Documentary primes fans of world-famous dig for March 20 release of Digging Snowmastodon
NOVA focuses on the historic Ice Age fossil discovery near Snowmass Village in a documentary that debuts Wed., Feb. 1 on Rocky Mountain PBS. “Ice Age Death Trap” premieres at 8 p.m.
The national 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. More: www.rmpbs.org.
The documentary serves as a primer for Digging Snowmastodon, to be published in March by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Aspen-based People’s Press.
Co-authored by Dr. Kirk Johnson and Dr. Ian Miller, Digging Snowmastodon 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.
The 10X8 paperback, written for a general audience and available on March 15, 2012, is 144 pages long and includes more than 100 color photos, 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.
Note: A brief article about the dig also appears in the February 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine.
About The Snowmastodon Project™
In October 2010, a bulldozer operator working near a Colorado ski area uncovered the tusk of a young female mammoth. Over the next 10 months, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science conducted its largest-ever fossil excavation, yielding a treasure trove of well-preserved Ice Age fossils. Museum crews uncovered 5,000 bones of 41 kinds of Ice Age animals, including mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, camels, deer, horses, and giant bison. The preserved series of Ice Age fossil ecosystems is one of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made in Colorado. This discovery at Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village will change forever our understanding of alpine life in the Ice Age. To learn more, visit www.dmns.org/science/the-snowmastodon-project.
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions, and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.
About People’s Press
People’s Press publishes stories—in words and images—that come from the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado and beyond. People’s Press considers it is the people that make a community, and it is their stories and photos that narrate history. People’s Press: minds wide open. More: www.peoplespress.org.
To schedule an interview with Kirk Johnson or Ian Miller about the March release of Digging Snowmastodon, contact Mark Stevens: mstevens@ecentral.com or 720-328-5488.
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