CVAAS Newsletter

This event starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. We will be trying a new venue - the back room of Marie Callender's, on Blackstone just South of Nees, located at 7825 N. Blackstone Ave (see map)

The month of February kicked off the CVAAS “Year of Darwin”. This is our effort to explore the many different converging lines of evidence for the evolution of life, and the age of our universe and our Earth.

Darwin Day Dinner

CVAAS celebrated Darwin Day with a dinner presentation given by California State University, Fresno biologist Dr. Madhusudan Katti.

Dr. Katti spoke of Darwin’s travels aboard the Beagle, and what Darwin saw while visiting the Galapagos Islands. We then focused on the Galapagos finches, and how they were used to create and test the theory of Natural Selection, one component of the theory of Evolution.

The talk turned into a discussion, and we put Dr. Katti on the spot with our questions. The robustness of any theory is tested by the testable predictions that it makes, and Darwin’s theory makes several of these. For instance, Darwin thought that the Earth’s crust is not fixed in place, and he predicted a mechanism for heredity – sciences now called Plate Tectonics and Genetics.

CVAAS members also took a tour of the traveling exhibit, “Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight” that was hosted at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. There were 25 actual fossils in this exhibit dating from 125 million years ago, from the fossil quarries of Liaoning, China. The rest of the exhibit consisted of fossil replications, exhibits that compared the morphology of these dinosaurs to modern birds, and some beautiful sculpted recreations of what a feathered dinosaur might look like.

Dr. Katti again took some time to explain to us what is, and what is not known about the origin of birds. The most contentious issue is the avian phylogenetic tree, which describes just where it is that birds split from more traditional dinosaurs. Some studies indicate that the class Aves branched off much longer ago than what was originally believed. There is a lot of very active discussion on this among paleontologists, who have yet to come to a consensus.

Before anyone takes my words out of context, I would like to assure readers that the modern theory of Evolution is not endangered! The discussion is not whether or not Evolution is wrong, but instead it is over the mechanics of how these creatures evolved!

The International Astronomical Union, together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has declared 2009 the “International Year of Astronomy”.

This is extremely important because of the impact that Astronomy has on the other sciences. Astronomy relates closely with physics, chemistry and meteorology, and is very concerned with how the universe formed and developed, and how celestial objects have formed and evolved.

40% of all Americans have never seen a starry sky – even more have never seen the Milky Way. During a recent appearance on the David Letterman show, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson remarked that he had grown up in the Bronx in New York City, where light pollution made star gazing impossible. Dr. Tyson said that the first time he traveled outside of New York to a place where he could see the Milky Way; he thought it was a hoax!

According to the National Science Foundation, 30% of American regard Astrology as “sort of scientific”, and 46% of Americans believe that God created humankind within the last ten thousand years. But there is some good news. Pseudoscientific and supernatural views decrease with education. These numbers fall dramatically for those who are college educated. They also fall for anyone who has received almost any sort of training in the sciences.

And what better way to train a child in science than to give him or her a telescope and tell them to point it up?

This is one of the cornerstone goals for the International Year of Astronomy. In order to accomplish this, organizers wanted to provide children with a telescope powerful enough to see the rings of Saturn. Normally such a telescope could be bought from a store like Wal-Mart for about $100. However careful research is needed to find a telescope that was not only powerful, but also easy to use and capable of delivering a clear image with no chromatic aberration.

This is obviously not something that many American families could research, let alone afford in today’s economy.

So, organizers of the IYA invented the Galileoscope ™ - a, “high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators”. From the Galileoscope website:

The Galileoscope comes as a kit with simple instructions for no-tools assembly in 5 minutes or less. Its achromatic optics include a 50-mm-diameter objective lens of focal length 500 mm, an eyepiece of focal length 20 mm (magnification 25x), and a 2x Barlow lens (yielding 50x when used with the supplied eyepiece). The Galileoscope accepts almost any optical accessory that has a standard 1¼-inch (31¾-mm) barrel, and it attaches to virtually every tripod made or distributed anywhere in the world. (A tripod is not included with the kit; you'll have to supply your own.)

It’s a high quality, 50x scope with no chromatic distortion, and it can be used with standard optical accessories. How much is it?

This is a good deal – and difficult to pass up. There is also a donor program for those who are interested in donating Galileoscopes to aspiring young astronomers.

I checked out ordering one of these telescopes for our trip to Amboy in April, but there is an order backlog at this time, and as of this writing new orders will not be delivered until late April or May.

CVAAS has been planning a 515 million-year road trip into the past. The town of Amboy now sits where a vast shallow equatorial sea used to exist long ago. This sea was rich with life. Some of this life, such as snails, clams, and some forms of worms we would recognize today. But much of the sea was dominated by many different kinds of Trilobite – a creature that paleontologist Richard Fortey called, “the beetle of the Cambrian period”.

The Marble Mountains, near Amboy, contain the Latham Shale formation, which is the most productive trilobite location in California. The trilobites found here are of the order Redlichiida, and family Olenellidae. Redlichiida are one of the first arthropods to appear in the fossil record.

If you would like to be part of this trip, please send an email to info@cvaas.org, or you may sign up on the trip event page.

If you are interested in joining us to collect a fossil of your own, here is what you need to know:

Departure time - On Saturday, April 11th, we will start gathering at the Starbucks located at highway 41 & Shields at 6 a.m. to get coffee and discuss the trip map. (see map) We will be on the road by 7 a.m. We will return late Sunday night – but anyone who wants to leave earlier may do so.

Lodging - Most of us will be camping overnight at Amboy. If you don’t want to camp the nearest motel is the Ludlow Motel (see map). Although it is only 28 miles away, it is still a 45-50 minute drive. Rates are $56.00 for double occupancy. Call (760) 733-4338 for reservations. The next closest accommodations are in Barstow, about an hour and 49 minutes away.

Amenities at Amboy – there are almost no amenities at Amboy. There are no restaurants, and no potable water other than the bottled water sold at Roy’s, for $1.00 per 16 oz bottle. There are bathrooms and sinks that we can use, but they use local well water that is not drinkable. Jack Marcus of Amboy says that there is a place we can camp that does have picnic tables.

Weather – According to the Farmer’s Almanac, Amboy will have temperatures as low as 45 degrees at night and 80 degrees during the day. It averages out to about 51-79 degrees in April. There may be morning fog, but it is extremely unlikely that it will rain. There will probably be a persistent breeze from about 5 to 20 miles per hour. It is likely to be sunny and very dry. These conditions are likely to dry you out very quickly, so be prepared!

What to bring – camping gear & personal gear. You should dress for protection against the sun and the breeze, and be prepared for rough terrain and a somewhat difficult, short hike. Hiking shoes or boots are good. You must bring water with you on this trip. A gallon per day per person is recommended for drinking, with additional water for cooking if you plan to do so. A tent will protect you against the breeze and overly friendly desert critters, and a couple of blankets or moderate fill sleeping bag will protect you against the night time temperatures.

Bring some way of carrying water to the dig. We will be at the dig for several hours both days, and it will be difficult to return to camp or to a vehicle to get more water.

Sun block lotion and a moisturizing lip protection of some sort are also recommended.

At least two of us will bring our gas grills, if anyone else wants to do the same you are welcome to do so – or you can use our grills. If anyone wants to designate themselves the “Camp Chef” and take up cooking duties – please volunteer via an email to info@cvaas.org.

CVAAS Vice President Richard Moore has generously allowed us to take his 6 person camping tent trailer along with us. If you don't have a tent and want a spot in the trailer, send an email to info@cvaas.org. We should also have some free spots in other people's tents if you want to share a tent. The tent trailer also has cooking facilities.

What to bring – tools. The most basic tool you will need is a geological hammer. Fortunately, chisel-edge geological hammers are identical to brick hammers, and can easily be found here in town. The best hammers are made by Estwing, and come in 3 models. The E3-16BLC, (16 oz) the E3-20BLC, (20 oz), and the E3-24BLC, (24 oz). Although all these hammers have the same length, the head has different weights. You should pick a weight that you are comfortable with. I’ve tested all of these now, and am most comfortable with the 20 oz hammer. One of these hammers will cost you about $25-$35 dollars. You can find them in Lowes, Home Depot, Fresno Ag (see map), and at National Hardware Supply (see map). There are other brick hammers that are almost as good – make sure you get one that is forged with the head and handle as one piece, as these are the most durable.

The next basic tools to bring are a cold chisel, mallet, and a prybar. An 8” cold chisel will cost $7 at Lowes, and a 12” will cost $9.50 at Wal-mart. Rubber headed mallets are $5 at Lowes. (Don’t use your rock hammer as a mallet, or you will damage your hammer.) You should also bring a small prybar of some sort. Lowes sells a “Stanley Wonder Bar” for $9, Wal-mart has a smaller prybar for $5. Don't bother bringing a larger prybar or sledge hammer, we already have those and one is enough.

It is very important that you bring eye protection and gloves. Goggles & gloves at Wal-Mart are about $5-$10 each, depending on what you get.

For collecting the fossils, you will need to bring something to protect them from travel damage. Bubble wrap is good, as is newspaper and soft cloth (dishtowels will work.) Bring a knapsack or backpack or sturdy book bag that you can use to carry both your tools and your treasure.

Do not attempt to do any fine or detail work on your newly found fossil while at the dig, or even while on the trip! Fossil cleanup takes a lot of very careful work to make them look good. Dental picks and Exacto-blades and a quiet location with lots of free time are recommended. Trying to clean up a fossil on location is an excellent way to destroy it!

No, we're not asking anyone to be a camp counselor - we just need people to volunteer to help at the Camp Quest West table at this year's Camp Fair - right here in Fresno! The Camp Fair is sponsored by Central California Parents Monthly.

Camp Quest is the first secular summer camp for youth in the history of the United States. It was founded in 1996 and is, "designed for children of agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, humanists, and others who hold a naturalistic world view".

Camp Quest West is one of 6 camps in the Camp Quest organization, and this year's camp will be held near Nevada City, California.

In order to advertise, Camp Quest West has reserved a table at the 2009 Camp Fair, held at the People's Church Gym. Date: April 2nd 2009; Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Address: 7172 N. Cedar Ave. (see map)

The sponsor for this event is Camp Quest West Camp Director Chris Lindstrom. Chris says that:

We've got a very nice display with equal time for

1) Camp Dates/Times
2) "It's OK to be Non-religious/atheist/humanist/freethinker"
3) "Science on the Brain".

We'll be using our "Big Wheel of Science" to entertain the youngsters while we sell to the parents. It's pretty easy & wherever I go - I always find more secular folks than people expect.

The National Day of Reason is Thursday, May 7th. CVAAS would like you to go to the blood center at any time during that day, and donate blood in the name of Reason, for CVAAS. If you're planning to donate blood soon, please wait to do so until this date. You are not allowed to donate more often than once every8 weeks.

Watch the website and upcoming newsletters for more information.

The San Joaquin Valley Paleontology Foundation is creating the Fossil Discovery Center, located on Avenue 21 1/2 and Road 19 1/2, in Madera County. (see map) The Discovery Center is due for completion in August or September, and as it nears completion there will be a need for volunteers. Volunteers will be needed for docents, guides, display & exhibit designers, fossil preparation volunteers and children’s program staff. If you would like to be a part of this, send an email to info@cvaas.org.

This is a 60 to 80 minute walk through one of California’s biggest caverns, the California cavern. Tour groups are taught about cavern formation and geology, and treated to lots of different cavern formations. This tour is only available during the dry seasons. The California Cavern is about 3 ½ hours from Fresno, about 49 miles North East of Stockton CA. It would be a good excuse to get out of the heat of the Central Valley in July or August.

This event needs an event sponsor. Would you like to volunteer? If so, send an email to info@cvaas.org.

Welcome to the March edition of the CVAAS monthly newsletter.