Author: Penn Dixie

Monthly Stargazing

Monthly Stargazing

Penn Dixie

Join us for an out-of-this-world experience! Our astronomers will map the night sky — including stars, planets, constellations, and deep space objects — for you using a variety of telescopes and specialized equipment. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, warm clothing, blankets, and food/beverages. We’ll have plenty of telescopes, but you can bring yours along, too, if you’d like some expert advice.

2019 Schedule

Saturday April 27, 7:45 pm
Saturday May 25, 8:15 pm
Saturday June 8, 8:15 pm (reschedule from May)
Saturday June 29, 8:30 pm
Saturday July 27, 8:15 pm
Saturday August 31, 7:30 pm
Saturday September 28, 6:30 pm
Saturday October 19, 6 pm

Admission (cash or credit) is $4. There is no charge for Penn Dixie members. Registration not required. Due to the uncertainty of weather, we will not offer advance ticketing for these programs. Stay tuned to our social media for updates.

Programs run for 2-3 hours depending on viewing conditions.

DSC_2760
A solar eclipse viewed through Penn Dixie telescopes.

Thinking about purchasing a telescope? This telescope guide offers some great suggestions from Penn Dixie astronomer Ernie Jacobs. You can also download our Astronomy Night guide — also prepared by Ernie Jacobs — to learn more about our programs.

Penn Dixie Seeks AmeriCorps ABLE Member

Penn Dixie Seeks AmeriCorps ABLE Member

Penn Dixie

Penn Dixie seeks a part time, seasonal candidate to serve as AmeriCorps ABLE Member at Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve for summer 2019.

The candidate will guide groups through the history and science of the site’s resources and assist groups and campers in collecting fossils and rocks and making observations/connections about plants and wildlife. The candidate will additionally work with the Director of Education to develop accessible and inclusive programming and lessons that meet NYS Science standards. The candidate will be outside all day, walking most of the day, and lifting about 20 pounds of equipment.

Training/experience in STEM plus enthusiasm for science and nature in interactions with students is required. Start/end dates: 6/24-8/18 Mon-Fri 8:30 am-5 pm. For information about Americorps ABLE and to apply, visit: https://www.tscwny.org/Experience-Service/AmeriCorps-Builds-Lives-through-Education-ABLE

Spring Homeschool Day

Spring Homeschool Day

Penn Dixie

Monday May 4, 10 am to 1 pm

Rain date: Wednesday May 6, 10 am to 1 pm

Learn about the geological history of Western New York at Penn Dixie! This special program for homeschoolers includes a complete educational tour of Penn Dixie led by our trained educators. All participants are welcome to take home all the fossils they find!

Registration opens late March and is $6 per student — save $1 per student with early registration. Children must be accompanied by an adult. There is no charge for children aged two and under. Program is for grades 1-12; please specify your child’s grade when registering. Register by Monday April 27 to receive $1 off admission. Registration closes at 5 pm on Friday May 1.

The program begins promptly at 10 am; check-in at 9:30. Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to allow for check-in, bathroom use, other preparations. Younger siblings of students are welcome. One free adult/chaperone is included with every registered student. Siblings and additional adults are welcome at $6 per person.

Fossil hunting tools are provided to all attendees. We encourage you to bring your own bucket or bags to store fossils.

Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate registrations made after May 1.

Refund policy: In the event of light to moderate rain, the program will take still place as scheduled. Guests are advised to wear boots and rain gear. If there is heavy rain or we detect lightning on site, the program will be rescheduled to the rain date. We will make this announcement via email and over our social media. If both programs are canceled by Penn Dixie due to weather, all guests will receive a refund. Otherwise, our usual cancellation policy applies.

2019 Schedule

2019 Schedule

Penn Dixie

By Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director and Dr. Holly Schreiber, Director of Education

Hello, again! Memories of our 2018 season, including the World’s Largest Fossil Dig, are still fresh in our minds as we plan our 2019 campaign. Our upcoming season is loaded with science programming including old favorites and new offerings. Please note that the schedule is subject to change and that more programs will be added as the season approaches.

Wednesday, February 13, 7:00 pm
Science Talk: Tales of Mastodons (and Others) from the Hiscock Site
By Dr. Richard S. Laub

Wednesday, March 20, 7:00 pm
Science Talk: An Archeologist’s Perspective
By Dr. Caitlin Chaves Yates

Saturday March 23 and Sunday March 24
Penn Dixie Exhibit at the Buffalo Gem & Mineral Show at the Erie County Fairgrounds, Hamburg, NY

Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 pm
Science Talk TBA
By Don Williams, President of the Steel Plant Museum of WNY

Saturday April 20, 10 am to 2 pm
Earth Day at Penn Dixie
Join our team of volunteers as we perform the annual cleanup of Penn Dixie and prepare to reopen to the public. No registration needed. FREE admission and pizza for all of our helpers!

Saturday April 27
Penn Dixie reopens to the public
Saturdays, 9am to 5pm and Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm

Saturday April 27, 7:45 pm
April Astronomy Night

Saturday May 4, 9 am to 11 am
Penn Dixie Volunteer Orientation
Penn Dixie would not exist without our volunteers! To keep growing, we’re always on the lookout for help with programming, school visits, community engagement, site maintenance, and administration. No experience necessary. We will provide all the training needed! Learn about Penn Dixie from our staff and experienced volunteers and receive the tools that you will need to make a difference. Refreshments included.
In the auditorium of the Gateway Executive Office Building, 3556 Lake Shore Rd. Blasdell, NY.

Monday May 6, 10 am to 1 pm
Homeschool Day at Penn Dixie
Learn about the geological history of Western New York at Penn Dixie. This special tour for homeschoolers includes a complete educational tour of Penn Dixie led by our trained educators. Students can take home all the fossils they find! Admission is $5 per student. Students must be accompanied by an adult. No experience necessary. Program is for grades 1-12. Pre-registration is required.

Friday May 17, 6:30 pm
The Fossil Adventures of PaleoJoe
By Joe ‘PaleoJoe’ Kchodl, Paleontologist, from Midland, MI
An illustrated presentation with specimens in the auditorium of the Gateway Executive Office Building, 3556 Lake Shore Rd. Blasdell, NY. Admission $4, FREE to Penn Dixie members and their guests, or FREE to registered Dig w/ Experts guests. No registration needed.

Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19, 9 am to 4 pm
Dig with the Experts
Join us for our signature event — Dig with the Experts! This is our very popular, once yearly opportunity to unearth the best, most complete, and most unexpected fossils at Penn Dixie. We’ll have equipment do the heavy lifting and scientific experts on site to help with locating and identifying the best fossils. You’ll have to do your share of splitting and digging, of course, but you’re guaranteed to find something cool and interesting.
Tickets limited.

May 25, 8:15 pm
May Astronomy Night

Monday May 27 (Memorial Day), 9 am to 3 pm
Penn Dixie open for Memorial Day holiday! Come and dig for fossils!

Saturday June 15, 10 am to 12 pm
Fossil Hunting for Beginners
New to fossil hunting? Learn the tricks of the trade from paleontologist Dr. Holly Schreiber. Tour the site and learn all the best spots to hunt for fossils. Dr. Schreiber will teach you how to find, dig, and preserve all the fossil treasures you find. No experience necessary. All ages welcome. Bring your own tools or borrow from our limited supply. Included with admission or FREE for members.

Monday June 17
Penn Dixie open seven days/week until September 6. Our hours will be Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm.

Saturday June 29, 10 am to 12 pm
Fossil Hunting for Beginners

Saturday June 29, 8:30 pm
June Astronomy Night

Thursday July 4 (Independence Day), 9 am to 3 pm
Penn Dixie open for the 4th of July holiday! Come and celebrate our nation’s independence by digging for fossils!

Friday July 5, 9 am to 7 pm
Fossil Friday!
Penn Dixie will stay open late for after hours fossil collecting until 7 pm. Admission is $5 for children and adults ALL DAY; Penn Dixie members attend for FREE. No reservations needed.

Friday July 12, 9 am to 7 pm
Fossil Friday!

Friday July 19, 9 am to 7 pm
Fossil Friday!

Saturday July 20
It’s burger time! Penn Dixie’s free fossil dig and exhibit booth will be setup in the Village of Hamburg as we celebrate the birthplace of the hamburger at BurgerFest. This community event is a great place to share our mission with the public and we hope to see you there!

Friday July 26, 9 am to 7 pm
Fossil Friday!

Saturday July 27, 5 to 11 pm
A Midsummer Night’s Adventure
A different program this year!

Sunday August 11, 10 am to 12 pm
Fossil Hunting for Beginners

Saturday August 24, Time: TBD
A special Penn Dixie program: Stay tuned for details!!

August 31, 7:30 pm
August Astronomy Night

Monday September 2 (Labor Day), 9 am to 3 pm
Penn Dixie open for Labor Day holiday! Come and dig for fossils!

Friday September 6
Penn Dixie returns to weekend hours: Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm

Sunday September 8, 10 am to 4 pm
Grandparent’s Day
In recognition of Grandparent’s day, all grandparents accompanied by grandchildren are admitted for free. Our experts will also be on site to help identify your fossils, rocks and minerals. Our telescopes for viewing sunspots and solar flares will be available as well.
Adults: $9, Children 3-12: $7, Children 2 and Under & Penn Dixie Members: FREE
No pre-registrations required.

Saturday, September 21, 9 am to 4 pm
Scouting Rocks!
Penn Dixie is excited to offer a FREE day of fossil collecting, sunspot viewing, nature walks, and other hands-on science activities for ANY scout in uniform. More info to follow.

Tuesday September 24, 10 am to 1 pm
Homeschool Day at Penn Dixie
Learn about the geological history of Western New York at Penn Dixie. This special tour for homeschoolers includes a complete educational tour of Penn Dixie led by our trained educators. Students can take home all the fossils they find! Admission is $5 per student. Students must be accompanied by an adult. No experience necessary. Program is for grades 1-12. Pre-registration is required. Register by September 16 and receive $1 off admission. Rain date: September 26.

September 28, 6:30 pm
Astronomy Night

Saturday October 5, 9 am to 4 pm
22nd Annual Erie County Earth Science Day
Come talk to earth scientists and watch as they exhibit and demonstrate various aspects of their professions. Learn about drill rigs and watch a demonstration on rock coring and drilling operations. Sunspots and solar flares will also be visible through our telescopes along with fossil collecting and a wide variety of other activities.

October 19, 6 pm
October Astronomy Night

Sunday October 20
Penn Dixie closes to the public

Thursday November 7, 6 to 9 pm
24th Annual HNHS/Penn Dixie Fundraiser

Penn Dixie 2019 Budget Remarks

Penn Dixie

Penn Dixie staff attended the Erie County Budget Hearing held on November 19, 2018 to brief the legislature on the organization and advocate for funding in 2019. Below are the prepared remarks. The above video clip was recorded from Spectrum News on the following day.

Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director

I’m honored to speak tonight in support of Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve and the cultural organizations of Erie County.

To begin, I’d like to tell you a little about my neighbors. Last year, I moved into a small house in a quiet Blasdell neighborhood. Many of my neighbors are retired and enjoy spending time outdoors during nicer weather. And, they like to talk.

A common theme among our conversations — at least those not about the Buffalo Bills ongoing struggles — is that my neighbors are proud of our community. They appreciate the opportunity to take their grandchildren to the science museum, to the zoo, and to the many theatres. They also know that they can ask me for solar eclipse viewing glasses!

I am always quick to remind my neighbors that the cultural groups in Erie County are proud to receive such strong support from our local government. You — the legislature — have listened to the community and have continued to support cultural organizations because of the tourism impact, because of the jobs created, and because of the lives affected.

At Penn Dixie, we are proud to report that one in eight of our general admissions guests come from outside of New York State. These tourists stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and patronize local businesses.

Why do folks come to Buffalo to dig fossils? Well, seven years ago, Penn Dixie was named as the number one fossil park in the U.S. We achieved this ranking thanks to the long history of Erie County investments in our organization. This summer, in recognition of our tourism impact, the Hamburg Town Board declared the trilobite to be the official fossil of the Town of Hamburg. This was a thrilling achievement for Penn Dixie.

We are also proud to report that this year, our science education staff grew from 16 employees in 2017 to 20 employees during our peak season this summer. Our staff — which includes high school and college students, scientists, naturalists, astronomers, and retired teachers — appreciates the opportunity to work for a such unique cultural employer. Thanks to our dedicated staff and volunteers, our visitors consistently rave about the Penn Dixie experience.

Finally, I am excited that our director of education can be here tonight to talk about the scientific and educational value of Penn Dixie. On behalf of me and my neighbors, thank you for supporting Penn Dixie and the cultural organizations in the county executive’s 2019 budget.

Dr. Holly Schreiber, Director of Education

I want to thank the Erie County Legislature and County Executive Poloncarz for your support of Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve. The support from the people of Erie county for Penn Dixie is an investment in our community.

Your support allows us to continue our mission of science education. Penn Dixie is truly a geological treasure. As a paleontologist I can confidently say, there is nowhere in the world like Penn Dixie — a place where anyone can get their hands dirty and learn about geology, paleontology, and earth history from trained educators. All visitors to Penn Dixie become paleontologists, hunting for 380 million year old fossils — fossils they are allowed to take home. Our staff provide the background needed for our visitors to a fun and successful visit. Erie County is very lucky to have this awesome resource.

This year, over 15,000 people visited Penn Dixie. Approximately 5,000 of these visitors were part of educational field trips. As Dr. Stokes mentioned, one in eight visitors were from outside of WNY. This year we had visitors from 44 states, and a dozen countries — countries as far away as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. Penn Dixie continues to be a destination for those traveling to WNY.

This year we also had two firsts for Penn Dixie — both logistical challenges. Each year we have many schools visit Penn Dixie. Field trips range in size from a single class of 20 students to an entire grade of a couple hundred students. This year for the first time we had an entire school visit. On a VERY hot day in May we welcomed over 400 students and faculty from Clarence Center Elementary school to Penn Dixie, where they all engaged in hands-on science with our educators. This August, we had a world’s first — the Guinness World Record attempt for the largest fossil dig. I’m happy to say we had over 900 visitors take part in the event — some from as far away as NYC and PA. We shattered the record requirement of 500 participants and look forward to hearing from Guinness officials.

Your investment allows Penn Dixie to continue to grow and be a resource for the people of Erie County, WNY, and beyond.

Thank you again for your support of Penn Dixie and all cultural groups.

Elizabeth Schiavoni, Development Officer

I am excited to be here tonight and thank the Erie County Legislature in person for supporting unique cultural organizations, like Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve.

My name is Elizabeth Schiavoni. I am a biologist and the part time Development Officer at the most accessible fossil park in the United States.

I moved to Buffalo for the science and innovation, but I stayed for the good neighbors and fascinating natural and man-made history I hope to share with the world.

For 2018, the Erie County Legislature generously awarded Penn Dixie $2,000 in addition to the county executive’s budget recommendation to keep funding the same as the previous year. That $2,000 was directly applied to organizational development. It paid for new program development and grant applications that increased Penn Dixie’s 2018 revenues by $28,000, or 12%, over last year.

You may have noticed I am a millennial, under 35. Something you may not know about millennials is their love of lifelong learning. When I sought volunteers for our Guinness World Record Attempt, I had to look no further than my peers, eager to spend a day at Penn Dixie. Science and nature educators and enthusiasts, from all over the planet, connected through social media, expressed jealousy that they could not be in Western New York on August 25th. The Director of our blossoming sister fossil park in Kashmir, India, made a special visit for the occasion. We are proud to share our experiences transforming from a Western New York volunteer led initiative to growing non-profit with the international community.

I am excited to be in Erie County, to be a part of my communities here, and to be a part of Penn Dixie as we work to build a Science and Outdoor Education Center in the South Towns serving all of Erie County and the global community of lifelong learners.

Thank you again for your support of Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve. I’m looking forward to giving you more great news next year.