Juniors’
Field Trip to Phillips Park April 21, 2007
Come join us on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. as we explore Phillips
Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, Illinois 60505. Our trip will include a tour
of the Visitor’s Center and Mastodon Gallery where ESCONI Juniors will continue
their investigations of the Chicagoland area during glacial times. Outside the
facility is a full-size replica of a mastodon. On exhibit, in the Visitor’s
Center, are prehistoric bones, tusks, and teeth of the huge creatures that
roamed Aurora at the time of the last glaciers. We will view a 15-minute
presentation on how the mastodons were found in Phillips Park. You will then be
free to explore the gallery on your own and view “Mastodon Dig,” a sculpture in
bronze by Erik Blome that depicts a Civil Works Administration (CWA) worker
unearthing a mastodon bone.
Afterwards, please feel free to join us for a 1 to 1-1/2 hour narrated walk of
the Phillips Park Zoo. The zoo highlights animals that are native to North
America today and includes such species as bald eagles, river otters, and gray
wolves.
The Visitor’s Center has tables and chairs available for those wishing to make
this a full-day field excursion by bringing bag lunches. Restrooms are also
available for your convenience.
When lunch is finished, you may choose to walk or jog around the adjacent 1-mile
Mastodon Trail. This is the site where the mastodons where actually discovered
in 1934 by the CWA. Just over the bridge along the trail, youngsters can enjoy a
mastodon slide and tusk maze.
There is no cost for this field trip. However, please remember that field trips
are only open to current ESCONI members. Participation is encouraged for Junior
members, but the field trip is open all ESCONI members. This field trip also is
limited to 30 participants. Reservations are being taken until April 1st.
First-come, first served.
For further information or to make your reservation, please contact Joe Kubal,
ESCONI Junior’s Co-Chair, 30W600 Sunrise Road, Naperville, IL 60563,
630-983-6159, SMKubal0712@aol.com .
Note: This field trip is in lieu of the regular Junior’s meeting for April. We
will meet at College of DuPage again in May.
Number of Visitors Since 3/2/2007
Last Updated 3/1/2007