Celebrate National Fossil Day on Saturday, October 10th, 2020 Kimberly, Oregon - Join us virtually for a celebration of our national fossil heritage across the country. On October 10th, participate in National Fossil Day™, an annual celebration held to highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. We will be premiering a new National Fossil Day™ virtual video tour of collections on our website and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts at 10am. We will focus on the cool non-mammal fossils that can be found in the fossil gallery at the Thomas Condon Paleontology and Visitor Center. Check out our social media accounts for posts about weird and wacky mammals the Monday through Friday leading up the 10th. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center will also be open on the 10th from 10 am - 4 pm. The theater, Junior Ranger room and Fossil Gallery remain closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, you can still earn your Junior Paleontologist badge, John Day Fossil Beds Junior Ranger badge and pick up a new National Park Service paleontology coloring book. These activities are also available on our website, www.nps.gov/joda. Roy Zipp, Acting Superintendent at John Day Fossil Beds says, “National Fossil Day™ celebrates the fascinating science of paleontology, which peers into the distant past and explores worlds of plants and animals that no longer exist today. The fossil gallery in the visitor center has been closed for most of this year, and we are excited to share virtually some of the amazing fossils you can’t see in person at this time." We welcome you to get involved now and participate in the 11th annual National Fossil Day Art Contest sponsored by the National Park Service and National Fossil Day™ partners. The contest is open to any interested person, of any age. Entries will be judged based on originality, creativity and how well the submission addresses this year’s contest theme. The theme of National Fossil Day™ this year is Permian marine life. You must be a resident of the United States to enter. For more details about submitting to the National Fossil Day Art Contest, please visit our link: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/art-contest2020.htm.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
