News Release
April 8, 2005
Emerson Street School Students To Work On Dinosaur Bones Excavated From Colorado Quarry
High School students from Emerson Street School - a middle and high school program for students who are expelled, on probation or involved with the Department of Human Services - will be assisting in the preparation of dinosaur bones excavated from the HupsLowell Quarry in Western Colorado during classes Monday, April 11. The first class will run from 8:35 to 9:30 a.m.; the second from 9:33 to 10:28 a.m.
"This preparation process is usually reserved for experienced professionals or volunteers," said Emerson Street School principal Pam Fisher. "This is a very unique opportunity for students, and Emerson Street School is one of the few schools in the nation that allows students to work with real dinosaur bones."
The students will experience first-hand how field paleontologists work - from the removal of discovered bones, to the preparation of bones, to the identification of bones. Upon completion of the process, the bones will be shipped to the Museum of Western Colorado in Fruita, where they will be stored for future research and possibly put on display.
The fossil bones that the students will be working on are from a large Jurassic (152 million year-old) plant-eating dinosaur Camarasaur. These dinosaurs grew to a length of about 18 metres (59 feet) and were somewhat smaller than other sauropods of the time such as diplodocids and brachiosaurs. Bones from this 152 million year old dinosaur are extremely rare, and many of the bones are one of a kind.
Emerson Street School serves grades seven through twelve. It's located at 835 E. 18th Ave. For information, contact Kent Hups, 303-832-1036 extension 2240 or kent_hups@dpsk12.org.