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Fossil artifacts on display at Nature Fest
By BOB McCLURE
| Article published on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/022807_smb-01.jpg) |
| Photo by BOB McCLURE |
| Judy Jarosz, supervisor of Boca Ciega Millennium Park, shows off a fossilized tooth and a portion of a jaw from a Columbian mammoth. |
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SEMINOLE – The general public will get a chance to view recent fossil artifacts discovered at Boca Ciega Millennium Park during the fourth annual Discovery Day and Nature Festival Saturday, March 3.
The free event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. between shelters 1 and 2, will feature a number of amenities for the public to enjoy, including recent items discovered during a fossil dig on the park’s property.
Plans also call for live music from the group Providence, refreshments, a moon walk for children and guided walks led by artist Leslie Fry to search for wildlife sculptures in the park.
Pinellas County Animal Services, Urban Wildlife Rescue, Pinellas County Mosquito Control and the Florida Department of Forestry will be on hand to answer questions. Also participating will be Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Exotic Pest Plant Council, Friends of Boca Ciega Millennium Park and It’s Our Nature.
The first fossil artifact was discovered at the park in early February by Seminole High School student Sierra Sarti-Sweeney of North Redington Beach, who was photographing nature when she noticed an object sticking up out of a creek bed.
Sweeney took the object home to show her brother, Sean Sweeney, a student at St. Petersburg College, who in turn brought it to the attention of experts at his school and the University of South Florida.
It was later identified as the tooth and a portion of a jaw from a Columbian mammoth, an extinct species of elephant that inhabited North America between 9,000 and 100,000 years ago.
Over the last three weekends, volunteers have discovered a number of other artifacts, under the direction of Dave Letasi, a paleontologist specialist at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, and Richard Estabrook, director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network at USF, who are acting as advisers for the Pinellas County Parks and Recreation Department.
“This find is as big as it gets,” said Letasi. “There are massive amounts of material.”
Artifacts have been identified from a horse, camel, giant tortoise, bison, glyptodont (a giant armadillo-like creature), jaguar, sea turtle and a white-tail deer.
“We’re still in the recovery stages now,” said park supervisor Judy Jarosz. “We’ll determine the scope of the project in the next couple of months.”
Jarosz said the park is booked up with volunteers for the next couple of weeks but beginning March 19 more volunteers will be needed for retrieving artifacts.
Anyone ages 8 and older can volunteer but children must be accompanied by a parent. The recovery project is in a wet environment. Jarosz recommends bringing insect repellent, water and wearing boots or steel-toed shoes.
“We’ll provide the tools to excavate,” she said.
Groups of 25 volunteers work the area for four hours each at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“We try to keep it to 25 to make sure the artifacts are kept intact and for the safety of the volunteers,” Jarosz said.
The dig area is off-limits to the general public to prevent looting.
Boca Ciega Millennium Park is a 186-acre county park that opened six years ago. Among its natural habitats are 165 bird species, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, armadillos, opossums and rattlesnakes.
The park is located at 12410 74th Ave. N.
To volunteer for the fossil recovery project call 588-4882.
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Article published on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007
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