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Template B v3.0 (beta): Created by J. Nail 06/2015 Maximizing the informal education of Death Valley National Park ichnofossils By TITLE PAGE Curt Edward Burbach A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geoscience in the Department of Geoscience Mississippi State, Mississippi May 2016 Copyright by COPYRIGHT PAGE Curt Edward Burbach 2016 Maximizing the informal education of Death Valley National Park ichnofossils By APPROVAL PAGE Curt Edward Burbach Approved: ____________________________________ Renee M. Clary (Director of Thesis) ____________________________________ Darrel W. Schmitz (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Ryan M. Walker (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Michael E. Brown (Graduate Coordinator) ____________________________________ Rick Travis Interim Dean College of Arts & Sciences Name: Curt Edward Burbach ABSTRACT Date of Degree: May 7, 2016 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Geoscience Director of Thesis: Renee M. Clary Title of Study: Maximizing the informal education of Death Valley National Park ichnofossils Pages in Study 345 Candidate for Degree of Master of Science Certain sites within Death Valley National Park contain ample ichnofossils, specifically vertebrate animal tracks, dating back to the Pliocene. Since the majority of these track locations are closed to the general public, their scientific significance and educational value toward improving the geoliteracy of the general public remain unexplored. Based on the impressive amount of ichnofossils present at the park, this research investigates how to improve general public geoliteracy through these tracks, using basic principles and supporting concepts of the National Science Foundation’s Earth Science Literacy Initiative, while respecting the security measures of the park and adhering to National Park Service interpretation guidelines. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to thank my advisor, Dr. Renee Clary for her patience, expertise, and especially for putting this idea into my mind in the first place. Thank you to Bruce Thiel for the referral; and a big thank you to Dr. Torrey Nyborg for helping me get the necessary park permit, introducing me to Copper Canyon, and showing me the wonderful collection of tracks. I also thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support. A huge thank you goes to Ms. Diana Sjoberg for being my academic coach and mentor. Without her logistical and emotional support this project does not happen. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xvii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Research Question .................................................................................................2 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................................3 Park Background ...................................................................................................3 Climate and Topography .................................................................................5 Human Occupation ..........................................................................................6 Biodiversity .....................................................................................................7 Geologic Oddities ............................................................................................7 Geology of Death Valley .......................................................................................8 Copper Canyon Formation ............................................................................15 Ichnology Overview ............................................................................................19 History of Footprint Ichnology ......................................................................20 Classification and Taxonomy ........................................................................23 Trace Fossil Value .........................................................................................23 Vertebrate Track Analysis .............................................................................26 Sediment Discussion .....................................................................................29 Learning Science .................................................................................................33 Constructivist Learning Theory .....................................................................33 Aspects of Learning Science .........................................................................34 Informal Science Education ..........................................................................35 Informal Learning Environments ..................................................................37 Geotourism ..........................................................................................................38 Definitions .....................................................................................................38 Building on Sustainable Tourism ..................................................................39 Performing Geotourism .................................................................................40 Interpretation .......................................................................................................42 Interpretation Definitions ..............................................................................42 iii Seminal Works ..............................................................................................43 Components of Interpretation ........................................................................43 Assembly Process Model ..............................................................................45 Earth Science Literacy Initiative’s Big Ideas ......................................................46 III. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................49 Research Design ..................................................................................................49 DEVA Investigation: Ichnofossils and Existing Interpretation .....................51 Additional Informal Sites Investigation: Ichnofossil Interpretation ..............52 Investigation into Ichnofossil Interpretation and ESLI’s Big Ideas ..............60 Comparative Analysis: DEVA and Optimal Signage ...................................60 IV. ANALYSIS AND RESULTS .............................................................................61 Death Valley National Park Ichnofossil Resource and Media Survey ................61 Additional Informal Sites and Fossilized Track Interpretation Survey ...............66 Analysis of Informal Site Signage with the Signage Quality Measurement Rubric ...............................................................................76 Range of Quality in the Signage Analysis .....................................................77 Brochures Analysis ........................................................................................83 Consolidated Signage Analysis .....................................................................85 St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm Signage Analysis .............................................................................................90 Quality by Signage Types .............................................................................92 Analysis of Big Ideas Addressed in Signage .......................................................93 Big Idea #2 - Earth is 4.6 billion years old. .............................................93 Big Idea #3 - Earth is a complex system of interacting rock, water, air, and life. .......................................................................94 Big Idea #4 - Earth is continuously changing. ........................................94 Big Idea #6 - Life evolves on a dynamic Earth and continuously modifies Earth. ............................................................................95 V. RECOMMENDED INTERPRETATION ........................................................107 Signage Type .....................................................................................................107 Narrative Strategies for Quality and Big Ideas ..................................................108 VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION...............................................................111 Discussion ..........................................................................................................111 Utilizing Ichnofossils for Earth Science Interpretation ...............................112 Conclusion .........................................................................................................117 Implications for Future Research ................................................................118 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 119 iv APPENDIX A. DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK (DEVA)