Rock and Fossil Room
First to open in the new museum space is our Rock and Fossil Room which underwent a complete transformation from its old displays. We’ve curated these new rocks and fossil displays from around the world to help people learn about the story of the earth.
Our displays are organized to help visitors learn about the beginning of the earth, volcanoes, the rock cycle, gems and minerals, and the evolution of life. Our fossil displays are from the Paleozoic to the Holocene, and include authentic fossils and replicas.
Haertel Mineral Collection
In 1989, Mr. And Mrs. George Haertel of Stevens Point donated more than 1,000 rocks and minerals to the UWSP Museum of Natural History. These specimens on display represent only a fraction of that donation. Most of the collection remains catalogued and stored for research and study purposes.
The Museum houses multiple specimens from Krukowski Quarry in central Wisconsin. There are items from the Morrison formation in Utah, the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, the Sentinel Butte formation in North Dakota, the Green River Formation in Colorado, and the Mazon Creek fossil beds in Illinois. We also have fossils and replicas from Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kansas, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, California, Canada, Scotland, China, Germany, Morocco, Madagascar, and Colombia.
Discovery Room
A space for educational tools, sensory activities. This is an all-ages museum space for hands-on science! Some of the opportunities include touch tables, microscopes, clay, and fossil rubbings.
COMING EVENTS:
Collection Crawl
Collection Crawl is the Museum’s annual open house, typically on the first Saturday in April. It’s a chance for us to showcase a wide variety of museum specimens from all of our collections. Participants can spend hours visiting collection sites around campus and engaging in science games and activities with our staff and volunteers. Ask questions and participate in fun activities at each stop. Maybe even hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach or pet some reptiles! The Blocher Planetarium will feature two shows during the event.