2008 Woodie Awards
Experts say evidence shows dinosaurs once called city home
Kellie Woodhouse
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News
Once upon a time, College Park was a different kind of park - a Jurassic Park.
Self-proclaimed dinosaur tracker Ray Stanford recently discovered tracks of a rare dinosaur species, one in a chain of discoveries that have identified Prince George's County as a hotbed for a variety of dinosaur activity.
"There are definitely dinosaurs underneath the University of Maryland," Stanford said. "On the east side, where [McKeldin] Mall is, one can definitely find the sub-straight that has the tracks in them. There is no question about it."
According to Thomas Holtz, senior lecturer and director of the department of geology's College Park Scholars Earth, Life, and Time Program, the "substraight" Stanford refers to is a strip of land rich in dinosaur tracks and fossils "that parallels Interstate 95 and Route 1 and runs through the College Park area."
Stanford initially discovered slabs in rocks that encased the tracks of hypsilophodon, a rare species, while walking along a stream in the county in 1994. Stanford and his sons were looking for tribal American Indian artifacts when they stumbled upon the footprints instead.
At first, Stanford was skeptical the bones could be associated with any prehistoric animals. But based on the knowledge he had amassed while reading books about dinosaurs on his own and to his sons, he realized the tracks could only belong to such animals.
"Later on that night, as I was in bed, it dawned on me," Stanford said. There was no denying it - there was a dinosaur track in that stream.
Stanford returned to the stream and continued tracking the bones, initiating an unofficial career in dinosaur tracking. In the course of the past 14 years, he has found hundreds of tracks in Prince George's County and has been published in several scientific journals.
"It's great fun every time you come across something," Stanford said. "You're looking at a truly amazing animal, sometimes with tracks that have never been found before - I can't think of a much greater thrill than that."
Self-proclaimed dinosaur tracker Ray Stanford recently discovered tracks of a rare dinosaur species, one in a chain of discoveries that have identified Prince George's County as a hotbed for a variety of dinosaur activity.
"There are definitely dinosaurs underneath the University of Maryland," Stanford said. "On the east side, where [McKeldin] Mall is, one can definitely find the sub-straight that has the tracks in them. There is no question about it."
According to Thomas Holtz, senior lecturer and director of the department of geology's College Park Scholars Earth, Life, and Time Program, the "substraight" Stanford refers to is a strip of land rich in dinosaur tracks and fossils "that parallels Interstate 95 and Route 1 and runs through the College Park area."
Stanford initially discovered slabs in rocks that encased the tracks of hypsilophodon, a rare species, while walking along a stream in the county in 1994. Stanford and his sons were looking for tribal American Indian artifacts when they stumbled upon the footprints instead.
At first, Stanford was skeptical the bones could be associated with any prehistoric animals. But based on the knowledge he had amassed while reading books about dinosaurs on his own and to his sons, he realized the tracks could only belong to such animals.
"Later on that night, as I was in bed, it dawned on me," Stanford said. There was no denying it - there was a dinosaur track in that stream.
Stanford returned to the stream and continued tracking the bones, initiating an unofficial career in dinosaur tracking. In the course of the past 14 years, he has found hundreds of tracks in Prince George's County and has been published in several scientific journals.
"It's great fun every time you come across something," Stanford said. "You're looking at a truly amazing animal, sometimes with tracks that have never been found before - I can't think of a much greater thrill than that."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 7
James
posted 3/12/08 @ 4:26 AM EST
Not to harp on the article, because I enjoyed it, but:
Copy editor's, "Experts say," quickly followed up by the in article sentence, "Self-proclaimed" throws a nice little monkey wrench in it right away. (Continued…)
J Coffey
posted 3/12/08 @ 5:39 AM EST
And on the subject of semantics, I think it's 'substrate', no?
"thousands of millions of years ago"?
posted 3/12/08 @ 11:13 AM EST
A thousand million is a billion... let's not get carried away.
Try hundreds of millions (~230M- 60M).
come on
posted 3/12/08 @ 11:21 AM EST
Dude, they dan't fix quotea
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