“Steps in Stone, Walking Through Time” is a current exhibit on display at the CU-Boulder Museum of Natural History. (Nigel Amstock/CU Independent)
“Steps in Stone, Walking Through Time,” a free exhibit currently housed in the Museum of Natural History on campus, features animal tracks that date back millions of years to when dinosaurs, primitive insects and alleged ancient relatives of humans roamed Colorado.
“It’s very important to me to be able to get close to history and nature and really understand why we became human,” says Xin Zhang, a CU-Boulder alum. His point can be taken literally, as visitors have the option to get up close and personal with history by standing in the footprints of a giant dinosaur. They can also get in touch with their inner dinosaur by trying on one of the plush prehistoric tails.
The exhibit adds appeal by making use of creative but informative signs explaining how paleontologists were able to uncover these historic tracks. The brightly colored walls, dinosaur tracks covering the ground and sandboxes in the center of the exhibit allow visitors to broaden their understanding of history by engaging their senses.
Renowned paleontologist Martin Lockley’s work is also featured in the exhibit, with many of his fossil discoveries from countries all over the world — including Korea, Tanzania and Bolivia. Lockley, a former professor who recently retired from the University of Colorado at Denver, is a major contributor to CU’s Natural History Museum. The ancient tracks discovered by his team have opened up even more discoveries and new possibilities in uncovering Earth’s ancient past.
Lockley’s involvement in paleontology continues today; he helped found the nonprofit organization “Friends of Dinosaur Ridge,” and worked to develop the Morrison, CO paleontological area into a major tourist attraction.
The exhibit began in mid-May and will run until Dec. 31.
A cast of fossilized bird footprints on display inside the “Steps in Stone, Walking Through Time” exhibit at the CU Boulder Museum of Natural History. (Nigel Amstock/CU Independent)
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kendall Reaves at kendall.reaves@colorado.edu.
