NEWS FROM THE GREAT VALLEY MUSEUM MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE YOSEMITE COLLEGE DISTRICT

WINTER 2015 /16 VOL. 38, No. 1

C o m i n g : F e b r u a r y 2 0 th, 2 0 1 6 " D i s c o v e r t h e M u s e u m " G a l a !

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Discover the Big Cats!

f you've ever wanted to go on safari, this year's Great Valley Museum Gala Dinner might be the next best thing. The Big Cats from the Osterberg collection will be showcased around the Mary Stuart Rogers dining room for the Gala dinner. In case you didn't know, in 1972, Maurits Osterberg, a local businessman and an avid hunter, donated his extensive collection of animals from all over the world to the Great Valley Museum. These Big Cats are the featured part of the museum to be "discovered". Dinner will be served next to the Bengal tiger, lions, leopards and panthers of the collection ( taxidermied, of course ). To make the evening even more interesting, one of the researchers at Project Survival's Cat Haven will be the featured speaker. Project Survival's Cat Haven is an innovative park dedicated to the preservation of wild cats located in the Sierras past Fresno. Cat Haven believes that preserving wild cats in their native habitat is the principle justification for maintaining them in captivity. They provide excellent homes for all of their 37 cats, but their focus is to educate people about the plight of endangered Big Cat species. Our Gala speaker will inform us about the latest research and conservation efforts for these Big Cats. This year, hors d'oeuvres will be served at the museum with time to wander the museum and watch the Science on a Sphere. Afterwards, it's a short stroll to dinner in the Mary Stuart Rogers building where the Big Cats will be displayed. Something new this year is the Early Bird Special. If you buy your tickets before December 31, you'll save money as well as deduct it from this year's income tax. Please look at the Gala sponsorship opportunities to choose the support level of your choice. Remember, all the proceeds go to continue the programs of the museum. We're counting on your help to keep the museum going.

Sponsorship Opportunities Single Ticket Admission - Prior to December 31st — $100 - Post December 31st — $125 Event Sponsor — $600 - Two tickets to the event + Family membership for one year to the Great Valley Museum + Your name in the evening printed program and listed in the Great Valley Museum newsletter Table Sponsor — $1,500 - One complimentary reserved table for eight guests + Your name in lights for one week on the MJC electronic marquee on College Ave. + All benefits (+) included in an Event Sponsor Bronze Sponsor — $2,500 - One complimentary reserved table for eight guests + Your logo in the evening printed program + All benefits (+) included in a Table Sponsor Silver Sponsor — $5,000 - One complimentary reserved table for eight guests + Science program from GVM Traveling Teachers for class of your choice + Half page ad in the evening printed program + All benefits (+) included in a Bronze Sponsor Gold Sponsor — $10,000 - Two complimentary reserved tables for sixteen guests + Planetarium show for a class of your choice + Full page ad in the evening printed program + All benefits (+) included in a Silver Sponsor

Remember: February 20th, 2016 Great Valley Museum Gala Dinner “Discover the Museum” See you there!

THE AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE & NATURAL HISTORY

Live Animal & Bookworm Story Telling Story hour during the school year is geared to 3-4 year olds. The animal shows are suitable for everyone but very small children, who are welcomed if supervised by their parents. All stories and shows start at 10 am, last about an hour, and are free with paid admission. Dec 4 Dec 18 Jan 15 Feb 5 Feb 19 Mar 4 Mar 18

Bears & Hibernation Animals in Winter Wonderful Winter Weather Wild Animals—Forests Wild Animals—Jungle Spring Weather (Rain) Spring Weather (Rainbows)

“ H a n d s - O n ” We d n e s d a y s T

he “Hands-On” Wednesday, an after school program for elementary school children, will be continuing through the winter months. These exciting classes will be held the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30-4:30. In general, Hands-On Wednesday will expand themes from the Great Valley Museum’s rotating exhibits. Museum staff will engage young learners with experiments, demonstrations and touchable objects to increase curiosity and generate interest in further discovery. Your child can expect something different and exciting for each Hands-On Wednesday class.

CONTACT US 209-575-6196 209-575-6466 fax [email protected] www.mjc.edu/gvm Modesto Junior College West Campus Science Community Center 2201 Blue Gum Ave Modesto, CA 95358 MUSEUM PUBLIC HOURS Sunday closed Monday closed Tuesday 12pm-4pm Wednesday 12pm-4pm Thursday 12pm-4pm Friday 9am-4pm Saturday 9am-4pm Public parking on the MJC campus is $2 Monday – Friday. Please bring small bills. Parking is free after 5 pm on Fridays, and all day on weekends.

For more information and to enroll call 575-6196 or visit our website. www.mjc.edu/gvm

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Traveling Teacher Corner

he most recent “working meeting” of the traveling teachers, focused on efficiency. These outreach education leaders donate many hours to GVM in addition to their work as Traveling Teachers. The positive evaluations that are coming in express how well this added attention to programs is received. The Outreach Education schedule for the 2015-16 programs are booking steadily. As an example the month of March 2016 is full with materials and traveling teachers being booked tight. The TT program has several programs planned for each month already. Enjoy the picture of our November 5th meeting where we reviewed the Scientific Process. Come join the team as we could use some traveling teachers who want to take our live animals to schools. In the next newsletter we will review our new Water Program; a precursor to Tuolumne River Trust and the Water Ways program. GVM has collaborated with them (TREK) for many years so it is logical to be a part this new adventure.

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PLANETARIUM Tickets available at the GVM Nature Shop or online. Not recommended for children under 4 years of age. Limited to the first 100 guests. Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to scheduled show time as the doors to the Planetarium DO NOT OPEN once the program has begun. The planetarium currently has public showings on Fridays & Saturdays. Check our web page, www.mjc.edu/gvm for programs, times and pricing.

The Land of the Drowning Dinosaurs D

id you have a favorite dinosaur when you were a child? Were you ever inspired to dig a deep hole in the back yard looking for the Mesozoic reptiles? How did it go? Did you get very far before mom told you to stop digging up her roses? Have you ever considered the possibility that there could have been something down there? Believe it or not, there are places in our region where finding a dinosaur is not out of the question. Stanislaus County holds a unique distinction in regard to dinosaurs.

The rocks of the Great Valley Group were deposited in a sea that lay between the trench and the western shoreline of the North American continent. The shallow ocean environment is called a forearc basin. The sediments consist of primarily of sandstone, siltstone, and shale that cascaded off the submerged edge of river deltas along the shoreline. The underwater landslides were called turbidity currents. The sediments pushed on the crust, and subsidence allowed vast thicknesses of sediment to accumulate. In the region around Del Puerto Canyon east of the Bay area, the layers total as much 25,000 feet. At the south end of the valley near Bakersfield, the rocks are around twice that.

By Garry Hayes; Geology Professor Modesto Junior College

All in all it doesn't sound like a good place to search for dinosaur fossils. The rocks are the right age, Cretaceous, but the dinosaurs were terrestrial creatures. They no doubt roamed the slopes of the volcanoes and coastal plains of the continent, but few are known to have spent much time in the oceans. Finding a dinosaur fossil here seems about as likely as finding a cow or coyote skeleton at the bottom of the sea in the modern day.

The first dinosaur ever discovered in the state of California was found in 1936 in Stanislaus County by a 17 year old boy named Al Bennison. He was searching for shell fossils in Del Puerto Canyon So, a hypothetical quesnear a prominent landslide about tion: what if you did find a cow two miles up the canyon when he or a coyote skeleton on the sea found some bone fragments on the floor? Could you explain it? It hillside. They proved to be the might take a moment, but one remains of a duck-billed dinosaur could imagine an intense flash (or hadrosaur), possibly a creature flood along one of the rivers that called a Saurolophus. He brought flow off the Sierra Nevada and the bones to his high school teacher through the Great Valley, trapin Gustine who reported them to the ping and drowning a few cows or paleontologists at U.C. Berkeley. other creatures along the way. The bones were added to the Their carcasses would have Berkeley collections where they floated downstream, and eventually the bones could have sunk to remain to this day. These were big creatures, as the sea floor. I bring up this point much as 30 or 35 feet long. They because the sediments of the Great Valley Group have in fact were plant-eaters, and were among yielded a few dinosaur fossils, the last of the dinosaurs, along with and they probably did originate in Triceratops and the tyrannosaurs. Bennison's discovery made news at a river flood. the time, but few people in our county are aware of the awesome paleontological heritage of our region today. I'm hoping that will be changing soon as we prepare a display for the new Great Valley Museum.

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Manager’s Notes

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he Great Valley Museum has a new office technician. Meet Sam Leatherman, a native of Palm Springs. He grew up in the Mojave Desert, but he ended up graduating from a high school in the Sacramento area. He went on to get his B.A. in Church Ministries from SAGU University in Texas. He has been working with a non-profit, Destiny Christian Church, as a youth director and pastor. While there, he helped coordinate a two night extravaganza called "Celebrate America". 45,000 people attended this singing and dancing tribute to America. He has also worked with the Sacramento Kings in a Toys For Tots "give away", where 10,000 bikes and 25,000 toys were given away to underprivileged kids. At the museum, Sam will handle the school tours, oversee The Nature Shop, and coordinate the volunteers. Plus, he will be in charge of creating the museum's newsletter. As you can see, he is vital to the museum. Sam has many hobbies. He likes to go dancing with Ashley, his wife of three years. He enjoys working with his hands and reading, especially books on leadership and fictional thrillers. To say he is a Star Wars fan is an understatement, and you can find him rooting for and watching the Oakland Raiders. Now, he is also a big fan of the Great Valley Museum. Next time you are at the museum, stop and meet Sam!

2016 GALA COMMITTEE 

George Boodrookas

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Diana Loomis

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Martha Carter-Bhatti

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Roger Gohring

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Larry Hockenberry

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Sandy Marks

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Jodi Karambela

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GVM Staff

SCIENCE COLLOQUIUMS MJC West Campus - Science Community Center Room: 115; 3:00pm — 4:00pm 12-02-15 “A Light Look at Reversing a Warming Planet” Des Orsinelli, Engineer 01-27-16 "Autism: Facts, Myths, and What to do After Diagnosis" Deborah Laffranchini, MJC Child Development 02-03-16 “The Tuolumne River, Stanislaus County’s Water Lifeline” Peter Drekmeier, Tuolumne River Trust 02-10-16 Darwin Day Talk 02-17-16 “Modesto’s Water Supply” Will Wong, Modesto City Engineer 02-24-16 “Modesto’s Water Reuse Program” Will Wong, Modesto City Engineer

Many Gathered for Grand Opening! T

wo dozen people braved the rain on Monday night, November 2nd to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new collection and curation building. Officially, the building is titled the Great Valley Museum Education Demonstration Center. It is located behind the north-west corner of the museum. This new building is a climate controlled storage area complete with a freezer room and a secure vault for prized possessions. All the collections of the museum were on display in their storage locations that rainy night. It was quite amazing to see how vast the Osterburg collection is. The building also has a reception/ work area where future classes/gatherings may be held. However, the building will not usually be open to the public.

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A Wildly Successful Day! T

he second Saturday of Sutton' s amazing California Native October was Wild Planet Day reptiles, and numerous non-profit at the Great Valley Museum. There organizations from the area, like was something scientific for young children to senior citizens and everyone in between at Wild Planet Day. The activities included making blue bird boxes to watching 3-D printing or investigating drones from Drones for Hire.

McGruff the Crime Prevention Dog from the MPD and Frank the Salmon from the US Forest Service came, much to the delight of all the small children. There were connect your bones activities, microscope explorations, squid and owl pellet dissections, and wild chemistry experiments. The Enoch's CSI group did zombie and child-sized CSI activities. The lobby of the MJC Science Building ( Science Community Center) was filled with Mike

Membership Categories $40

Senior

$50

Individual

$120

Family

$250

School

$300

Other Groups

Business

Tuolumne River Trust, U.S. Wildlife, showing how to conserve water. MID, Morris Nursery and the City of Modesto also generously donated their time to demonstrate water conservation techniques. The MJC Geology club served up their brontosaurus burgers and sold out to the hungry crowd. There was so much going on that it created a strong feeling of a science community. Over 1,000 people participated, including volunteers. Plus, there were many family groups who enjoyed themselves tremendously.

Thanks to generous donations from Roger Gohring and Foster Farms, all the admission fees were strictly profit for the museum's children's science projects. If you didn't go, you missed a fun-filled SCIENCE day. Mark your calendars and plan to attend next year when Wild Planet Day will be the last week-end in September. The Bat Lady is returning.

Jose Gonzales as a Scientist at the " Take a Scientist Selfie " room

Here is how you benefit by becoming a member: *Free admission to the Museum *10% discount in the Museum Store *Discounts on class and program fees

*Valley Views Newsletter *Resource materials for checkout *Discounts on Planetarium Shows

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$500

Small Business

$1000

Standard

$2000

Premium

Visa/Master Card accepted online or inside the Nature Shop

$5000

Elite

http://mkt.com/great-valley-museum-at-mjc/membership

Check payable to the Great Valley Museum, 2201 Blue Gum Ave., Modesto, CA 95358

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GIFTS, MEMORIALS, PERIODIC TABLE he Great Valley Museum has a nice way to remember a deceased relative or friend, or to acknowledge a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. You can make a memorial contribution or recognition gift to the Great Valley Museum in someone’s name. We acknowledge your gift in three ways: with a thank you to you, with a note to the family or honoree saying that you have made a donation and specifying the occasion, and with a listing in Valley Views.

DONATIONS

EVELYN ELEMS

NEW MEMBERS

Roger Gohring Jerome & Corrine Robson John Gallo Tana & Brian Dennen Save Mart Supermarkets Foster Farms c/o Sharon Farmer (Wild Planet Day) Diana Loomis (Wild Planet Day) Teri Curtis (Wild Planet Day) Karin Mettler (Wild Planet Day) Linda Brzezinski (Wild Planet Day)

Jim & Joyce Fisher Carole Davis Marjorie Hickman Sue Husted Richard Avant & Denise Godbout-Avant Elizabeth Woodley George & Marie Bairey Diana Loomis John Flemate Molly Flemate Marilyn Spiegel Alice Takeda

Josh Bridegroom Karen M. Sutton/Ron Warren Herb Helbig Kevin & Esther Knobel Scott McRitchie Marilyn McRitchie Delwin & Karen Tiffin Shelly Scribner Jerome and Corrine Robson Annette Coury Mary Cook Clorinda Otte Tricia Turner Scott McRitchie

M.A.P.S. Lectures 

12/4/15 Making Fuels from Sunlight, Water and Air — Frances Houle; Chemist Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis - Department Head for Science of Large Scale Systems - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

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01/29/16 El Niño and Its Influence on California Climate — Noah Hughes; Professor of Earth Science, MJC - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

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02/26/16 Can stem cells or DNA manipulation prolong life expectancy? — Brian Kennedy; Biologist, CEO and President of the Buck Institute for research on aging - MJC East Campus Auditorium 7:30pm

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03/25/16 Can desalination solve California’s water problems? — Tom Luster; Analyst with the California Coastal Commission - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

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04/15/16 Mini Symposium on Climate Change — Daniel Kammen (UCB) and Linda Rudolph (Public Health Institute) - MJC West Campus Mary Stuart Rogers Student Center **6:30pm - 9:30pm

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WINTER 2 0 1 5 C A L E N D A R F O R T H E G RE A T V A L L E Y M U SE U M

For full details of events mentioned here call the museum at ( 2 0 9 ) 5 7 5 - 6 1 9 6 or view web www.mjc.edu/gvm UNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

2 *Science 3 Colloquium 3pm

1

DECEMBER

7

8

9

11 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am

10 OPEN 12pm-4pm

13

14

15

16

21

22

18 Open 9am-4pm *Bookworms 10am

19 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

24 Closed

23

12 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

17

OPEN 12pm-4pm

20

SATURDAY

5 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows *MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132

OPEN 12pm-4pm

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FRIDAY

4 Open 9am-4pm Science Night 7pm-10pm *Bookworms 10am

25 Christmas Day - Closed 26 Closed

OPEN 9am-4pm

27

29 Closed

28 SUNDAY

MONDAY

30 Closed

TUESDAY

31 Closed

WEDNESDAY

3

4

5

6

10

11

12

13

THURSDAY

7

JANUARY

18

19

20

24 31

25

26

27*Science 28 Colloquium 3pm

22 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am

21

29 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am

WEDNESDAY

3 *Science 4 Colloquium 3pm

FEBRUARY

OPEN 12pm-4pm

7

8

9

10 *Science 11 Colloquium 3pm

14

15

16

17 *Science 18 Colloquium 3pm

OPEN 12pm-4pm

OPEN 12pm-4pm

21

22

23

24 *Science 25 Colloquium 3pm OPEN 12pm-4pm

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23 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows 30 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows *MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132

OPEN 12pm-4pm TUESDAY

16 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

OPEN 12pm-4pm

2

9 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

17

MONDAY

8 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am 15 Open 9am-4pm *Bookworms 10am

14 OPEN 12pm-4pm

1

SATURDAY

2 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

OPEN 12pm-4pm

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

1 Closed

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

5 Open 9am-4pm Science Night 7pm-10pm *Bookworms 10am

SATURDAY

6 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

12 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am

13 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows

19 Open 9am-4pm *Bookworms 10am *Planetarium Shows

26 Open 9am-4pm *Animal Show 10am

20

2016 GALA

27 Open 9am-4pm Planetarium Shows

*Planetarium Shows *MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132

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THE AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE & NATURAL HISTORY

MUSEUM PUBLIC HOURS Tuesday - Thursday: 12:00pm - 4:00pm 9:00am - 4:00pm Friday & Saturday: MUSEUM ADMISSION : 12 & Over: $5 Children 3-12: $3 Family– (up to 6): $15 Age 55+: $4 MJC students w/ID: Free Call for group prices Parking M-F:

$2

CONNECT WITH US: Phone (209) 575 - 6196 Fax (209) 575 - 6466 Email: [email protected] Email Traveling Teachers: [email protected] Web Page: www.mjc.edu/gvm Like us: facebook.com/ greatvalleymuseum Twitter: @gvmatmjc

MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: YCCD Board Representative: YCCD Representative: Roger Gohring Jeff Kahler, DVM Diana Loomis Larry Hockenbery Martha Carter-Bhatti

Jodi Karambela Vacant Tim Fisher James McAndrews Anne DeMartini Dr. Al Alt Elizabeth McInnes Deborah Martin Denise Vieira Joyce Stetler

MUSEUM STAFF Museum Interim Manager: Arnold Chavez Museum Specialist-Outreach Education: Molly Flemate Museum Office Technician: Samuel Leatherman Senior Curator: Stan W. Elems Curator of Vertebrates: Guy Van Cleave Curator: Teri Curtis

Valley views designed by Museum Staff

WINTER 2015/16 Current Resident or