Activities

The Dirt on Our Dig: The Untold Stories of the Snowmastodon Project

Join us for the official book launch and lecture on March 22. Drs. Kirk Johnson and Ian Miller will give us the inside scoop on the Ice Age Discovery and present their book "Digging Snowmastodon."

Click here to download the event poster

Silvertree Hotel, 5:30 p.m
Tickets ($8 advance, $10 day of) available at aspenshowtix.com, 970-920-5770, or Sundance Drug & Liquor

Snowmass Discovery Center- A physical presence opened March 11, 2011 on the Snowmass mall next to Gene Taylor’s to help tell the story through creative displays, educational panels, a half size wooden mammoth, videos and interactive programming.

Open Daily from November 24 – April 15 from 11:00am – 6:00pm
FREE ADMISSION 54B Snowmass Village Mall

Download the Ice Age Brochure (click here)

Download the Snowmastodon Poster (click here) 5MB

Download a Baby Mammoth to color in for the kids!!! (click here)

Discovery Channel Mammoth Videos (click here)

Celebrate History Month: Define the Mountain

Do you have a favorite mountain? Why? This month, we're taking a look at what makes each member in the Power of Four unique.
March 6: The Soul of Ajax
(Limelight Lodge)
March 13: The Soul of Buttermilk
(Bumps Restaurant)
March 20: The Soul of Highlands
(Aspen Highlands main lobby)
March 27: The Soul of Snowmass
(Two Creeks main lobby)

All are free for Lixiviator members and above, otherwise it’s $8. The programs begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Limelight Lodge (355 S. Monarch St.)

The Dirt on Our Dig: The Untold Stories of the Snowmastodon Project

Silvertree Hotel, 5:30 p.m
Tickets ($8 advance, $10 day of) available at aspenshowtix.com, 970-920-5770, or Sundance Drug & Liquor

National Geographic and NOVA feature Ice Age fossil find in early 2012

In early 2012 both National Geographic magazine and PBS member stations will feature the Snowmass Ice Age fossil find. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is planning a related program and currently offering visitors the opportunity to learn more online and onsite.

“We are thrilled with the level of interest in this important project,” said Dr. Kirk Johnson, the leader of the Snowmastodon Project™ excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the Museum. “The involvement of these esteemed organizations helps us share this discovery with an incredible number of people.”

National Geographic Magazine – February 2012
A short illustrated article about the fossil find will appear in the February 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine, available on newsstands Tuesday, January 31.

NOVA on Rocky Mountain PBS – February 1, 2012
“Ice Age Death Trap,” a one-hour NOVA-National Geographic program about the fossil find, will premiere on Rocky Mountain PBS Wednesday, February 1. The television special follows scientists as they race against time to uncover this unique site packed with astonishingly well-preserved bones of mammoths, mastodons, and other giant extinct beasts, opening a vivid window into the vanished world of the Ice Age. They unearth evidence that entire families of mastodons died as they grazed beside an ancient lake. Patiently, clue by clue, the team reconstructs a macabre scenario in which the soil beside the lake liquefies, then hardens, swiftly trapping entire mastodon families. Unable to move, the mighty tusked beasts slowly starve to death. Featuring ingenious scientific work and spectacular fossils, “Ice Age Death Trap” reveals intimate secrets of the life and death of North America’s most exotic and extreme creatures.

Program at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science – January 26, 2012
The Museum is presenting a related event, “NOVA Sneak Peak: Ice Age Death Trap,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 26. Scientists Kirk Johnson and Ian Miller will host an evening to celebrate the NOVA-National Geographic program. Guests will be the first to view excerpts from the program, hear behind-the-scenes stories from the dig site, and get the latest scientific updates. Visit www.dmns.org beginning Thursday, January 12, for reservations and more information.

Snowmastodon Project™ Museum Experiences: Online and Onsite – Ongoing
NEW: Museum visitors can view a giant bison skull, one of the iconic specimens from the discovery. On display for a limited time on Level 2 near the IMAX Theater entrance, the Ice Age bison (Bison latifrons) horn spread is more than seven feet wide compared to less than three feet wide for a modern bison. Additionally, visitors can watch as fossils from the site are prepared by staff and volunteers in the Schlessman Family Preparation Laboratory, near the exit of Prehistoric Journey. Also in the area, the Mammoth Discoveries cart features photos, video, and interpretive information about the discoveries; a volunteer facilitator to answer visitor questions; and real tusk fragments from Snowmass Village to touch. Online, www.dmns.org/science/the-snowmastodon-project features photos, videos, a discovery timeline, activities for families, and more.

Denver Museum of Nature & Science Announces Plans for “Digging Snowmastodon” Book

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Aspen-based People’s Press are publishing a first-person account of the historic Ice Age fossil find. Digging Snowmastodon: Discovering an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies describes the events surrounding the amazing discovery, the excitement and emotion of the dig itself, and the colorful cast of characters who each played important roles as the story unfolded.

“This incredible discovery captured everyone’s attention,” said Dr. Kirk Johnson, leader of the Snowmastodon Project™ excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the Museum. “It played out in the headlines of local, national, and international media, including the New York Times andNational Geographic. This is our opportunity to share the inside scoop and describe what it was really like to be there and experience it in person. Anyone who is interested in discovery, natural history, or paleontology will relish this true story.”

Infused with humor and offering the unique perspectives of Johnson and Dr. Ian Miller, a Museum scientist and co-leader of the dig, this compelling narrative clearly illustrates the science of the fossil find. The 10X8 paperback, written for a general audience will be available on March 15, 2012. The book is 144 pages long and includes more than 100 color photos, five historic black and white photos, and more than 15 color illustrations, line drawings, and maps. The book will be available for purchase at the Museum for $19.95 and distributed both locally and nationally. To learn more about Digging Snowmastodon and purchase advance copies, visit www.diggingsnowmastodon.com.

Past Events:

We’re still hyped up about the big dig.

Valley residents and tourists alike are invited to join the excitement
and spend an evening or more with local Colorado Mountain College
faculty discussing what we are learning from the Ice Age finds at
Snowmass Village’s Ziegler Reservoir.

These sessions are FREE and
open to the public.

Sessions include:

So You Found 100,000-Year-Old Mastodon DNA. What’s Next?
Learn how mastodon DNA was recovered and processed, is being
analyzed, and what lessons have been learned from other Ice Age
discoveries. Dr. Ron Carsten
Walk on the Wild Side
Hike the Rim Trail above the reservoir for
a glaciology/geology walking lecture. Come prepared to hike and
provide your own transportation to the trailhead. Garry Zabel
How to Get a Date
Discuss the dating techniques used to determine
the ages of fossil remains from the Ziegler Reservoir site. Sandy
Jackson
Why are the Bones Here?
This brief foray into geologic history
reveals how conditions made for the perfect preservation of the
fossils. Come prepared to hike and provide your own transportation to
the trailhead. Lee Wilson

Aug. 19
So You Found 100,000-Year-Old Mastodon DNA. What’s next? (meets 5:30-
7:30pm)

Aug. 26
Walk on the Wild Side (meets 5:30- 7:30pm)

Sept. 9 How to Get a Date (meets 5:30- 7:30pm)

Sept. 16
Why are the Bones Here? (meets 5:30- 7:30pm)

All sessions are Fridays, 5:30-7pm
(unless otherwise noted) at the Ice
Age Discovery Center in Snowmass
Village.

Past Events:

June 18-19, 2011 Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Weekend
(click here to download or view schedule)
Snowmass Tourism and Denver Museum of Nature and Science bring you family fun, Ice Age style. Hear from Museum experts and play Ice Age games, puzzles and crafts. Watch a play about Aspen’s history. Take a pirate-themed scavenger hunt. FREE interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy!

www.snowmasstourism.com; 970-922-2297

Snowmass Ice Age Spectacular !
Presented by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, in partnership with Snowmass Tourism — All Activities are FREE

Saturday, June 18, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, June 19, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Celebrate the exciting fossil discoveries made near Snowmass Village with FREE special Museum programs and activities.

Highlights include:

Kid’s activities such as face painting, balloon animals, bouncy houses, and more on the Snowmass Mall and Base Village.

Live Broadcasts from the Dig Site Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Watch and listen to a live broadcast from the field featuring scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Ice Age Dentist Office
See, touch, and examine the teeth of mammoths, mastodons, and other Ice Age animals.

I Dig the Ice Age
Get your hands in the “dirt” and dig around to see what you can find!

Sloth Races See what it’s like to be a giant ground sloth. Dress up in a sloth costume (provided) and race against others through an Ice Age obstacle course.

Museum activities will be held at the Silvertree Conference Center. Nearby on the Snowmass Mall, and a fun skittles ride to the Base Village, participants can enjoy children’s games, balloon tying, clowns, jugglers, house of bounce, and face painting.

The Ice Age Discovery Center, located on the Snowmass mall next to Gene Taylor’s, will feature live music from Tom Paxton and photos, videos, displays, and more about this once‐in‐a‐lifetime find.

The Aspen Historical Society will present their hysterical and interesting “A briefly complete history of Aspen” on Fanny Hill Stage on Saturday at 11:00 am.

The Blazing Adventures Kids’ Pirate Treasure Hunt will offer a Snowmass scavenger hunt for kids with costumes, clues, treasures & prizes on Sunday. The Treasure Hunt will leave the Conference Center at 12:30 p.m.

Kids’ Treehouse Adventure Center will hold a Scavenger Hunt at the top of the Elk Camp Gondola at 11 am and 1 pm on Saturday (lift ticket required).