DISCOVER NEW YORK’S PAST AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE
DISCOVER NEW YORK’S PAST AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE
Two-hundred-million-year-old dinosaur bone and footprints, some preserving fossilized dinosaur skin, have been discovered at two sites in the New York metro area.
The rare fossils reveal that New York was once a land of dinosaurs at the time of Pangaea, the super-continent.
The Geology Department of Brooklyn College has organized the local fossils into a 200 square-foot showcased display, entitled New York 200 Million BC.
New York 200 Million BC also offers 15 different hands-on activities, organized into 3 exciting full-day labs for public school teachers and their students (K through 12). Placing the entire project on the Internet with Russian, Chinese, and Spanish subtitles, promotes literacy and technology in all New York schools. Student kits, specially designed to promote interdisciplinary enrichment in the classroom, will accompany all Internet programs for grades K through 12. Hence, teachers and students can visit the Brooklyn College site or stay in the classroom and discover New York’s spectacular past.
Brooklyn College’s Geology Department has created the city’s only resource, which uses local fossils to create a locally relevant grass-roots approach to required learning. Thus far, over 200 teachers from every Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Alternative high school applaud this opportunity to give a tangible and meaningful slant to required scientific theory, literacy, and technology.
Recently, visiting students from one Brooklyn high school proposed using New York dinosaur fossils to create a city landmark with an important message.
New York State consists of 4 regions, each with its own distinct ancient history as shown in the accompanying map. Brooklyn College’s Geology Department plans to use fossil collections from each region to create a Brooklyn Hall of Science.
1. Adirondack New York-The opening chapter reveals minerals, including birthstones.
2. Paleozoic New York-In this chapter, most of New York State was a tropical seabed.
3. New York 200 Million BC-The metro area was once a land of dinosaurs.
4. Ice Age New York-Local lifeforms that existed during the Pleistocene glaciation.
Paleozoic New York, the very next exhibit at Brooklyn College, incorporates local fossil collections from 400 Million BC. This showcased exhibit depicts the metro area as a tropical sea, brimming with the world’s first seashells, coral, and fish.
NEW YORK THEN
NEW YORK TODAY
Mohonk Mountain, New Paltz
New York New York State has a fascinating ancient heritage everyone can discover. Enough local fossil collections exist to organize multiple Halls of Science, elsewhere in New York State. Interested parties should email: NYDINOSAURS@aol.com.
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