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NAWIC Walk with the Dinosaurs
July 27, 2021 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
  There are things you’d expect to see on a college campus: students sprawled out studying, bicycles parked in racks, frisbees being tossed about. But a brontosaurus towering over the entrance to a building? Western Michigan University is taking a walk into uncharted territory with a park straight out of the Mesozoic era that will expand educational opportunities for students of all ages.A dinosaur park, dreamed up by the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, is drawing enthusiasts to campus from across the area. It turns back the clock 252 million years, allowing visitors to walk among titans of the Triassic, juggernauts of the Jurassic and creatures of the Cretaceous.Located behind Lee Honors College, on the northeast side of Rood Hall, the park currently features favorites like stegosaurus, triceratops, parasaurolophus, spinosaurus and a pair of utahraptors, as well as ferns that existed during the time they walked the earth. It will soon have a new resident: a 17-foot-tall brontosaurus, which is in storage right now waiting to be erected at the entrance to Rood Hall. While it’s already generating excitement, the park is far from finished. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily put expansion plans on hold, but work is now underway to ramp development back up. The vision for the park is to create an interdisciplinary learning area that is as fun for kids as it is educational for Western students. In addition to adding dinosaur tracks and a rock bed, plans are also in the works to add a rock wall in a stairwell on the side of Rood Hall where students could see different rock layers over time. A wetlands area will be added to the center of the park where environmental science classes could conduct experiments. There’s even potential to include some physics lessons in the landscape to measure the impact of meteorite strikes. Dinosaur Park Hours: The outdoor rocks and dinosaurs welcome visitors at any time. We will be meeting just outside Rood Hall at 5:30 pm. Location: The Dinosaur Park is located outside adjacent to Rood and the Lee Honors College Parking: The parking lot near Rood Hall (2101 Wilbur Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49006) is only for permitted vehicles. The nearest metered parking is located near Sindecuse Health Center (lot 40), the Bernhard Center (lots 68 and 69), and Sangren Hall (lot 41). For parking information, please visit WMUs Parking services page. Cost: Free! Please RSVP to Tara Nisenson either by email ">Email HEREmailto: or via text at 269-762-0796.  |