Dinosaurs at the Chamber Breakfast

Robert DePalma & Rudolph Pascucci of the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History were the speakers this morning, about fossils and dinosaurs.
Breakfast included eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, French toast and a nice bowl of fresh fruit which was excellent.

Capt. Eisenberg alerted us to a scam where you get a call claiming your family member had been kidnapped. It’s probably false.

Pascucci said he’s often asked where their museum is. They don’t have a location, he explained. They currently do traveling exhibits, like this morning. But they are hoping to secure a permanent facility to display the fossils and other artifacts.
They are focused on the natural history and archaeology of southern Florida. While there are a number of museums here, none focuses on paleontology.
They are currently working on a capital campaign to raise funds, primarily through private donations from individual donors. The group has been a 501(c)(3) since 2006.

DePalma then spoke passionately about his work in paleontology. He focuses on the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota. Eleven new species were discovered there this summer.

DePalma also told a wonderful story about two rival paleontologists, Cope and Marsh, known as The Bone Wars.
After the meeting I spoke with Pascucci about their plans and hopes. In the short run they’d like to find 2000 square feet of space for storage and a lab. In the longer term they hope for 30,000 square feet or more and 100,000 visitors annually.