FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A SPECIAL REPORT FROM
THE VISION FORUM, INC.
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HOME SCHOOL EXPEDITION UNCOVERS
RARE ALLOSAUR and GIANT SAUROPOD
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COLORADO, May 20 -- A dinosaur fossil expedition for home educators
sponsored by Vision Forum and Creation Expeditions has excavated a rare,
large, intact Allosaurus measuring more than 22 feet in length, 10 feet in
height, with a complete skull more than a yard long. Allosaurs are
believed to be a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, and differ from
the T. rex primarily in size and cranial capacity.
Under the leadership of Vision Forum president Doug Phillips, an
adjunct professor of apologetics with the Institute for Creation Research,
and Peter DeRosa, a veteran archaeologist and paleontologist with Creation
Expeditions, the team of thirty home educators spent a week hunting for
and excavating fossils in a privately owned location in the Skull Creek
Basin of Northwest Colorado.
Of the thirty-seven Allosaurs which have been discovered around the
globe, only thirteen have been found with more than twenty-five percent of
the fossilized remains intact. Of those thirteen, only three complete
skulls have ever been recovered. The Skull Creek Allosaur not only
provides the world with the fourth complete skull, but nearly seventy
percent of the animal has already been found which lends credence to
speculation that it may prove to be the best-preserved and most
fully-articulated allosaur yet to be excavated.
"Most people do not realize that there is a tremendous paucity of
dinosaur bones available to scientists," said Doug Phillips. "Ninety-five
percent of all the fossils in the world are marine invertebrates.
Ninety-five percent of the remaining five percent are plants. The vast
majority of the rest of the fossil record is fish and insects. Only a
fraction of a percent of the remaining fossil record includes land
vertebrates, and those finds usually consist of less than one bone. To
find a complete Allosaur is simply historic."
FOSSILS POINT to RELATIVELY RECENT
and CATASTROPHIC BURIAL
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The significance of the find arises not only from its rarity, but
also from the circumstances surrounding the death of the animal.
"The evidence strongly points to a relatively recent and catastrophic
event similar to that described in the Bible as the Flood of Noah's day,"
said Pete DeRosa.
"We found a complete section of vertebrae more than twelve feet in
length which was fully articulated. The dinosaur appears to be in much the
same position as he was at the time of his death and burial, which must
have been virtually instantaneous, and caused by a catastrophic event. Not
only was this fully articulated dinosaur found laying in a bed of leaves
and plant debris, but there is wood from trees mixed in among the bones,
some of which contains petrified and non-petrified elements in the same
piece of wood. If this creature were millions of years old, the evidence
would look quite different."
The discovery of such a valuable dinosaur by creation scientists
could send shockwaves through the scientific community. Phillips notes
that "up to now, a well-funded and insular community of evolutionary
theorists have dominated the field of paleontology, directing most of the
large dinosaur finds to research and museums committed to interpreting the
fossil evidence through the faith-driven assumptions of evolution. To
have a dinosaur of this size and significance within the camp of
scientists committed to the creation model is nothing short of a coup
d'etat."
The DeRosas, who have a contract on the fossil rights to the property
and own the right to the material they excavate, had been working the site
well in advance of the arrival of the home school expedition. Their
preliminary work over a period of months led them to believe that they had
an allosaurus, but it was not until the Vision Forum home school
expedition arrived and preformed the heavy lifting of moving a lot of
dirt, that evidence was found to validate their suspicions.
HOME SCHOOL FATHER FINDS ALLOSAURUS SKULL
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As often happens with fossil expeditions, the discovery of the
Allosaur skull came at the last moment of the last day of the trip. With
just minutes to go before calling quits on the expedition, Dr. Bruce
Bellamy, a home school father from Clinton, Missouri, broke dirt on what
would prove to be the neck vertebrae leading up to the skull.
"I placed a $250 bounty on anyone who found the skull," Phillips
said. "It was just a small incentive for my team, of course. The actual
skull could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Last week, Pete DeRosa brought in a fresh team of professional
excavators to plaster jack the skull and remove it from the ground for
laboratory preservation. It is not yet known when the skull will be
available for viewing.
GIANT "BEHEMOTH" SAUROPOD UNCOVERED
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Dr. Bellamy was not the only one to uncover a last minute prize. Just
yards away on a second site, nine-year-old home schooler Haley Meadows was
dusting away dirt with her brush when she found the claws to a 100-foot
Sauropod, presently believed to be of the rare Ultrasaurus variety.
"What is amazing about this sauropod is the fact that it constitutes
an entire hill," Phillips said. "This is an enormous and impressive
creature. Everywhere we dig, we seem to be finding more bones -- from
six-foot femurs to ribs to vertebrae.
HOME SCHOOL ADVENTURE TURNS
INTO HISTORY-MAKING EXCAVATION
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Excavating a fully articulated dinosaur is a highly specialized,
expensive, and technical task -- for which the DeRosa family was well
prepared.
"We were blessed to be under the supervision of Pete DeRosa and his
entire staff from Creation Expeditions," Phillips said. "These guys are a
top-notch team with hundreds of digs behind them and more than a decade of
experience working on some of the most interesting fossil sites in the
world. I think everyone was impressed by their professionalism, their
knowledge, and their passion for excellence."
Home educators paying $995 per person were treated to a rare
opportunity to study dinosaurs, learn excavation techniques, and actually
uncover world-class dinosaur bones on a privately owned site once
described by National Geographic as one of the fifty best fossil dig sites
in the world.
"The home schoolers on this trip paid for the privilege of shoveling
dirt, hacking at rocks, and the possibility that some of them might
uncover dinosaur bones," Phillips said. "Many of our guests came with
minimal expectations, but the dig proved successful beyond the imagination
of both trip sponsors and participants. There is not one child in a
million who gets an opportunity like this. This is what home education is
all about."
"Learning paleontology and excavation techniques from a godly, highly
experienced team of expert paleontologists, has not just been a highlight
of our family's home school experience, but one of the greatest
experiences God has ever given to my family," Phillips said.
"I have been lecturing on dinosaurs and creation for years, but this
was the first time I ever had the thrill of sitting with my boys on the
edge of a cliff and uncovering a behemoth femur or a Stegosaurus plate,"
Phillips said. "It is difficult to describe the exhilaration to know that
you are uncovering something very similar to the animal described by Job
as the great 'behemoth,' an animal which in this case died and was buried
during the Flood of Noah's day, and which has remained unseen by the eyes
of man for thousands of years. Incredible!"
THE FOSSIL SITE MAY YIELD
GREATER DISCOVERIES YET
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For many, the fact that creation scientists have broken through the
monopoly on paleontology with access to such a fossil-rich treasure trove
is the real story.
"The story behind the location of this site is perhaps the greatest
miracle," said DeRosa. "Through a series of remarkable events, more than
120 acres fell into the hands of the current owners, a Christian home
schooling couple committed to biblical creationism."
The owners, an evangelical Christian couple who home educate their
own children, have been approached by museums, television networks, and
leading evolutionists who have expressed a strong interest in the fossils
found on the property.
"I am sure the evolutionists would love to get their hands on these
bones. Who can blame them," Phillips said. "It is like a goldmine for
paleontologists."
Creation Expeditions, which believes the land may contain dozens of
more fully articulated dinosaurs, hopes to be excavating the site for
years.
VISION FORUM to SPONSOR TWO MORE FOSSIL DIGS
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A similar fossil recovery expedition is planned in the first week of
February 2002, for the Peace and Rainbow Rivers of Florida, where the team
hopes to recover fossilized mammoth, megalodon, woolly rhino, giant sloth,
giant beaver, and other ice age creatures. A recent expedition by the
DeRosas to these locations uncovered the largest fully articulated mammoth
jaw in the world.
A dinosaur dig to the Colorado location is planned for May 2-6. Last
year's dig was filled within about a week of the announcement by e-mail.
Terms and application requirements for the 2003 Dino Dig will not be
announced until later this year. However, if you would like to be
considered with members of your family for a spot on the 2003 trip, you
can send your contact information to Brian Howell at
brian@visionforum.com. Space will be limited to just thirty.
VISION FORUM to RELEASE DOCUMENTARY
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Vision Forum is planning to release a video documentary on the
historic Dragon's Den Expedition in the future.
For more information on the creation work of Vision Forum, go to
http://www.visionforum.com. To read about the ministry and conferences of
Vision Forum Ministries, visit http://www.visionforum.org. For information
on supporting the work of Vision Forum Ministries in its efforts to
communicate the Gospel through creation, click here:
http://www.visionforum.org/sections/support/
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For Press Contacts with Pete DeRosa or Doug Phillips, call Bob Renaud
at (210) 364-6647, or e-mail him at bob@visionforum.com.
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Feedback - e-news@visionforum.com
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