Paleontological Research Institution

Reminder: Museum in the Dark is TOMORROW (10/28) from 6-8 pm! Come dressed in costume and learn about space!

EVENT ALERT: Museum in the Dark is next Wednesday (10/28) from 6-8 pm! In cooperation with Cornell University’s Astronomy Graduates Network, members of the club will have stations throughout the Museum dedicated to space exploration. Come dressed in costume and learn about space!

It's that time again! Join us tonight at 7 pm EST for another riveting Science in the Virtual Pub lecture entitled "From Titanic to Tuckpointing: The Science of Material Conservation" with Dr. Lauren Allsopp (Senior Global Futures Scholar, Arizona State University). https://ow.ly/qKMt5100eWl

REMINDER: The Museum will be closed today for repairs. See you on Thursday!

IMPORTANT: Museum of the Earth will be closed tomorrow (Monday, October 19, 2026) for repairs. See you on Thursday, October 22 during our normally scheduled hours (10 am to 5 pm)!

The last few days of the "Art, Unearthed" auction are here! Check out some of the hidden gems of our collection that haven't received any bids yet: 1: "Lucifer Falls, Enfield" 2: "Whence" 3: "Family Shabbat" 4: "Hyde Park Mastodon" priweb.org/auction

Today, we wanted to showcase two prehistoric prizes from our "Art, Unearth" auction! Both are of PRI's Hyde Park Mastodon; one by Thomas Dimock (left), and one by Quint Brahler (right). Make sure to place your bid on them before they're sold out! priweb.org/auction

Happy National Fossil Day, everyone! What better way to celebrate than to appreciate art that brings fossils to life? "Trilobite," Foster and Barker (left) "Dinosaur Tracks," Barbara Page (right) Be a part of our "Art, Unearthed" auction and bid from now until October 18! priweb.org/auction

Join us for our upcoming Volunteer Open House! You'll learn more about our organization, meet our staff, and get a sense for the many ways you can get involved. The event will be informal, snacks will be provided, and you can come and go anytime between 2 and 4 PM. See you there!

Museum hours update: Museum of the Earth will be open for Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, October 12, 2026, during our normally scheduled hours (10 am to 5 pm). See you at the Museum!

Today's the day! We're excited to launch "Art, Unearthed," a virtual auction of paleoart. Bidding is open through October 18, with proceeds supporting Earth science education and research at PRI. Bid early and bid often! www.priweb.org/auction

Our upcoming "Art, Unearthed" virtual auction (October 11-18) includes a collection called "Ancient Microworlds," which is made up of several dozen framed high-magnification prints of fossils curated by Giraud Foster and Norman Barker in 2000. Auction link coming soon!

EVENT ALERT: PRI will be hosting an online art auction called "Art, Unearthed" from October 11-18!.When you bid on pieces from our catalogue, you just might unearth something amazing!!! The auction web link will be published on the 11th. Bid early and bid often!

Teachers, remember to join us for Teacher Resource Day TOMORROW from 9 am to 1 pm! The first 50 registrants receive a gift bag! Full details in our previous post. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYix30LxKtjdqk2nnJ-pZaN9jj7G6K_3TY7FlxCzuqb14stQ/viewform

Teacher Resource Day is this Saturday at the Museum! PRI's annual Teacher Resource Day has tables full of free fossil and geological specimens and other educational materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. The event is free and exclusively for teachers. See you there!

Important update: The TreeTops Treehouse at Cayuga Nature Center will be temporarily closed for repairs starting on November 1st. Make sure you visit it while you still can!

Happy fall, everyone! To celebrate, join us for our first Science in the Virtual Pub tomorrow night (Thursday, 9/24) at 7 pm! To register, please use this link: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkcOyqqj4iH92h7ai5tUrpKlP6QwHLm6ZL#/registration

Calling all teachers! Our Climate Education Resource Fair is happening TOMORROW (9/21) from 4 to 7 pm!!! The evening will include workshops, tabling from a range of organizations, a light dinner, and time for networking. See you there! Register here: https://bit.ly/IthacaClimateWeek2026

This Sunday from 5 to 7 pm, join us for a sensory friendly Museum experience for visitors of all ages and abilities! This event provides an opportunity for visitors with Sensory Processing Disorder, or other developmental disabilities to enjoy a more sensory-friendly experience at the Museum.

Calling all teachers! One week from today (9/22) from 4 to 7 pm, Museum of the Earth will be hosting a Climate Education Resource Fair, featuring two workshops, and a whole slew of tablers representing Ithacan climate organizations. Register here: https://bit.ly/IthacaClimateWeek2026

New apparel has reached the Museum store! Pick up a t-shirt or a hoodie while they're still in stock!!! 👕

Want to see how the amount of precipitation and snowfall has changed since you were born? We have a new handy tool on our website that helps with just that! Check it out now: https://climate.earthathome.org/other-resources/climate-change-central-ny/

Are you planning your wedding or special gathering and are looking for a venue? Museum of the Earth is here to help! Check out our brand new venue rental page for more info: https://www.museumoftheearth.org/rentals

Happy September! As with every first weekend, this weekend (Saturday-Sunday) is pay-what-you-wish weekend at Museum of the Earth! Come visit now!!!

Another fossil collecting trip is in the books! Thank you to all of the folks who travelled all the way out to Schoharie, NY to join us for the trip, and a special thank you to the folks at the Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology for giving us access to their fantastic caves!

Did you know that Museum of the Earth sells coffee??? We are proud to be the only place in Ithaca that sells Geological Time Coffee! Pick up the beans from our gift shop or from our online store now, and brew your coffee while contemplating geological history! ☕️

Join us in less than an hour for our one of our last Tree Buds Phenology Walks of the season! Meet us at 3 pm in front of the Cayuga Nature Center Lodge to observe and collect data on seasonal changes in trees. See you there! 🍃 🍁 🍂

Tomorrow (and every Saturday) is Fossil ID Day at the Museum! If you found a rock in your backyard that you think might be a fossil, Dr. Maureen Bickley is here to help. Stop by the Prep Lab anytime between 10 am and 5 pm for help identifying your fossil!!!

Attention: the last of the 4 Potorti Gorge Walks will be this Friday from 10 to 11:30 am at Taughannock Falls State Park. We'll meet in the parking lot on the west side of Rt 89, near the start of the trails and the Lower Falls. See you there!

Museum of the Earth wants to extend a massive thank you to everyone who voted for us in the Museum category in this year's Finger Lakes Favorites! With all of your support, we were able to take the Gold (as well as the Silver for the Event Venue category)!!!

This Friday, August 22nd (10 to 11:30 am) is your second to last chance to attend one of our James Potorti Gorge Walks! For this installment, we'll explore the fascinating geological record of Watkins Glen State Park. See you there!

Are you a teacher in the area? Would you like to teach your students about the harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Cayuga Lake? Well, then this new module is the perfect thing for you! Check it out now!!! https://climate.earthathome.org/harmful-algal-blooms-habs-and-the-cayuga-lake-watershed/

Check out this incredible blog post about our Museum by one of our former science education interns, Richard Gutierrez! Thank you so much for this, Richard!!! https://richiethedino.com/post/MuseumoftheEarth

Attention all fossil lovers: Fossil ID Day is tomorrow at Museum of the Earth! If you found something that looks like a fossil, come visit Dr. Maureen Bickley from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays for some help identifying it!! 🪨🦖⛏️ #FossilIDDay #MuseumOfTheEarth #FossilLovers

Tomorrow is the 2nd of 4 James Potorti Gorge Walks! Join us at 10 am on August 14th for a calm and educational hike at Buttermilk Falls State Park. Meet at the main entrance (Rt 13), next to the swimming area at the bottom of Buttermilk Falls. See you there!

The Trump administration is spending BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to cancel offshore wind power projects. Let us know what you think by using this link: https://www.museumoftheearth.org/changing-climate/share-your-views

Check out our new blog post, "What’s up with Wetlands: Exploring the Relationship Between Wetlands, Humans, and Climate Change" by Abigail MacAlpine, our Summer 2026 Climate Change Education Outreach Intern! 🚣💦🌱 https://www.priweb.org/blog-post/wetlands-climate-change

Tomorrow is Shark Fest!!! Come to Museum of the Earth from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, August 8th to participate in fun shark-related activities and see some fascinating specimens. See you there!

Tomorrow from 10 to 11:30 am will be the first of 4 James Potorti Interpretive Gorge Walks happening this August! This time we'll meet at Upper Treman Park (at the end of the parking lot that's near the start of the trails). Free registration; parking/park access is paid. See you there!

Attention all fun seekers: Shark Fest is happening this Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm at Museum of the Earth!!! Hope you can join us for a chompin' good time!🦈

Happy Tuesday! We are pleased to announce that Museum of the Earth recently had a live camera feed of our Hyde Park Mastodon installed by Earth Cam! Check out the live feed here: https://mastocam.priweb.org And learn more about our mastodon here: https://www.priweb.org/blog-post/hyde-park-mastodon

Join us for our weekly Tree Buds phenology walk today at 3 pm at the Cayuga Nature Center! Rain or shine, Dr. Ingrid Zabel (our Climate Change Education Manager) will teach folks about the mechanisms behind seasonal changes and how they are influenced by a changing climate. 🌲🍃

Meet Abigail MacAlpine, one of our newest interns! Abigail focuses on harmful algal blooms (HABs) education. Experiment with her miniature “watershed,” create runoff of nutrients and pollution, and test solutions to help protect the lake next time you're at the Museum!

It's that time again! Come to TCPL's BorgWarner room tonight at 5 pm to see our very own Director of Outreach, Rob Ross, in a hands-on program exploring dinosaurs and other amazing ancient vertebrates from the Mesozoic Era. See you there!

It's BioBlitz time again! Join us for this summer's edition from today to Monday. Here's the project page: https://ow.ly/If3Y50ZsmSS As a special addition, we will be leading a guided discovery hike this Saturday, July 25 at 10 am in Dotson Park, Danby, NY. Hope to see you there!

Thank you for coming to our fossil collecting trip last Saturday! If you weren't able to make it this time, we'll have another one on August 29th near Schoharie, NY. Register here: https://ow.ly/7YVj50Zs8r6 Hope you can join us!

Our Museum has a deep commitment to making it possible for anyone to visit us. One such program that supports this mission is YNAP (Young Naturalist Access Program), which provides young people (under the age of 17) who face difficult circumstances with a free one-year membership.

We have another full day of events going on today! Join us for our weekly Tree Buds phenology walk at 3 pm at the Cayuga Nature Center. After that, come see PRI's own Rob Ross teach folks about the Hyde Park Mastodon at 5 pm in TCPL's BorgWarner Room. See your there!

Come to our first fossil hunting trip of the year this Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm! We'll meet near Sheds, NY (~1 hour from Ithaca), and all tools will be provided. To register, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/VLp5PsHsF1E1VypW9 For more info, please contact Rob Ross: ross@priweb.org

Ithaca folks: Please stay inside as much as you can due to the poor air quality! Read all about the wildfire smoke in Ithaca in our new blog post (https://www.priweb.org/blog-post/smoke-aqi), and make sure to visit Museum of the Earth this week, where you can live footloose and smoke free! 🔥🌲