In 2008, an amateur fossil hunter by the name of Deniz Oktay walked along Duck Creek in Garland, Texas and saw something fossil hunters love to see: bones! Erosion in the creek revealed 85 million-year-old bones of a Mosasaur, an ancient marine lizard that lived in the Earth’s oceans concurrently to when some species of dinosaurs walked the land.

Several species of Mosasaurs lived during the Late Cretaceous period. The species found in Duck Creek in Garland in 2008 was a Tylosaurus—one of the largest and most vicious of all the Mosasaurs growing up to 40 feet and weighing up to 8 tons. With an extra row of palatal teeth in the roof of its mouth to hold prey in place and move it down the throat, this Mosasaur was one of the reasons that the oceans of the time were a very dangerous place. 

After the bones were identified, the land owner, Charles Amyx, donated the bones to the Heard Museum. The Dallas Paleontological Society was notified of the find and organized a team to excavate the bones for the Heard Museum. The Society’s dig crew was led by Rocky Manning. 

The excavation of the bones from the creek took over 700 hours during two and a half years. Limestone blocks containing the bones were painstakingly cut and then taken to the Heard Museum to be prepped. The exaction was done under difficult conditions such as flooding at the site and working in 100-degree heat. 

Preparing the bones at the Heard also presented a large obstacle; there was not a prep lab at the Museum. The Dallas Paleo Society went to work to create a lab and prep the bones. Darlene Sumerfelt, a member of the excavation team, became the director and lead preparator at the lab, recruiting volunteers and using hand-me-down equipment to release the bones from the rock. Compressors were used to power airscribes that would slowly chip away at the rock to expose the fragile bones.  

The team members were the first humans to ever see these newly-exposed bones. With an all-volunteer team, over 4,000 hours were put into the preparation of the bones. The team worked year after year carefully removing all the surrounding rock.

When the prep was complete, the team then began next step in the process of taking fossilized bones from the ground to the museum floor—the exhibit display. Darlene and the prep team, including volunteers Richard and Joan Sheppard and Russell Sublette, then created all the mounts for the bones with only a very small budget to work with.  Many hours were spent in the lab brainstorming how to put these bones on display with a budget of $400. Many more hours were then spent creating the display mounts by hand. All cabinetry and informational panels were also done by the prep team. 

Darlene has now been with the project for 6 six years. She experienced a great sense of pride and achievement when she and the team moved the bones from the lab to the museum floor. She describes this project as being one of the most phenomenal volunteer projects ever completed. Hundreds of people were willing to give their time and talents to make this happen.   

Now it’s almost time for the debut! The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, October 4^th at the Heard Museum in McKinney, Texas. Activities start with a presentation on the Mosasaur Project at 1:30 p.m., with the grand opening immediately after.  

Do you have a love for children and an enthusiasm for nature? We are looking for a few dynamic individuals to round out our part-time education staff for this academic school year as part-time museum educators and teaching assistants. Both weekday and weekend positions are available!

Weekend opportunities include leading scout workshops and hosting birthday parties. Weekday opportunities include assisting with weekly preschool and homeschool classes and school field trips as scheduled.

Previous teaching experience and a background in natural sciences is preferred. Also, experience presenting with live animals is desired. A background check is also required. To learn more about the Heard and available positions, please visit heardmuseum.org/employment.

About Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard. Miss Heard was 80 years old when she saw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. Today, the Heard's mission of bringing nature and people together is carried out through education, particularly of young people, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation. For more information, visit heardmuseum.org.

On April 26^th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas invites guests to celebrate the history of the Blackland Prairie at Heritage Day, presented by Clif KiD.

The Heard will host demonstrations, entertainment, educational programming, and vendors to give visitors a view into our region’s culture and history. Live music performances will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. by Madison Whitehead (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.), Elizabeth & Felipe (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), and Texoma Highway (2 p.m. to 5 p.m.).

This event also features the grand opening of the Heard’s new Pioneer Village comprised of eight buildings in playhouse scale that emulate structures typical of prairie settlements in the late 1800s. Kids will be invited to go back in time and have fun playing in and exploring these buildings including a miniature school house, grocery store and settler’s cabins!

Through the Pioneer Village exhibit, the Heard hopes to continue to connect visitors to the history of the prairie and also its ecological significance. Less than 1% of the Blackland Prairie remains, making the tallgrass prairie the most-endangered large ecosystem in North America.

Heritage Day is included in general admission: $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and children (ages 3-12), and free for children ages 2 and under. Heard Museum members get in FREE. City of McKinney residents also get in free with a valid driver’s license indicating McKinney residence, or McKinney water bill accompanied by a valid driver’s license with a matching name.

About Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard. Miss Heard was 80 years old when she saw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. Today, the Heard's mission of bringing nature and people together is carried out through education, particularly of young people, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation.  For more information, visit heardmuseum.org.

About Clif Bar & Company

Clif Bar & Company is a leading maker of nutritious and organic foods and drinks, including CLIF® Bar energy bar, LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women®; and CLIF Kid®, Nourishing Kids in Motion®. Focused on sports nutrition and snacks for adventure, the family and employee-owned company is committed to sustaining its people, brands, business, community and planet. For more information on Clif KiD, please visit www.clifbar.com

Spring Break is a great time connect with nature. Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is offering Spring Break Family Mini-Camps to help families this need. Designed for kids (ages 5+) and adults to attend together, each mini-camp explores a different topic and includes indoor activities and time outside exploring our 289 acre sanctuary.

On March 11, in “Unearthing Dinosaurs,” explore which dinosaurs and other pre-historic life lived in Texas. Go on a real fossil hunt and make a pre-historic inspired craft to take home.

“What Comes from Eggs?” on March 12, will provide participants with the opportunity to discover some of the amazing animals that hatch from eggs. See examples from the Heard’s live and preserved animals. You’ll also get to dye your own hard-boiled egg using natural dyes to take home.

Springtime can bring dramatic weather to our area. On March 13, in “Forces of Nature,” find out about tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Then, make your own weather-themed project.

Children must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. Each adult may bring up to 4 children. Preregistration for these mini-camps is required. These camps are $20 per person (adult or child); or, become a Heard Museum member and pay only $17 per person (adult or child). More information at www.heardmuseum.org. 

Spring Break is a great time connect with nature. Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is offering Spring Break Family Mini-Camps to help families this need. Designed for kids (ages 5+) and adults to attend together, each mini-camp explores a different topic and includes indoor activities and time outside exploring our 289 acre sanctuary.

On March 11, in “Unearthing Dinosaurs,” explore which dinosaurs and other pre-historic life lived in Texas. Go on a real fossil hunt and make a pre-historic inspired craft to take home.

“What Comes from Eggs?” on March 12, will provide participants with the opportunity to discover some of the amazing animals that hatch from eggs. See examples from the Heard’s live and preserved animals. You’ll also get to dye your own hard-boiled egg using natural dyes to take home.

Springtime can bring dramatic weather to our area. On March 13, in “Forces of Nature,” find out about tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Then, make your own weather-themed project.

Children must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. Each adult may bring up to 4 children. Preregistration for these mini-camps is required. These camps are $20 per person (adult or child); or, become a Heard Museum member and pay only $17per person (adult or child). More information at www.heardmuseum.org.