As local paleontologist Amy Atwater says: “Every fossil tells a story.”
And Atwater is excited to tell people all about them — whether that’s in-person at Dinosaur Ridge or in her new children’s book.
Atwater, a Conifer resident and director of paleontology at Dinosaur Ridge, said she loves telling people all about the unique treasure trove of fossils, footprints and other paleontological resources the Golden-Morrison area has.
She said many locals aren’t aware that some of the most iconic dinosaurs to ever walk the earth were fossilized and found in their own backyards.
To that end, she penned “The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure,” a book that highlights 10 types of fossils that are embossed so readers can touch and interact with them. The fossils depicted span prehistoric eras and parts of the world, including some of Colorado’s prehistoric fauna.
Atwater said the book’s target audience is children ages 5-10, but she believes people of all ages could enjoy the beautiful artwork by Uruguay-based artist Natalia Cardozo.
“The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure” is available for purchase online, at the Dinosaur Ridge Main Visitor Center and at the Mines Museum of Earth Science.
Atwater has been speaking at Denver-area schools recently to promote both the book and Dinosaur Ridge, and said she hopes to visit more schools in the Golden-Morrison area too. She hopes to foster children’s “curiosity and wonder about the natural world,” and promote stewardship for all natural resources.
“Every scientist was once a curious kid,” Atwater said.
Fossils that inspire; people that preserve
As Atwater explained, Colorado — and the Golden-Morrison area specifically — are the beneficiaries of the paleontological lottery.
Not only did dinosaurs roam Colorado but many of them were buried in muddy, sandy and silty ground that were “the perfect conditions” for long-term preservation, Atwater said.
Then, the Rocky Mountains created an uplift that — millions of years later — exposed the layers containing those fossils.
So, the reason people can visit Dinosaur Ridge, Golden’s Triceratops Trail and other spots around Colorado is because they’re here at “the perfect sweet spot” geologically, Atwater said. Too soon and the fossils, footprints, etc. wouldn’t be visible; too late and they probably would’ve eroded away, she explained.
Even though this is in the context of thousands if not millions of years, Atwater and coworker Kristen Kidd emphasized how important Dinosaur Ridge’s preservation efforts are.
The ridge is “jam-packed” with tactile learning opportunities, they said, describing how it is essentially an outdoor laboratory that people of all backgrounds and ages — from small children to doctoral students — can learn from.
Plus, Atwater described how she’s met several scientists who don’t study paleontology but who first discovered their love of science through dinosaurs, fossils and the like.
Kidd, director of marketing and development, said that idea can also be seen in events like Dinosaur Ridge’s science quiz bowl for high school students, where questions range from anatomy to geology.
Thus, the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge want to preserve the fossils, footprints and more to educate and inspire future generations.
Atwater and Kidd summarized the idea as: “The dinosaurs might be extinct, but the science is not.”
They encouraged people to stop by the Dinosaur Ridge site on April 25, which will be an SCFD Free Day with free entry to the exhibit hall.
Along with its annual summer camps, which still have some open spots, Kidd encouraged people to register for the April 5 benefit gala, “Dinos, Diners, and Drive-Ins: Let’s Rock Out for the Ridge!”
For more information, visit dinoridge.org.
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