NEWS FROM THE GREAT VALLEY MUSEUM
MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE YOSEMITE COLLEGE DISTRICT
WINTER 2015 /16
VOL. 38, No. 1
C o m i n g : F e b r u a r y 2 0 th, 2 0 1 6 " D i s c o v e r t h e M u s e u m " G a l a !
I
Discover the Big Cats!
f you've ever wanted to go on safari, this year's Great Valley Museum
Gala Dinner might be the next best thing. The Big Cats from the Osterberg
collection will be showcased around the Mary Stuart Rogers dining room for
the Gala dinner. In case you didn't know, in 1972, Maurits Osterberg, a local businessman and an avid hunter, donated his extensive collection of
animals from all over the world to the Great Valley Museum. These Big
Cats are the featured part of the museum to be "discovered".
Dinner will be served next to the Bengal tiger, lions, leopards and
panthers of the collection ( taxidermied, of course ). To make the evening
even more interesting, one of the researchers at Project Survival's Cat Haven will be the featured speaker. Project Survival's Cat Haven is an innovative park dedicated to the preservation of wild cats located in the Sierras
past Fresno. Cat Haven believes that preserving wild cats in their native
habitat is the principle justification for maintaining them in captivity. They
provide excellent homes for all of their 37 cats, but their focus is to educate
people about the plight of endangered Big Cat species.
Our Gala speaker will inform us about the latest research and conservation
efforts for these Big Cats.
This year, hors d'oeuvres will be
served at the museum with time to
wander the museum and watch
the Science on a Sphere. Afterwards, it's a short stroll to dinner in
the Mary Stuart Rogers building
where the Big Cats will be displayed.
Something new this year is the
Early Bird Special. If you buy your
tickets before December 31, you'll
save money as well as deduct it
from this year's income tax.
Please look at the Gala sponsorship opportunities to choose the
support level of your choice. Remember, all the proceeds go to
continue the programs of the museum. We're counting on your help
to keep the museum going.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Single Ticket Admission
- Prior to December 31st — $100
- Post December 31st — $125
Event Sponsor — $600
- Two tickets to the event
+ Family membership for one year to the
Great Valley Museum
+ Your name in the evening printed program
and listed in the Great Valley Museum newsletter
Table Sponsor — $1,500
- One complimentary reserved table for eight
guests
+ Your name in lights for one week on the MJC
electronic marquee on College Ave.
+ All benefits (+) included in an Event Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor — $2,500
- One complimentary reserved table for eight
guests
+ Your logo in the evening printed program
+ All benefits (+) included in a Table Sponsor
Silver Sponsor — $5,000
- One complimentary reserved table for eight
guests
+ Science program from GVM Traveling
Teachers for class of your choice
+ Half page ad in the evening printed program
+ All benefits (+) included in a Bronze Sponsor
Gold Sponsor — $10,000
- Two complimentary reserved tables for sixteen guests
+ Planetarium show for a class of your choice
+ Full page ad in the evening printed program
+ All benefits (+) included in a Silver Sponsor
Remember: February 20th, 2016
Great Valley Museum Gala Dinner
“Discover the Museum”
See you there!
THE AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE & NATURAL HISTORY
Live Animal & Bookworm Story Telling
Story hour during the school year is geared to 3-4 year olds. The animal
shows are suitable for everyone but very small children, who are welcomed if
supervised by their parents. All stories and shows start at 10 am, last about
an hour, and are free with paid admission.
Dec 4
Dec 18
Jan 15
Feb 5
Feb 19
Mar 4
Mar 18
Bears & Hibernation
Animals in Winter
Wonderful Winter Weather
Wild Animals—Forests
Wild Animals—Jungle
Spring Weather (Rain)
Spring Weather (Rainbows)
“ H a n d s - O n ” We d n e s d a y s
T
he “Hands-On” Wednesday, an after school program for elementary
school children, will be continuing through the winter months. These exciting
classes will be held the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30-4:30. In general, Hands-On Wednesday will expand themes from the Great Valley Museum’s rotating exhibits. Museum staff will engage young learners with experiments, demonstrations and touchable objects to increase curiosity and generate interest in further discovery. Your child can expect something different and
exciting for each Hands-On Wednesday class.
CONTACT US
209-575-6196
209-575-6466 fax
[email protected]
www.mjc.edu/gvm
Modesto Junior College
West Campus
Science Community Center
2201 Blue Gum Ave
Modesto, CA 95358
MUSEUM PUBLIC HOURS
Sunday
closed
Monday
closed
Tuesday
12pm-4pm
Wednesday
12pm-4pm
Thursday
12pm-4pm
Friday
9am-4pm
Saturday
9am-4pm
Public parking on the MJC
campus is $2 Monday – Friday. Please bring small bills.
Parking is free after 5 pm on
Fridays, and all day on
weekends.
For more information and to enroll call 575-6196 or visit our website.
www.mjc.edu/gvm
T
Traveling Teacher Corner
he most recent “working meeting” of the traveling teachers,
focused on efficiency. These outreach education leaders donate
many hours to GVM in addition to their work as Traveling Teachers.
The positive evaluations that are coming in express how well this
added attention to programs is received.
The Outreach Education schedule for the 2015-16 programs are
booking steadily. As an example the month of March 2016 is full with
materials and traveling teachers being booked tight. The TT program
has several programs planned for each month already.
Enjoy the picture of our November 5th meeting
where we reviewed the Scientific Process.
Come join the team as we could use some traveling teachers who want to take our live animals
to schools.
In the next newsletter we will review our new
Water Program; a precursor to Tuolumne River
Trust and the Water Ways program. GVM has
collaborated with them (TREK) for many years
so it is logical to be a part this new adventure.
2
PLANETARIUM
Tickets available at the GVM
Nature Shop or online. Not
recommended for children
under 4 years of age.
Limited to the first 100
guests. Please arrive 10-15
minutes prior to scheduled
show time as the doors to
the Planetarium DO NOT
OPEN once the program has
begun.
The planetarium currently
has public showings on Fridays & Saturdays.
Check our web page,
www.mjc.edu/gvm for programs, times and pricing.
The Land of the Drowning Dinosaurs
D
id you have a favorite
dinosaur when you were a child?
Were you ever inspired to dig a
deep hole in the back yard looking
for the Mesozoic reptiles? How did
it go? Did you get very far before
mom told you to stop digging up
her roses? Have you ever
considered the possibility that there
could have been something down
there? Believe it or not, there are
places in our region where finding a
dinosaur is not out of the question.
Stanislaus County holds a unique
distinction in regard to dinosaurs.
The rocks of the Great
Valley Group were deposited in a
sea that lay between the trench and
the western shoreline of the North
American continent. The shallow
ocean environment is called a
forearc basin. The sediments
consist of primarily of sandstone,
siltstone, and shale that cascaded
off the submerged edge of river
deltas along the shoreline. The
underwater landslides were called
turbidity currents. The sediments
pushed on the crust, and subsidence
allowed vast thicknesses of
sediment to accumulate. In the
region around Del Puerto Canyon
east of the Bay area, the layers total
as much 25,000 feet. At the south
end of the valley near Bakersfield,
the rocks are around twice that.
By Garry Hayes; Geology Professor Modesto Junior College
All in all it doesn't sound
like a good place to search for
dinosaur fossils. The rocks are
the right age, Cretaceous, but the
dinosaurs were terrestrial creatures. They no doubt roamed the
slopes of the volcanoes and
coastal plains of the continent,
but few are known to have spent
much time in the oceans. Finding
a dinosaur fossil here seems
about as likely as finding a cow
or coyote skeleton at the bottom
of the sea in the modern day.
The first dinosaur ever
discovered in the state of California
was found in 1936 in Stanislaus
County by a 17 year old boy named
Al Bennison. He was searching for
shell fossils in Del Puerto Canyon
So, a hypothetical quesnear a prominent landslide about
tion: what if you did find a cow
two miles up the canyon when he
or a coyote skeleton on the sea
found some bone fragments on the
floor? Could you explain it? It
hillside. They proved to be the
might take a moment, but one
remains of a duck-billed dinosaur
could imagine an intense flash
(or hadrosaur), possibly a creature
flood along one of the rivers that
called a Saurolophus. He brought
flow off the Sierra Nevada and
the bones to his high school teacher
through the Great Valley, trapin Gustine who reported them to the
ping and drowning a few cows or
paleontologists at U.C. Berkeley.
other creatures along the way.
The bones were added to the
Their carcasses would have
Berkeley collections where they
floated downstream, and eventually the bones could have sunk to remain to this day.
These were big creatures, as
the sea floor. I bring up this point
much as 30 or 35 feet long. They
because the sediments of the
Great Valley Group have in fact were plant-eaters, and were among
yielded a few dinosaur fossils, the last of the dinosaurs, along with
and they probably did originate in Triceratops and the tyrannosaurs.
Bennison's discovery made news at
a river flood.
the time, but few people in our
county are aware of the awesome
paleontological heritage of our
region today. I'm hoping that will
be changing soon as we prepare a
display for the new Great Valley
Museum.
3
Manager’s Notes
T
he Great Valley Museum has a new office technician. Meet Sam Leatherman, a native of Palm Springs. He grew
up in the Mojave Desert, but he ended up graduating from a high school in the Sacramento area. He went on to get his
B.A. in Church Ministries from SAGU University in Texas. He has been working
with a non-profit, Destiny Christian Church, as a youth director and pastor. While
there, he helped coordinate a two night extravaganza called "Celebrate America". 45,000 people attended this singing and dancing tribute to America. He has
also worked with the Sacramento Kings in a Toys For Tots "give away", where
10,000 bikes and 25,000 toys were given away to underprivileged kids.
At the museum, Sam will handle the school tours, oversee The Nature
Shop, and coordinate the volunteers. Plus, he will be in charge of creating the
museum's newsletter. As you can see, he is vital to the museum.
Sam has many hobbies. He likes to go dancing with Ashley, his wife of
three years. He enjoys working with his hands and reading, especially books on
leadership and fictional thrillers. To say he is a Star Wars fan is an understatement, and you can find him rooting for and watching the Oakland Raiders. Now,
he is also a big fan of the Great Valley Museum.
Next time you are at the museum, stop and meet Sam!
2016 GALA COMMITTEE

George Boodrookas

Diana Loomis

Martha Carter-Bhatti

Roger Gohring

Larry Hockenberry

Sandy Marks

Jodi Karambela

GVM Staff
SCIENCE COLLOQUIUMS
MJC West Campus - Science Community Center
Room: 115; 3:00pm — 4:00pm
12-02-15 “A Light Look at Reversing a Warming Planet”
Des Orsinelli, Engineer
01-27-16 "Autism: Facts, Myths, and What to do After Diagnosis"
Deborah Laffranchini, MJC Child Development
02-03-16 “The Tuolumne River, Stanislaus County’s Water Lifeline”
Peter Drekmeier, Tuolumne River Trust
02-10-16 Darwin Day Talk
02-17-16 “Modesto’s Water Supply”
Will Wong, Modesto City Engineer
02-24-16 “Modesto’s Water Reuse Program”
Will Wong, Modesto City Engineer
Many Gathered for Grand Opening!
T
wo dozen people braved the rain on Monday night, November 2nd to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new collection and curation building. Officially, the building is titled the Great Valley Museum Education Demonstration Center. It is
located behind the north-west corner of the museum. This new building is a climate controlled storage area complete with a
freezer room and a secure vault for prized possessions. All the collections of the museum were on display in their storage
locations that rainy night. It was quite amazing to see how vast the Osterburg collection is. The building also has a reception/
work area where future classes/gatherings may be held. However, the building will not usually be open to the public.
4
A Wildly Successful Day!
T
he second Saturday of
Sutton' s amazing California Native
October was Wild Planet Day reptiles, and numerous non-profit
at the Great Valley Museum. There organizations from the area, like
was something scientific for young
children to senior citizens and everyone in between at Wild Planet
Day. The activities included making
blue bird boxes to watching 3-D
printing or investigating drones
from Drones for Hire.
McGruff the Crime Prevention
Dog from the MPD and Frank the
Salmon from the US Forest Service
came, much to the delight of all the
small children. There were connect
your bones activities, microscope
explorations, squid and owl pellet
dissections, and wild chemistry experiments. The Enoch's CSI group
did zombie and child-sized CSI
activities. The lobby of the MJC
Science Building ( Science Community Center) was filled with Mike
Membership
Categories
$40
Senior
$50
Individual
$120
Family
$250
School
$300
Other Groups
Business
Tuolumne River Trust, U.S. Wildlife, showing how to conserve water. MID, Morris Nursery and the
City of Modesto also generously
donated their time to demonstrate
water conservation techniques.
The MJC Geology club served up
their brontosaurus burgers and
sold out to the hungry crowd.
There was so much going on
that it created a strong feeling of a
science community. Over 1,000
people participated, including volunteers. Plus, there were many
family groups who enjoyed themselves tremendously.
Thanks to generous donations
from Roger Gohring and Foster
Farms, all the admission fees were
strictly profit for the museum's children's science projects.
If you didn't go, you missed a
fun-filled SCIENCE day. Mark your
calendars and plan to attend next
year when Wild Planet Day will be
the last week-end in September.
The Bat Lady is returning.
Jose Gonzales as a Scientist at the "
Take a Scientist Selfie " room
Here is how you benefit by becoming a member:
*Free admission to the Museum
*10% discount in the Museum Store
*Discounts on class and program fees
*Valley Views Newsletter
*Resource materials for checkout
*Discounts on Planetarium Shows
Name _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip ______________________________________________________
Phone ____________________________________________________________
E-mail ____________________________________________________________
$500
Small Business
$1000
Standard
$2000
Premium
Visa/Master Card accepted online or inside the Nature Shop
$5000
Elite
http://mkt.com/great-valley-museum-at-mjc/membership
Check payable to the Great Valley Museum, 2201 Blue Gum Ave., Modesto, CA 95358
5
GIFTS, MEMORIALS, PERIODIC TABLE
he Great Valley Museum has a nice way to remember a deceased relative or friend, or to acknowledge a
birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. You can make a memorial contribution or recognition gift to the Great
Valley Museum in someone’s name. We acknowledge your gift in three ways: with a thank you to you, with a note to
the family or honoree saying that you have made a donation and specifying the occasion, and with a listing in Valley
Views.
DONATIONS
EVELYN ELEMS
NEW MEMBERS
Roger Gohring
Jerome & Corrine Robson
John Gallo
Tana & Brian Dennen
Save Mart Supermarkets
Foster Farms c/o Sharon
Farmer (Wild Planet Day)
Diana Loomis (Wild Planet
Day)
Teri Curtis (Wild Planet Day)
Karin Mettler (Wild Planet Day)
Linda Brzezinski (Wild Planet
Day)
Jim & Joyce Fisher
Carole Davis
Marjorie Hickman
Sue Husted
Richard Avant &
Denise Godbout-Avant
Elizabeth Woodley
George & Marie Bairey
Diana Loomis
John Flemate
Molly Flemate
Marilyn Spiegel
Alice Takeda
Josh Bridegroom
Karen M. Sutton/Ron
Warren
Herb Helbig
Kevin & Esther Knobel
Scott McRitchie
Marilyn McRitchie
Delwin & Karen Tiffin
Shelly Scribner
Jerome and Corrine
Robson
Annette Coury
Mary Cook
Clorinda Otte
Tricia Turner
Scott McRitchie
M.A.P.S. Lectures

12/4/15 Making Fuels from Sunlight, Water and Air — Frances Houle; Chemist Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis - Department Head for Science of Large
Scale Systems - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

01/29/16 El Niño and Its Influence on California Climate — Noah Hughes; Professor of Earth Science,
MJC - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

02/26/16 Can stem cells or DNA manipulation prolong life expectancy? — Brian Kennedy; Biologist,
CEO and President of the Buck Institute for research on aging - MJC East Campus Auditorium 7:30pm

03/25/16 Can desalination solve California’s water problems? — Tom Luster; Analyst with the California Coastal Commission - MJC West Campus Sierra Hall 132 7:30pm

04/15/16 Mini Symposium on Climate Change — Daniel Kammen (UCB) and Linda Rudolph (Public
Health Institute) - MJC West Campus Mary Stuart Rogers Student Center **6:30pm - 9:30pm
6
WINTER 2 0 1 5 C A L E N D A R F O R T H E G RE A T V A L L E Y M U SE U M
For full details of events mentioned here call the museum at ( 2 0 9 ) 5 7 5 - 6 1 9 6 or view web www.mjc.edu/gvm
UNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
2 *Science
3
Colloquium 3pm
1
DECEMBER
7
8
9
11 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
10
OPEN 12pm-4pm
13
14
15
16
21
22
18 Open 9am-4pm
*Bookworms 10am
19 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
24 Closed
23
12 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
17
OPEN 12pm-4pm
20
SATURDAY
5 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
*MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132
OPEN 12pm-4pm
6
FRIDAY
4 Open 9am-4pm
Science Night 7pm-10pm
*Bookworms 10am
25 Christmas Day - Closed 26 Closed
OPEN 9am-4pm
27
29 Closed
28
SUNDAY
MONDAY
30 Closed
TUESDAY
31 Closed
WEDNESDAY
3
4
5
6
10
11
12
13
THURSDAY
7
JANUARY
18
19
20
24
31
25
26
27*Science
28
Colloquium 3pm
22 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
21
29 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
WEDNESDAY
3 *Science
4
Colloquium 3pm
FEBRUARY
OPEN 12pm-4pm
7
8
9
10 *Science
11
Colloquium 3pm
14
15
16
17 *Science
18
Colloquium 3pm
OPEN 12pm-4pm
OPEN 12pm-4pm
21
22
23
24 *Science
25
Colloquium 3pm
OPEN 12pm-4pm
28
23 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
30 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
*MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132
OPEN 12pm-4pm
TUESDAY
16 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
OPEN 12pm-4pm
2
9 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
17
MONDAY
8 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
15 Open 9am-4pm
*Bookworms 10am
14
OPEN 12pm-4pm
1
SATURDAY
2 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
OPEN 12pm-4pm
SUNDAY
FRIDAY
1 Closed
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
5 Open 9am-4pm
Science Night 7pm-10pm
*Bookworms 10am
SATURDAY
6 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
12 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
13 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
19 Open 9am-4pm
*Bookworms 10am
*Planetarium Shows
26 Open 9am-4pm
*Animal Show 10am
20
2016
GALA
27 Open 9am-4pm
Planetarium Shows
*Planetarium Shows
*MAPS 7:30pm, Sierra Hall 132
29
THE AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE & NATURAL HISTORY
MUSEUM PUBLIC HOURS
Tuesday - Thursday: 12:00pm - 4:00pm
9:00am - 4:00pm
Friday & Saturday:
MUSEUM ADMISSION :
12 & Over:
$5
Children 3-12:
$3
Family– (up to 6):
$15
Age 55+:
$4
MJC students w/ID:
Free
Call for group prices
Parking M-F:
$2
CONNECT WITH US:
Phone (209) 575 - 6196
Fax (209) 575 - 6466
Email: [email protected]
Email Traveling Teachers:
[email protected]
Web Page: www.mjc.edu/gvm
Like us: facebook.com/
greatvalleymuseum
Twitter: @gvmatmjc
MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President:
Vice President:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
YCCD Board Representative:
YCCD Representative:
Roger Gohring
Jeff Kahler, DVM
Diana Loomis
Larry Hockenbery
Martha Carter-Bhatti
Jodi Karambela
Vacant
Tim Fisher
James McAndrews
Anne DeMartini
Dr. Al Alt
Elizabeth McInnes
Deborah Martin
Denise Vieira
Joyce Stetler
MUSEUM STAFF
Museum Interim Manager: Arnold Chavez
Museum Specialist-Outreach Education: Molly Flemate
Museum Office Technician: Samuel Leatherman
Senior Curator: Stan W. Elems
Curator of Vertebrates: Guy Van Cleave
Curator: Teri Curtis
Valley views designed by Museum Staff
WINTER 2015/16
Current Resident or