It is a practice of patience that yields great rewards. When all is said and done, both the triumph of the initial discovery and the sense of accomplishment for a job well done stands tall, mounted in the museum as a reminder of the resilience and preservation power of the Earth.
Sara Wootton, a programming manager at Thanksgiving Point, wants guests to be able to learn of the delicacy required of preparators who work on these fossils, as well as revel in the excitement that comes with having uncovered something millions of years old. That’s why she’s bringing back the Paleo Studio – “a space designed to encourage our guests to come and learn how to be a paleontologist and how to actually work on fossils.”
Sara says that once in the room, curious guests will have the chance to pick out a fossil from a large selection donated to the program by Rick, brought back with him from his dig in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Once seated with their chosen fossil in front of them, a member of the staff will teach them how to use the scribes, from turning them on and off to safety measures and protocols. With their lab coats pulled over their shoulders and their safety goggles in place, they will then get to work, chiseling away at the matrix surrounding the fossil specimen. By the end of the lab session, they’ll have their very own fish fossil they’ll get to take home with them.
Sara hopes that the Paleo Studio will “show our guests how delicate paleontology can be and how being a preparator takes a lot of work. You have to be very careful, or you will destroy something that you cannot replace. We think this will be a very fun experience to have with the community.” Do you want a little practice with patience and to walk out with your own prehistoric fish fossil? Throw on a lab coat and join us in the Paleo Studio.
