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Classroom Renovation Project Underway

Nutmeg Designs of Windsor, CT has been selected by the Friends of Dinosaur Park and Arboretum, Inc. to create an exciting, innovative design for a new Discovery Room at the park. Hands-on activities, state-of-the-art displays of Connecticut rocks and minerals, pull and learn drawers filled with fossils and minerals, and even a pinball machine featuring the Connecticut Valley will be some of the features.

The design firm has been meeting with staff and board members to work out the details that will transform the area into a real "discovery" room. Funding for the design portion of this project was provided by the Christine Moser Foundation.

For actual construction to begin, financial support is needed. The Friends have begun a fund-raising campaign. Donors at all levels are invited to help the Friends complete this educational project. Visuals of the plans will be posted on this site in the near future.

A Book about the Tracks, the Park and the History

What's new and what's old come together in a full color, 105-page book, "Window into the Jurassic World." Authored by Nicholas McDonald, the book features the unique aspects of the park and the history of the discovery of the tracks. Stunning photographs of the exhibits and grounds were taken by Richard Bergen.

Reviewer David K. Leff, former Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection deputy commissioner, remarked, "An excellent guide, the book will enrich even a casual visit to the Park. ...McDonald vibrantly chronicles the creation of the Connecticut Valley, the lives of dinosaurs, the importance of fossils, and the adventure of finding them."

The Friends of Dinosaur Park and Arboretum, Inc. published the book which is available from the Friends' Bookshop. Visit the bookshop or order your copy today.

 

Temporary Displays

Among the displays in the classroom is one covering the current theories that explain the mass extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago when all the dinosaurs, except for birds, disappeared.

Our theropod skull display includes new dinosaur fossil casts. A Deinonychus claw was added to the case, along with a Velociraptor skull and claw and an Archaeopteryx skull. Information about each of the theropods has been included on an informative backdrop in the case. Funding for this display was provided by the FDPA.

Hermes Takes Up Residency at the Park

Hermes, a ball python, can be observed in the Discovery Room. He participates in park programs throughout the year. Hermes, who is 3 years old, is a non-venomous snake native to Africa. When full-grown, he will be approximately 3 - 4 feet in length.

copyright ©2011 Friends of Dinosaur Park and Arboretum, Inc.