPOTAPRIL 19 – 7 PM

Penn Dixie is pleased to have Dr. Rick Batt, geology professor at Buffalo State College, provide an illustrated presentation on “Iceland: Geology and Scenery on a North Atlantic Hotspot” on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 7 PM in the auditorium of the Gateway Executive Office, 3556 Lake Shore Road.

 Iceland is an island that not only is located over a rising mantle plume, but also is crossed by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  The interplay of these two geologic features, along with its location just south of the Arctic Circle, makes Iceland a unique, natural wonder with a variety of active volcanoes, numerous glaciers, and countless waterfalls.  Even though it is a little smaller in area than the state of Ohio, Iceland boasts a population of just over 300,000 people, with those not living in the capital city of Rekyjavík spread out in small towns and villages around the island’s edges.  The rugged, uninhabited interior of the island offers wonderful opportunities for hiking and examining some spectacular scenery for those who want to get away from the crowds.

Iceland has been growing over the past 17 million years or so, spreading eastward and westward from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge spreading center that crosses it.  In Iceland you can easily walk across this feature from the North American Plate to the European Plate.  This is most popularly done by the tourist crowd at Þingvellir, not far to the east of Reykjavík.  Because spreading is still taking place, and because of hotspot-related melting over the mantle plume, volcanic activity in Iceland is commonplace, occurring every few years.  The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in the Spring of 2010 put enough ash into the atmosphere to interfere with commercial air traffic over Europe.  This was followed in the spring of 2011 with eruption of Grimsvötn, a volcano beneath the large Vatnajökull ice cap.  Ash from that eruption that landed on the surrounding glaciers is still being blown by wind over neighboring coastal areas, sometimes creating hazardous driving and breathing conditions.  More recently the volcano Katla, beneath the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, has been showing signs of unrest.  Heating of some of the overlying ice in July resulted in an outburst flood, or jökulhlaup, that destroyed a major bridge, temporarily severing the Ring Road, the sole road around the island.

Dr. Rick Batt earned his doctorate at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and is a geology professor at Buffalo State College.  He often travels with his wife, Dr. Robin Harris (a science education professor) to various places of scenic and geologic interest.  They had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Iceland during August of 2011, traveling around the island while visiting such places as the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (home of the volcano Snæfellsjökull, chosen by Jules Verne as the entrance to the center of the Earth in his famous novel), the West Fjords area with its glacially sculpted landscape and steep puffin-viewing cliffs, Lake Mývatn (Midge Lake) with its surrounding volcanic terrain, the southeast coast with its glaciers and the glacial lagoon Jökulsárlón (featured in one of the James Bond movies), and the interior destinations of Askja Crater, Landmannalaugar, and Lakagigar (the site of the 1783-1784 eruptions had so much effect on the climate in neighboring Europe).  This presentation will show some of the best of the geology-related scenery that Iceland has to offer.

Dr. Batt’s presentation is open to the public and no pre-registration is required.  Children, students, scouts, families and groups are welcome.  Penn Dixie members are free, non-members at $4 each.  Call (716) 627-4560 for information and directions.

EARTH DAY 2012 AT PENN DIXIE APRIL 21

The Annual Earth Day cleanup and planting of trees and shrubs will be held at Penn Dixie on Saturday, April 21, 2012, beginning at 9 AM.  Bring gloves, a change of shoes, and dress for the weather. This event will run rain or shine.  Garbage bags and rubber gloves will be provided.  A dumpster will be available for all debris collected.  This is a good opportunity for scout service hours.  No admission charge for those who participate in the Earth Day cleanup and plantings.  If you have a shrub or tree you would like to donate please bring it along.  For information, call (716) 627-4560.

TELESCOPES VIEW MOON,JUPITER,SATURN, VENUS,MARS & CONSTELLATIONS IN PENN DIXIE SITE ON APRIL 21.

Penn Dixie telescopes will focus on the a thin crescent moon and Jupiter setting in the west, Saturn rising in the east, Venus high in the southwest, Mars in the southeast, Orion’s nebula M42, and the Beehive star cluster M44, some meteors from the Lyrids meteor shower peak after midnight until dawn, and a variety of other constellations at the Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center in Hamburg, NY, on Saturday, April 21, 2012, beginning at 7 PM.

Telescopes, with filters, will be available to view sunspots and solar flares prior to sunset.  Two 16-inch, one 8-inch and a variety of other telescopes will be available for viewing.  Visitors are encouraged to bring their own telescopes, if they like.  Penn Dixie volunteers will also help visitors learn how to operate their own telescopes.  This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the variety of telescopes available before making a purchase.

Dress for the weather.  The public is invited and children are encouraged to attend.  $3/person, HNHS members are free.   No pre-registrations are required. Call (716) 627-4560 for additional information and/or visit the web site at www.penndixie.org for directions, program, and membership information.

SPRING BIRD WALKS AT PENN DIXIE

The Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center in Hamburg will be conducting two “Spring Bird Walks” at the site.  Marilyn O’Connell, Wild Birds Unlimited and HNHS/Penn Dixie Corporate member, will lead a bird walk on Saturday, April 22, 2012 at 9 AM to 11 AM. The Penn Dixie Site Bird list, compiled by Mike Turisk and Mike Morgante, will be provided to all those attending.  The list includes 143 nesting and migratory birds that have been identified at the site.

Mike Morgante, member of the Buffalo Ornithological Society and Penn Dixie, will lead a second “Spring Bird Walk” on Sunday, May 6, 2011 at 9 AM to 11AM.  The wild flowers, vegetation, and a variety of Penn Dixie animals will also be viewed.

These two trips are excellent opportunities to walk the nature trails, view the new wetlands installed early in 2008 and observe the Penn Dixie birds with two excellent birders.  Dress for the weather, wear boots, and bring your binoculars and camera. Mark your calendar and plan on attending.  These free bird walks will be held rain or shine, are open to the public, and children are encouraged to attend. Call (716) 627-4560 for additional information.

 2012 SUMMER DAY CAMPS FOR CHILDREN 8-12 YEARS OLD

2012 SCIENCE ADVENTURE DAY CAMP

AT PENN DIXIE

The Penn Dixie Site will be offering a five-day, 9 AM to 3 PM, Science Adventure Day Camp, for 8-12 year olds July 9-13, July 23-27, August 6-10, and August 20-24.  The campers will explore geology, fossils, astronomy, weather, ecology, and rocketry at the Penn Dixie Site.  The rates are $180 per camper for non-members, and $155 for members.  The registration brochure is available on the Penn Dixie web site at www.penndixie.org or by leaving your name and mailing address at (716) 627-4560 or email jbpendix@gmail.com.  Pre-registration is requested.

2012 TRIPLE TREK SUMMER DAY CAMP

The 2012 Triple Trek Summer Day Camps are scheduled for July 16-20, July 30-August 3, and Aug. 13-17.  The five-day camp, 9 AM to 3 PM, for 8-12 year olds, will be held 2 days at Penn Dixie, 2 days at Evangola State Park and 1 day at Tifft Nature Preserve.  Please note the change to Evangola State Park.  The rates are $180 per camper, no late registration fee.  The registration brochure is available on the Penn Dixie web site at www.penndixie.org or by leaving your name and mailing address at (716) 627-4560 or email jbpendix@gmail.com.   Pre-registration is requested.

PENN DIXIE SITE RANKED 1^ST IN FOSSIL PARK RANKINGS IN THE UNITED STATES

The Geological Society of America Special Paper 474, June 2011, “Geobiological opportunities to learn at U.S. Fossil Parks” by Renee Clary, of Mississippi State University, and James Wandersee, of Louisiana State University, evaluated seven fossil parks and the Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center in Hamburg, NY was ranked No. 1.  Page 130 lists the rankings on Table 2 and the seven criteria that were evaluated.  The paper provides additional details and information on the importance of these facilities to the public geobiological learning and tourism.

VISIT WWW.PENNDIXIE.ORG

FOR PROGRAM, MEMBERSHIP,

AND EVENT INFORMATION

HELP SUPPORT THE PENN DIXIE SITE! 

TAKE OUT A MEMBERSHIP IN THE HAMBURG NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY AND RECRUIT A NEW MEMBER TODAY!