THE STONEROSE INTERPRETIVE CENTER OF REPUBLIC, WASHINGTON: A MODEL IN PUBLIC GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

Stonerose Interpretive Center and Eocene Fossil Site (http://www.stonerosefossil.org/) was established by the city of Republic, Washington in 1987, and in 1988, the non-profit organization, “Friends of Stonerose Fossils” was organized to oversee running of the Center. Guided by the mission statement “..to promote both public and scientific interest concerning paleoenvironments and geological features in Ferry County and immediate surrounding areas”,Stonerose serves the public by providing individuals the opportunity to collect fossils and appreciate the significance of their collections in a meaningful way. Individuals register with the customized database “Stonerose Strata” developed by Jan Hartford for the Center. General information is recorded on how the visitors found out about Stonerose and how long they plan to stay in the area. This information allows us to learn what venues are most successful in attracting visitors, and helps to estimate the impact of Stonerose on the local economy. Visitors then purchase permits at nominal cost, look at museum displays and are given a 15 minute orientation on how to collect fossils. They are taken to the collecting site 2.5 blocks away and are checked every 1.5 hours to be sure they are doing well. Once collecting is finished the staff identifies the fossils. Individuals may keep 3 fossils per person per day. The staff reserves the right to retain scientifically valuable specimens for research. Fossil finders who donate specimens are held in high regard and Strata is used to generate letters sent out to the finders that include scanned images of the fossil and inform them about fossil identification. Additional letters are sent when specimens are studied, borrowed, put on display and/or published. In this way the finder is kept informed throughout the process. Since 2005 until mid 2009, 36,383 visitors have come through. Stonerose has employed several staff members through Americorps Washington State Service Corps and has numerous community volunteers as well as community support from several organizations and local businesses. Pictorial guidebooks are being developed for finders and an ongoing seminar series provides visiting researchers the opportunity to give informal lectures to the public and local schools.