Two of Earth’s Earliest Fossil Forests: Gilboa and Cairo with Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten

Rocks and fossils of the Catskills tell us about this place long before dinosaurs. Earth’s oldest forests were scattered across these lands then, with primitive plants and animals. For ~100 years, Earth’s oldest known fossil forest was at Gilboa. Discovered in 2009, the older Cairo Fossil Forest stole Gilboa’s claim to fame. The Cairo Forest provides new views of these forests – root impressions of large trees, showing where each tree stood ~385,000,000 years ago. Join us for a walk and talk.

Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten is curator of Sedimentary Rocks and a geologist at the New York State Museum in Albany. His research focuses on the geology and history of the Devonian Period (~420 to 360 million years ago) in New York and beyond. You may find him along trails, cliffs and roadcuts in the Catskills region, scouring the rocks for clues to New York’s deep time history.

Tickets are free for members and a $10 suggested donation for non-members. Reservations are required for this program.