Ice Age Fossils on Permanent Display at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Popular NOVA Special Rebroadcasting on Rocky Mountain PBS

DENVER - May 10, 2012- Fossils from the historic Ice Age discovery near Snowmass Village, Colorado, are now on display at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.  Located in the Prehistoric Journey exhibition, the new exhibit showcases 10 fossils from the Museum's largest-ever fossil excavation project at Ziegler Reservoir. During the seven-week endeavor, which concluded in July 2011, Museum crews pulled 5,400 bones from the site. Research and preservation are now underway.  In addition to information about Ice Age ecosystems and discoveries, Museum visitors can get an up close look at these fossils:

• Neck vertebra
• Metacarpal (lower leg bone)
• American mastodon tusk
• Tiger salamander bones
• American mastodon vertebra
• Partial mastodon jaw
• Partial mammoth jaw
• Bison skull
• Fir tree knot
• Jefferson's ground sloth claw

Additionally, visitors can continue to watch as fossils from the site are prepared by staff and volunteers in the Schlessman Family Laboratory of Earth Sciences, located across from the exhibit, near the exit of Prehistoric Journey.

NOVASpecial Rebroadcast on Rocky Mountain PBS - June 6, 7 p.m.

"Ice Age Death Trap," a one‐hour NOVA‐National Geographic program about the fossil find, premiered on Rocky Mountain PBS on February 1 and was seen by more than 6 million viewers.  The program will be rebroadcast on June 6 at 7 p.m. during Rocky Mountain PBS's annual pledge drive.  During live breaks in the broadcast, Museum scientists Kirk Johnson and Ian Miller, along with Museum President and CEO George Sparks, will discuss the discovery.

Digging Snowmastodon: Discovering an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies

The book coauthored by Museum scientists Kirk Johnson and Ian Miller that chronicles the discovery and exploration of the Ice Age fossil find is available for purchase in the Museum shop for $20.  Proceeds from book sales support the Museum and ongoing Snowmastodon Project®research.

Media Contact
Charlotte Hurley, charlotte.hurley@dmns.org, 303-370-6407

About The Snowmastodon Project®

In October 2010, a bulldozer operator working near a Colorado ski area uncovered the tusk of a young female mammoth. Over the next 10 months, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science conducted its largest‐ever fossil excavation, yielding a treasure trove of well‐preserved Ice Age fossils. Museum crews uncovered 5,000 bones of 41 kinds of Ice Age animals, including mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, camels, deer, horses, and giant bison. The preserved series of Ice Age fossil ecosystems is one of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made in Colorado. This discovery at Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village will change forever our understanding of alpine life in the Ice Age. To learn more, visit www.dmns.org/science/the‐snowmastodon‐project.

About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions, and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303‐370‐6000.

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Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven‐county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.