Fascinating Fossils of the Champlain Valley Program is August 19

The presentation will begin with a overview discussion in the theater of the Museum and will then find and identify fossils in the rock exposures at the historic site.

Champlain Valley fossils, ancient reefs, and old forts are the topics esteemed professor and paleontologist Nancy Budd will cover August 19 at the Crown Point Historic Site, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. The program is sponsored by Champlain Area Trails (CATS).

After a 45-minute presentation in the Museum’s theater, program participants will find and identify fossils in the rock exposures at the historic site—and we have it on good authority there are loads of great fossils in the area.

Retired professor and paleontologist Nancy Budd will speak on “Fascinating Fossils of the Champlain Valley.

Most fossils in the Champlain Valley are approximately 460 million years old and are remnants of what was once a shallow sea along the edge of the Adirondacks. The climate of the Champlain Valley was subtropical, and the fossils include a diverse group such as sponges, brachiopods, gastropod snails, bivalves, and trilobites and many others.

Nancy Budd is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sudies at the University of Iowa. As a paleontologist, her expertise is in coral reefs and their evolution over the past 60 million years. Professor Budd now makes her home in Essex, NY.

The program is designed for all age groups. A suggested donation of $10 is requested; young people under 18 and students are free. To pre-register, please visit www.champlainareatrails.com/our-events/ or call the CATS office at 518-962-2287.

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a nonprofit organization that creates and maintains hiking and cross-country ski trails in the Champlain Valley, with the goal of linking communities, connecting people with nature promoting economic vitality, and protecting natural areas, farmland, clean water, and scenic vistas. For more information on CATS programs, visit champlainareatrails.com or call the CATS office at 518-962-2287.

About Champlain Area Trails (CATS)

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a non-profit organization, begun in 2009, which creates and maintains hiking and cross-country ski trails in the Champlain Valley that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote economic vitality. In its short history, CATS has developed 35 miles of trails that when added to existing trails, gets it half-way toward the long-envisioned goal of a 30-mile trail loop between Westport and Essex. CATS will extend its trails to neighboring towns and eventually connect them to trails in the Adirondack Mountains, Vermont, and Quebec. Learn more on the CATS website.