Scouts with challenged to make rockets using only household items: two-liter soda bottles, cardboard, newspaper, and tape.
On Saturday May 28 — a day in which Buffalo set a new temperature record — Penn Dixie hosted its inaugural Scouting Rocks! program. The event was free for Boy and Girl Scouts in uniform and was designed to highlight the shared values between scientists and scouts, including: teamwork, creative thinking, problem solving, and respect for the outdoors.
Over 100 scouts and their families attended the event, which began with introductory remarks from Congressman Chris Collins — an Eagle Scout himself as well as major frequent supporter of Penn Dixie, Hamburg Town Supervisor Steven Walters — a strong supporter of Penn Dixie and community advocate for regional tourism to Hamburg, and Penn Dixie Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes.
The program included special guests Adam Blair — an Eagle Scout — and Emilie Reynolds, both SUNY Buffalo mechanical engineering students, who helped scouts to design and launch rockets made from household materials. Rob Bauer from Moog helped to develop the activity but could not attend the day of the program.
Also included was fossil collecting in our freshly excavated quarry, sunspot viewing with astronomer Ernie Jacobs, nature walks with Penn Dixie staff, and Lomo Lomo food truck. We acknowledge the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of Western New York for their support and guidance with this new program. Penn Dixie thanks all who attended and helped to make the program a tremendous success!
Congressman Collins welcomes guests at our check-in shelter.Congressman Collins and Supervisor Walters deliver words of encouragement about scouting and science to our young audience.Eagle Scout Adam Blair prepares for a successful rocket launch.They looked high; they looked low. They looked everywhere for fossils!The umbrella was a great idea to beat the heat on a record-setting day.Astronomer Ernie Jacobs — who located sunspots using a special solar filter on his telescope — has a lot to work with on a hot, sunny day!
Eagle Scout Jake Clancy (second from left) supervises the placement of crushed stone on the new portions of the trail.
This spring, Penn Dixie was proud to host Eagle Scout candidate Jake Clancy’s trailbuilding project, which featured the development of approximately 600 feet of new trails at the site. Jake and his dad, Shawn, first approached us over the winter with an idea to improve and extend Penn Dixie’s nature trails.
Since much of our 54-acre site is relative undeveloped, we thought that this would be a great idea to increase our capacity for future nature programs — and create new, accessible ways to view and enjoy our wildlife.
Jake selected us for this honor and we are very satisfied with the final results, which included 575 feet of 6-8 foot wide new trails plus refurbishment of 250 feet of original trail. Penn Dixie thanks Jake and Shawn Clancy as well as the volunteers and community supporters who helped to make this project happen.
Boy Scout Troop 4 Volunteers:
Chance Gunderman
Logan Gunderman
Adam Blair
Matthew Fitzner
Frank Schostick
Justin Staffone
Joey Stablewski
Paul Sass
Zack Brown
Nate McMillen
Lucas Biniewski
Troop 4 Adult Volunteers:
Tom Brown
John Gunderman
Dan McMillen
Kim Sass
Amy Fitzner
Doug Blair
Shawn Clancy
Michelle Clancy
Family and Friend Volunteers:
Kenneth Kota
Nathan Pasqualetti
David Pasqualetti
Shannon Pasqualetti
Megan Clancy
Bob Clancy
Johann Clancy
Jake clears underbrush in advance of the trail.Jake’s team sets about spreading approx. 85 tons of crushed stone.A new section of trail is completed.Success! After crushed stone is spread and flattened, Jake evaluates the finished product.
Our 2016 Dig with the Experts program was — by far — the largest ever! With 165 diggers, we more than doubled our attendance from 2015. To accommodate the large group, we dug — in Dan Cooper’s words — “the biggest hole yet.” The weather on Saturday May 21 was perfect for collecting fossils: cloudy, 53°F in the morning and 69°F in the afternoon — with a slight breeze. We welcomed visitors from a dozen states plus a large group from Ontario.
Weeklong preparations included the use of an excavator to scrape off overburden and bring large blocks of the Smoke Creek trilobite bed to the surface. The blocks were placed into piles, broken into smaller pieces by Dan Cooper, and cordoned off from the rest of the quarry to prevent ambitious collecters from claim jumping.
Dan Cooper gives a safety lecture prior to the start of the dig.
Once the dig was underway, collectors proceeded into the quarry to select a dig area and get cracking with hammers, chisels, and pry bars.
A freshly excavated portion of our quarry.The dig is definitely a social event!Large pieces of rock are broken into smaller chunks along bedding planes; these chunks are then split again and examined for fossils.Dig with the Experts is a family event, too!Success! Beautiful Phacops rana trilobites.New this year: You Crack Me Up food truck served breakfast to hungry diggers all day.
We thank our experts — Dan Cooper, Don Bissett, and Jeff Aubrey — from the Cincinnati Dry Dredgers for making this program happen once again. We are grateful for Zoladz Construction for renting to us a brand new excavator — and an excellent operator — during the week of the dig. And, we thank our volunteers, interns, and staff for doing a tremendous job with the visitor experience.
Hamburg, NY — Penn Dixie’s inaugural Scouting Rocks! program will be held on Saturday May 28 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Penn Dixie Site in Hamburg, NY. The program, which is free for any scout — Boy or Girl — in uniform, includes fossil collecting, sunspot viewing, nature hikes, and rocket-making with help from scientists from Moog. The first 200 scouts to attend will receive a commemorative patch.
The program is designed to highlight the values shared between scientists and scouts. “Scouting teaches young people important skills and values, such as teamwork, trustworthiness, and respect for the outdoors and one-another,” said Congressman Chris Collins, who will provide introductory remarks. “With such a solid foundation, scouts are able to utilize their creative thinking and problem solving skills to excel in any career path they choose. As an Eagle Scout with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I can personally attest to how well these values prepared me for educational and professional opportunities, particularly in the math and science fields. I applaud Penn Dixie for giving these young men and women an opportunity to better themselves and their communities in such an outstanding educational environment.”
Diggers collecting fossils in Penn Dixie’s main quarry.
In consideration of our 2016 Dig with the Experts program — which will be our largest ever and will welcome visitors from all over North America — Penn Dixie has prepared this short guide based on frequently asked questions. If we haven’t addressed one of your questions/concerns, please email Phil Stokes at phil@penndixie.org or call 716-627-4560.
Where can I stay?
We refer our visitors to the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce lodging guide. A number of hotels are located within 1-2 miles of Penn Dixie; we recommend that you evaluate these businesses based on your travel needs (e.g., staying with a pet), budget, location, and reviews. Yelp and TripAdvisor tend to provide useful feedback in our experience.
When does the dig begin?
The dig begins at 9 am on Saturday May 21. Those arriving early are welcome to park, use the restroom, and prepare their tools for the dig.
When does the dig end?
The program concludes at 4 pm, though the site will remain open until 5 pm. Penn Dixie members are allowed to collect until sundown, provided they park outside the gate once it is closed. We will reopen on Sunday at 10 am.
How do I check in?
If you pre-registered, simply present your ID and we will issue a wrist band for the dig.
I didn’t pre-register. Can I pay at the site?
Yes — we will accept walk-in admissions all day.
Are restrooms available?
Yes — we have two portable toilets available.
Is food available? You Crack Me Up Food Truck will be on site with coffee by about 8:30 am and will serve breakfast items all day. Visitors will also be able to leave and return to the site all day.
What about the weather?
With the exception of lightning, the program will run regardless of the weather. Prepare for cold and wet conditions, warm and sunny conditions, or something in between. We recommend that participants bring:
Sunscreen and a shade hat
Rain jacket and rain pants
Waterproof boots
Water (2-3 liters)
Lunch and/or snacks
What else is happening?
The night before the dig — Friday May 20 — Paleo Joe Kchodl will give a special presentation on the Fossil Fish of the Lost Lake, Wyoming in the auditorium of the Gateway Executive Building at 3556 Lakeshore Rd. in Blasdell. The talk begins at 7 pm — admission is $5 for the public and FREE for Penn Dixie members.
Fossil Collecting
What can I expect to find?
We can’t say — Dig with the Experts is your opportunity to unearth the unexpected! Since Penn Dixie has millions of Devonian marine fossils, everyone is guaranteed to find something. Probably lots of things. You can get an idea about what has been found in the past by viewing our fossil gallery.
Can I keep what I find?
YES! If you find something cool, though, we ask that you submit a photo that we can include on our website.
I’ve heard that there will be a lot of people attending. How will you deal with the large number of collectors?
We’ve been in regular contact with Dan Cooper and his team, and we’ll open a larger portion of the quarry to accommodate the larger crowds. Consequently there will be more piles of rocks at the surface for splitting purposes.
What do I need to bring to collect fossils?
Rock hammer
Small sledge hammer and chisel
Pry bars
Safety goggles
Newspaper/bubble wrap
Bags for storing wrapped fossils
What if I don’t have that stuff?
Penn Dixie has a limited number of tool sets for rental at $5/day. We will also have fossil collecting bags and hand lenses for sale. Additionally, Past & Present Fossil and Rock Shop will be present with a range of neat merchandise.
An assemblage of Phacops rana trilobites collected from the Smoke Creek trilobite bed.
