The San Bernardino County Museum

PALEONTOLOGY CURATOR TO GIVE GALLERY TALK

Eric Scott, curator of paleontology at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, will give an informal gallery talk on the subject of fossils at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 8. The presentation is free with museum general admission.

The presentation is part of the continuing monthly series of gallery talks by curatorial staff to provide visitors with more insight about specific exhibits on display in the museum.

Scott will escort museum visitors throughout the museum, pointing out fossils on display that highlight the geologic richness of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. He will recount some interesting facts about the fossils on display, emphasizing the importance of museum collections for preserving the heritage of a community and for furthering scientific endeavors.

“The museum is currently planning a major expansion with the construction of a Hall of Geological Wonders,” said Scott. “During the gallery talk, museum visitors will have the chance to hear more about our plans for spectacular new displays of fossils, minerals, and landforms.”

Eric Scott has worked at the San Bernardino County Museum since 1991. He studies the evolution and extinction of Plio-Pleistocene large mammals in western North America, particularly extinct horses. His studies include both field and museum work throughout the western United States as well as Mexico. He was formerly Chief Excavator at the Rancho La Brea “tar pits” in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1990 and presently lives in Bloomington, California with his wife, Kim, who is also a paleontologist.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and holiday Mondays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 (adult), $5 (senior or student) and $4 (child aged 5-12). Children under 5 and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free, and the facility is handicapped-accessible. Lunch, snacks, and beverages are available at the museum’s Garden Café from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call (909) 307-2669 / TDD/TTY: (909) 792-1462.