Members of the public are invited to learn about prehistoric creatures through hands-on activities this summer in a series of fossil exploration events.
The events, hosted by the National Park Service and Idaho Museum of Natural History, will be held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Hagerman Fauna Site National Natural Landmark, according to a news release from Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. The more than 4,000 acres on which the national landmark sits in Twin Falls County were designated in 1975 due to “international significance, as it contains the world’s richest deposits of Upper Pliocene age terrestrial fossils,” according to the National Park Service website.
The news release says participants will learn about “saber-toothed cats, mastodons, giant ground sloths and other fascinating creatures that once lived in southern Idaho” 3-4 million years ago.
The rocky, desert terrain present at the site today was abundant with “lush wetlands, forests, and grasslands” that “provided excellent habitat for a variety of animals,” according to the Hagerman Fossil Beds website.
“From fascinating, now-extinct creatures like the saber-toothed cat, mastodon, and ground sloth, to more familiar animals like horses, beavers, and birds, the scientific study of Pliocene fossils is the key to Hagerman,” the site says.
Paleontologists continue to conduct research and discover new fossils in the area today.
“The fossil exploration events will be a fun way for kids and adults alike to travel back in time and learn how different the landscape, plants, and animals in their own backyard were, and how they can help us understand the world we live in now,” Michael Irving, chief of interpretation & education for the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, said in the release.
The fossil exploration events will be held at the following dates, times and locations:
- June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20 at Thousand Springs Visitor Center, Hagerman, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- June 4, July 2 and Aug. 6 at Idaho Museum of Natural History, Pocatello, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Before traveling to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, visitors are encouraged to check current conditions by viewing the park website at nps.gov/hafo/index.htm, or calling the park visitor center at 208-933-4105.