Do you take the public to any active research sites?
We sure do, the Fundy Geo Museum currently studies and excavates Canada’s oldest dinosaurs from Wasson Bluff, a few kilometers down the road from the Museum. We offer many experiences like the Tidal Reveal program and the Fossils on Horseback experience with the Spirit Reins Ranch there. We are also currently creating a virtual guided tour of the local fossil cliffs for our online visitors. Additionally, we offer tours and experiences at other significant sites in the Parrsboro Shore area which explore rocks, minerals, the phenomenon of the world’s highest tides, and the local influences of the Mi’kmaq and early settlers on Nova Scotia’s landscape.
Why are there so many geology museums in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia has an unusual amount of significant geology exposed at Earth’s surface that tells the history of life on our pale blue dot and it is important that these stories are shared.
What is so special about the Fundy Geo Museum and what the heck is a Special Place?
The Fundy Geo Museum was instrumental in getting the Age of Dinosaur fossils from along the Parrsboro Shore and surrounding coastline of the Minas Basin (Bay of Fundy) on the world’s radar. Many of our field localities such as Wasson Bluff are protected Nova Scotia Special Places and we take pride in our responsibility to educate and protect these areas. It is important to remember that all fossils within Nova Scotia are the property of everyone and are held in trust for the public by repositories such as Fundy Geo, the Museum of Natural History in Halifax, and the Joggins Fossil Institute. This enables everyone to have research access to scientifically important specimens and guarantees future generations will be able to see and learn about Earth’s past at our museums.
What does a typical visit to the Fundy Geo Museum look like?
Guests are encouraged to pre-book their museum admission and any tours and/or experiences prior to arriving on-site. Once here, our amazing front line staff will direct you to either the gallery, gathering spots for tours, or our multipurpose room for community events. Our gallery usually takes about an hour to walk through while beach tours range from 1.5-2.5 hours (depending on location), and experiences like the Fossils on Horseback Adventure and Fossil Family Fun at Five Islands will take a
About Danielle
Danielle J. Serratos earned her Bachelor of Science in Geology at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi and her Master of Science in Geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her research focuses primarily on Mesozoic marine reptiles, paleontological collections and digitization, and education and outreach efforts.
Serratos has worked in several fields outside of paleontology, including developing and teaching 4th and 7th grade science curricula, monitoring and maintaining field equipment that provided coastal weather information at both state and federal levels, developing educational expos that brought together the local scientific community and military families, and curated and databased modern botanical specimens.
Within the paleontological field, Serratos has provided both formal and informal educational initiatives that have donated, or brought temporarily, fossils into classrooms in Texas, Alaska, and South Dakota; taught college-level paleontological and geological labs; been an organizer for sedimentary geology and paleontological communities throughout the entire United States; participated in developing novel approaches to how paleontological and neontological specimens are databased and accessed online for research and educational activities; curated and databased fossils from around the world; and published a new genus of elasmosaur as well as co-authored one of the most complete evolutionary understandings of Plesiosauria to date.
Before joining the Fundy Geo team, Serratos oversaw the management of the Museum of Geology in Rapid City, South Dakota. While there, she created new exhibits that adhered to peer-reviewed scientific understanding, established new outreach activities and tour guides, maintained the business and research accounts of the Museum and its staff, trained and mentored college students to be effective science communicators and employees, and installed a brand-new Kid Zone with hands-on critical-thinking experiences.