BUENA VISTA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
BVMNH places a high focus on educational and fun programs for children and adults. The museum offers a wide variety of educational lectures and workshops, children’s science camps and science enrichment sessions throughout the year which meet or exceed academic standards. For additional information please contact the museum 661-324-6350.
Important: our calendar of events is subject to change and there is limited space for most of the programs being offered, so reservations are recommended for all programs. Please call 661-324-6350. All events will be held at the BVMNH museum located at 2018 Chester Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301
Adults $7 - $4 children: Under 18 years - 5 and younger Free
Students (with ID) and Seniors (55 older) $5
Family Day At BVMNH -- The first Saturday of each month is BVMNH's Family Day, 2 adults and up to 6 children, admission only $20.
“Just for Kids” -- The first Saturday of each month from 10:30-12noon, we offer science based programs for children where you learn about science and make hands-on projects to take home. All materials are provided. Normal entry fees apply -- adult $7 child $4 Senoirs $5 BV Museum Members are Free.
Geology and History of Kern County -- Scattered throughout the year, usualy on the first Saturday of each month, you can join local geologist Tim Elam for a look at the geology and history of Kern County. The presentation will be informal, and no geologic background is necessary to enjoy the event. There will be no extra charge to attend this event. Normal entry fees apply -- adult $7 child $4 Senoirs $5 BV Museum Members are Free.
Seniors Day -- The second Saturday of the every month is Seniors Day, seniors admission is only $1.00.
BVMNH Education Committee Meeting -- On the second Saturday of the month, at 11am, with Chairperson Pam Angel. Open to all those interested in planning and promoting educational exhibits and programs at the museum.
Free Day --The third Thursday of every month is FREE ADMISSION from 12 noon to 3pm
MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED December 24th and 25th.
The Museum will be CLOSED December 31st 2011 and January 1st 2012 Normal museum hours will resume January 6th, 2012.
Ernst Quarries Paleo Digs near Sharktooth Hill and Buena Vista Museum of Natural History are pleased to announce Paleo Dig Days 2012
EXCITING NEWS for Paleo Diggers! Ernst’s Quarries near the famous Sharktooth Hill has opened a NEW Quarry area for the Paleo Digs held by the museum. This quarry has not been dug before. It is pristine territory! And is located on the East Side of the hill from what is known as the West Quarry. Here are the dig dates for 2012.
2012 Dig dates will be as follows:
Prices listed are for each individual with several options available:
All attendees must be BVMNH Members. BVMNH one year Membership: Individual $25, Senior $20 or Family $75
See attached registration form for more details. sharktooth-hill-fossil-dig-reservation-form.doc To register, please download and complete the form and email it back to: buenavistamuseum@gmail.com.
JANUARY
Winter Science Camp
January 2 - 5, 2012 8am-12 noon
Explore the Earth systems and Space galaxies with Teachers Colleen Villasenor and Pam Angell. Costs $80 or $70 for members. Below is the flyer/registration for Camp
To register, please download and complete the form and email it back to:
buenavistamuseum@gmail.com
2012 Winter Science Camp doc
January 7th First Saturday at BVMNH is FAMILY DAY Admission of 2 adults and up-to 6 children only $20.
January 7th 10:30 – 12 noon “Just for kids” Astronomy with instructor Colleen Villasenor learn all about the earth, the moon and stars.
January 14, 3:00 PM “Twenty Mule Teams and Borax Mining in California” Presented by Geologist Tim Elam.
Kern County has been a part of the California borax mining industry for over 100 years. In the late 1800’s, Mojave was the terminus for borax mined in Death Valley and transported by mule teams in the 1880’s. More recently, the Rio Tinto open pit borate mine in eastern Kern County has been supplying this important mineral to the world for over 80 years. The mine remains the largest borax mineral mine in the world.
Borax mining in California has provided some the state’s most enduring and visible legends. Twenty Mule Teams, “Borax Bill”, Death Valley, and Boraxo soap, were a part of television and movies during the mid 20th Century.
Join local geologist Tim Elam as he takes you on a rich photographic tour of the geology, history and location of borax mining in Kern County and California. Borax mineral specimens will be on display. The presentation will be informal, and no geologic background is necessary to enjoy the event. There will be no extra charge for attending this event…just the normal Museum entrance fee.
January 19th BVMNH FREE DAY! Free Admission from 12 noon - 4 pm on the third Thursday or each month.
Jan 20-21st and 22nd 1-2 or 3 day Paleo Digs Located at Ernst Quarries near the famous Sharktooth Hill. NEW QUARRY! Opening for the January Dig a quarry that is untouched territory, The EAST Side. Over burden removed and ready to be dug.
All attendees must be BVMNH members* Member rates: $85 per day, per person multiple day reservations and discount available. All Diggers will be allowed to keep all teeth (including Megs) and all fossils with the exception of scientifically significant assemblages or articulated fossils will be the property of the land owners. * BVMNH one year membership: Individual $25, Senior $20 or Family $75 for registration or more information contact BVMNH 661-324-6350.
See attached registration form for more details. sharktooth-hill-fossil-dig-reservation-form.doc To register, please download and complete the form and email it back to: buenavistamuseum@gmail.com.
FEBRUARY
First Saturday at BVMNH is FAMILY DAY Admission of 2 adults and up-to 6 children only $20.
February 4th 10:30 – 12 noon “Just for kids” TBA Science based program designed just for kids.
February 4, 3:00 PM “Sharktooth Hill- A Kern County Fossil Treasure” “SHARKTOOTH HILL- A KERN COUNTY FOSSIL TREASURE” Presented by Geologist Tim Elam.
The Sharktooth Hill Bone Bed, exposed in bluffs near the Kern River, is a natural history treasure of Kern County. Fossils found in this layer of sedimentary rock are famous to paleontologists worldwide. This layer not only contains a diverse representation of plants and animals that lived in this area millions of years ago, but it gives us information regarding how they lived.
The Bone Bed has drawn man’s interest at least since the 1850’s, when it was first noted by gold miners and railroad surveyors. Sharktooth Hill has yielded fossils of great paleontologic interest, been excavated commercially, and provided great adventure to thousands of casual Kern County fossil collectors and residents.
Fossils that have been recovered from the Bone Bed include:
Why are they concentrated in one six inch layer…in one small geographic area? Join local geologist Tim Elam for a look at the geology and history of the Sharktooth Hill Bone Bed…a Kern County treasure. The presentation will be informal, and no geologic background is necessary to enjoy the event. There will be no extra charge to attend this event…just the normal Museum admittance fee.
Feb 16th BVMNH FREE DAY! Free Admission from 12 noon - 4 pm on the third Thursday or each month.
Feb 17, 18, 19 1-3 day Paleo Digs at Ernst Quarries Located near the famous Sharktooth Hill. Member rates: $85 per day, per person multiple day reservations and discount available. All attendees must be BVMNH members*
All Diggers will be allowed to keep all teeth (including Megs) and all fossils with the exception of scientifically significant assemblages or articulated fossils will be the property of the land owners. * BVMNH one year membership: Individual $25, Senior $20 or Family$75 for registration or more information contact BVMNH 661-324-6350.
See attached registration form for more details. sharktooth-hill-fossil-dig-reservation-form.doc To register, please download and complete the form and email it back to: buenavistamuseum@gmail.com.
MARCH
March 3rd First Saturday First Saturday at BVMNH is FAMILY DAY Admission of 2 adults and up-to 6 children only $20.
March 3rd 10:30-12 noon “Just for Kids” TBA
March 3, 3:00 PM “Kern County’s Red Rock Canyon” - HISTORY AND GEOLOGY OF RED ROCK CANYON presented by Geologist Tim Elam.
Red Rock Canyon, in northeastern Kern County, is a stunning example of layers of rock exposed by erosion. Pink, red, orange, and other colored volcanic and sedimentary rocks contrast with black volcanic rocks erupted millions of years ago. Easily-eroded rocks contrast with hard-to erode rocks, revealing spires, rills, and other unusual shapes. Awesome and colorful, this isolated canyon through the El Paso Mountains has drawn Native Americans, explorers, tourists, artists, geologists, and fortune-hunters for centuries. You have probably seen Red Rock Canyon on television or in a movie. Red Rock Canyon has been a California State Park since 1968, and in 1994, the park tripled in size.
But there is much more to the Red Rock Canyon story than beautiful scenery. Though now part of the desert, Red Rock Canyon was once inhabited by wooly mammoths, horses, giraffe-like camels, and a luxuriant plant life that lived in an area with abundant water. Remains of these life forms, fossils, make Red Rock Canyon a world-class paleontology location. How did Red Rock Canyon form? Why is it there? What events have shaped the rich cultural and geological history of Red Rock Canyon?
Join local geologist Tim Elam as he takes you on a rich photographic tour of the geology, and history of the Red Rock Canyon. The presentation will be informal, and no geologic background is necessary to enjoy the event. There will be no extra charge for attending this event…just the normal Museum entrance fee.
March 15th FREE DAY! 12noon- 4pm Free Admission from 12 noon -4 pm on the third Thursday or each month.
March 16, 17, 18, 1-3 day Paleo Digs at Ernst Quarries Located near the famous Sharktooth Hill Member rates: $85 per day, per person multiple day reservations and discount available. All Diggers will be allowed to keep all teeth (including Megs) and all fossils with the exception of scientifically significant assemblages or articulated fossils will be the property of the land owners. * BVMNH one year membership: Individual $25, Senior $20 or Family$75 for registration or more information contact BVMNH 661-324-6350
APRIL
April 7, 3:00 PM “Geology of Yosemite National Park” presented by Geologist Tim Elam.
Yosemite is a treasure among America’s National Parks. Towering peaks, glacially sculpted valleys, alpine meadows, and spectacular waterfalls are just a part of the land surveyed by John Muir and others in the late 1800’s. Tuolumne Meadows, El Capitan, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, and Bridalveil Falls give us awe-inspiring views and memories. These spectacularly beautiful and unusual landforms, along with their flora and fauna, are just part of the Yosemite story.
What geologic processes have converged to make this land a jewel of North America? Did you know that an oceans and volcanoes once occupied the entire park area, long before steep canyon walls defined Yosemite Valley? Where are the remnants of those oceans and volcanoes? Some important geologic features can only be seen on the highest peaks of the park. What other stories do the rocks tell us? What geologic activities continue today?
Join local geologist Tim Elam as he presents a photographic overview of the geology of California’s first National Park. The presentation will be informal, and questions and discussion are encouraged. No geologic background is necessary to enjoy the event. There will be no extra charge for attending this event…just the normal Museum entrance fee.
April 19th FREE DAY! Free Admission from 12 noon - 4 pm on the third Thursday or each month.
April 20th - 22nd Paleo Digs at Ernst Quarries Located near the famous Sharktooth Hill. Member rates: $85 per day, per person multiple day reservations and discount available. All attendees must be BVMNH members*
All Diggers will be allowed to keep all teeth (including Megs) and all fossils with the exception of scientifically significant assemblages or articulated fossils will be the property of the land owners. * BVMNH one year membership: Individual $25, Senior $20 or Family$75 for registration or more information contact BVMNH 661-324-6350.
See attached registration form for more details. sharktooth-hill-fossil-dig-reservation-form.doc To register, please download and complete the form and email it back to: buenavistamuseum@gmail.com.
MAY
May 5, 3:00 PM “Life on the Edge: California and the San Andreas Fault”
May 19, 3:00 PM “DINOSAURS!”
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
September 8, 3:00 PM “History and Geology of the Grand Canyon”
OCTOBER
October 6, 3:00 PM “Sharktooth Hill- A Kern County Fossil Treasure”
October 13, 3:00 PM “Earthquakes in Kern County” presented in conjunction with the 2012 Great California Shake Out.
NOVEMBER
November 3, 3:00 PM “Gold in Kern County!”
DECEMBER
December 1, 3:00 PM “Fossils of the McKittrick, Maricopa, and Rancho La Brea Tar Seeps”
Donations are tax deductible
Click on the Cymbospondylus for more information
Contact us at: 661-324-6350
Address: 2018 Chester Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Web Master: Sherry Berrigan Pauley
