Hall of Geological Wonders

THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MUSEUM is at a crossroads, poised to transform itself from a fine, regional museum into the gem of the Inland Empire.

The Museum plays a regional role as an educational institution, a community organization, a provider of
leisure services, and as part of the tourism industry. Now, with the addition of the national-quality Hall of Geological Wonders, we anticipate the re-birth of this institution as the premier museum of inland
California—a destination for both visitors and researchers.

The San Bernardino County Museum currently serves over 100,000 visitors per year. The Museum provides distinctive educational services to students throughout the inland region. An average of forty
classroom visits occur monthly, providing cultural, historical and scientific exposure to many children who would never have the opportunity to experience the objects and ideas presented. Students learn, through the process of scientific discovery, and are encouraged to make connections to their own lives by comparing, analyzing, estimating, and inferring.

Monthly Family Day events encourage families to join together in learning activities for all ages. This rich supplement to their regular classroom curriculum exposes children to the world around us. Scouts and their leaders visit the Museum each year to work on geology, biology or cultural badges. These museum experiences often create life-long interests and even careers, in these fields.

The Museum currently conserves more than two million objects in its collections, and administers six historic sites throughout the county.

The Geological Sciences Division of the Museum includes nationally recognized vertebrate paleontologists and geologists. Federal agencies, including the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, have recognized the unique combination of abilities and resources of the staff in terms of high-level research on fossil specimens and geologic environments. Their role, in protecting natural history collections, has been recognized by the Society for the Protection of Natural History Collections, at whose recent annual meeting the SBCM staff members represented the only museum in the nation invited to speak about preserving fossils on Federal Lands.

The opportunity for expanding the quality and scope of the Museum is ripe, given the talents of its director, curators, and staff. The new Hall of Geological Wonders, now under construction, will engage visitors in an exploration of our southwest, by using objects from the collections to show how cultural and natural history relate to our past and inform our future. The new Hall of Geological Wonders will make its mark, leaving our footprints in time.



Call Robert McKernan at (909) 307-8427, to discover more about how you can become involved in this exciting project—and leave your footprints in time.

Partners for Footprints in Time
Facts Sheet
Naming and Sponsorship Opportunities
Giving Opportunities (.pdf)
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