Discovery site educates students
Katie Johnson
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm is a museum of ancient paleontological artifacts and fossils and has gained popularity nationwide in its short nine years of running.
The tracks at Johnson Farm, 2180 E. Riverside Drive, were discovered by the farm's original owner, Sheldon Johnson, who happened upon a dinosaur impression by complete accident. Museum Coordinator John Christopherson said as Johnson was clearing off a hill to develop the land, he lifted rocks onto an excavator, and when one fell off, the bottom revealed a dinosaur impression.
"It was a very fortunate mistake," Christopherson said.
The site is now owned by St. George and is a part of the Leisure Services Department. The entire museum is run by about 30 volunteers, and the community is very involved.
The museum gives back, Christopherson said. The Dinosaur Discovery Site gives free tours to all schools in Washington County who come for field trips.
Andrew Milner is the St. George city paleontologist and curator for the site. He sets up the exhibits in the museum among other things.
Milner was the first paleontologist on site after the impression was discovered. He makes sure all the fossil preparation is done correctly, puts collections in order; makes sure the fossils are properly cataloged, prepared, stored and labeled; and also does a large amount of field work in the surrounding areas.
Milner said his job is to preserve and protect the tracks, and teach volunteers how to do the same. He thinks it is important for community members to learn about their past.
"We're trying to put together a better understanding of what was taking place here at Johnson Farm 200 million years ago," he said.
Milner said the exciting thing about dinosaur tracks is that they show the behavior of the dinosaurs.
"It gives you a glimpse into the past," he said. "It's very cool to get a glimpse of what it was like before we were here."
The tracks at Johnson Farm, 2180 E. Riverside Drive, were discovered by the farm's original owner, Sheldon Johnson, who happened upon a dinosaur impression by complete accident. Museum Coordinator John Christopherson said as Johnson was clearing off a hill to develop the land, he lifted rocks onto an excavator, and when one fell off, the bottom revealed a dinosaur impression.
"It was a very fortunate mistake," Christopherson said.
The site is now owned by St. George and is a part of the Leisure Services Department. The entire museum is run by about 30 volunteers, and the community is very involved.
The museum gives back, Christopherson said. The Dinosaur Discovery Site gives free tours to all schools in Washington County who come for field trips.
Andrew Milner is the St. George city paleontologist and curator for the site. He sets up the exhibits in the museum among other things.
Milner was the first paleontologist on site after the impression was discovered. He makes sure all the fossil preparation is done correctly, puts collections in order; makes sure the fossils are properly cataloged, prepared, stored and labeled; and also does a large amount of field work in the surrounding areas.
Milner said his job is to preserve and protect the tracks, and teach volunteers how to do the same. He thinks it is important for community members to learn about their past.
"We're trying to put together a better understanding of what was taking place here at Johnson Farm 200 million years ago," he said.
Milner said the exciting thing about dinosaur tracks is that they show the behavior of the dinosaurs.
"It gives you a glimpse into the past," he said. "It's very cool to get a glimpse of what it was like before we were here."
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Dissertation help
posted 11/30/09 @ 1:29 PM MST
The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm is a great opportunity for students to find out many interesting about paleontological artifacts. (Continued…)
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