MARLBORO – An annual celebration of the era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth will return to Marlboro on Earth Day, April 22, from noon to 2:30 p.m.
Dinosaur Discovery and Kids Day will be held at the Marlboro Recreation Community Center, Wyncrest Road. Residents of all ages and all towns are welcome to attend. There is no cost to attend.
Dr. Paul Kovalski, a former member of the Marlboro Township Council, has once again organized the event. Guests will receive a free tree sapling, dinosaur related gifts and shark teeth that date back 65 million years.
“I organized this event to celebrate Earth Day and bring awareness to our special natural resources in Marlboro and Monmouth County,” Kovalski said. “We have in the Big Brook tributary system a sensitive wetland ecosystem, a linear green space and one of the top paleontological sites in New Jersey, where dinosaur fossils have been discovered.
“As we celebrate Earth Day we must support the preservation of our environment, not only for ecotourism now, but for the future of our planet,” he said. “Big Brook is a major source of fresh water for the Swimming River Reservoir and a habitat for migrating birds as well as year-round residents. And in the marl beds – marl is a clay-like substance that is used as a fertilizer and from which Marlboro gets its name – fossils are found, including dinosaur fossils, in this magical place.
“Recently, some awesome discoveries have been made. A baby mastodon skull was unearthed locally and exhibited at Dinosaur Day. This was very rare since the osseous component of the bone is fragile and this extinct baby ‘Ice Age’ elephant would have been scavenged.
“And in 2017, a lungfish tooth plate was discovered in our Cretaceous fossil beds. This has excited the scientific community, resulting in a new interpretation of Eastern United States paleontology,” Kovalski said.
Other activities will include a dinosaur puppet show, an inflatable bounce house and vendors who can identify fossils and bones that guests bring to the event. Exhibitors from museums, the Marlboro Shade Tree Commission and historical preservation groups will be present. For more information, call Marlboro Recreation at 732-617-0100.
