July 2009 Chapter Meeting ETSU Natural History Museum and Gray Fossil Site Tour Event Date: Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 6:30pm Topic: ETSU Natural History Museum and Gray Fossil Site Tour and Presentation During a road construction project in 2000 (est.) a major fossil find was made near Johnson City, Tennessee. Several prehistoric animals previously unknown to have ever lived in our region were found in what appears to have been a large watering hole. Road construction was re-routed! A fossil site was established, and digging has continued. ETSU Natural History Museum and Gray Fossil Site covers more than five acres located along State Route 75 in East Tennessee. The Miocene site is dated at 4.5 to 7 million years old, containing fossilized remains of an entire ecosystem of plants and animals. A series of sinkholes, formed from a collapsed cave, created a watering hole that drew animals from near and far. For some unlucky animals, the sinkhole became a trap that preserved them as fossils for the ages. With less than 2 percent of the site excavated, thousands of fossil specimens have already been recovered! You’ll discover saber-toothed cat, short-faced bear, ground sloth, rhino, alligator, camel, shovel-tusked elephant, Eurasian badger, the world’s largest collection of fossil tapirs, and the world’s only near-complete fossil red panda! We strongly encourage everyone to register online. We are a secure eCommerce site. Early registration closes at 12n the day of the meeting. If you do not pre-register, you will pay $2 more at the door (members $9, non-members $14). [ATTN: $0 "RSVP" tickets for each location are at the bottom of list]
About our Speaker(s): Jeanne E. Zavada, Director East TN State University Gray Fossil Site, zavada@etsu.edu The Gray Fossil Museum is open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5p.m. and offers numerous educational and outreach programs, activities, and special lectures, as well as new temporary exhibits each season. Join in on hourly guided tours of upstairs exhibits, on-site research laboratory and collections, the dig site outside and dry screening activity stations! It’s a fossil adventure 5 million years in the making! Logistics:
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