Stratford Under Our Feet

Most of the visitors who stroll the Stratford Hall beaches looking for the occasional sharks tooth or bone fragments do not realize that they have just found a small clue into a very distant time. The cliffs at Stratford Hall record millions of years of earth’s history, and more importantly, divulge evidences of vast earth changes and continental movements. Dr. Robert Weems, retired United States Geological Survey paleontologist and internationally renowned expert on the Miocene epoch, will be presenting a rare opportunity to learn more about these earth transformations as they are recorded in the cliffs at Stratford Hall. After a short discussion and slide presentation in the duPont Library, registrants will proceed to the cliffs overlook parking area from which they will hike down the hill to the beach to begin their trek into time.

Once at the beach, registrants, accompanied by Dr. Weems and the Stratford Hall Paleo Patrol, will be allowed special access to beach areas. The remainder of the program will be spent looking for fossils. Dr. Weems and the Paleo Patrol members will assist in the identification of specimens found. This overview of the geological forces and the paleontological evidence found at Stratford Hall will demystify and explain the significance of the Stratford cliffs below and above a visitor’s feet.

This is a rare opportunity for those interested in the earth sciences. The cost is $55 for age 13 and older.

All registrants will be required to sign an insurance waiver and follow safety instructions. Pre-registration is required by June 7, 2017, and the event is limited to 40 persons. Plan to pack a lunch that will not spoil in the heat of June! Please dress for the weather; wear water shoes or other footwear that is both comfortable and waterproof. Bring a supply of drinking water and insect repellent.

This is a weather-dependent program and, in case of inclement weather, the event may be cancelled. Please check on our website homepage for last-minute event updates. No rain date is scheduled and full refunds will be made if the event is cancelled.

Email Jon Bachman at jbachman@stratfordhall.org or call 804-493-1972 for more information and/or registration.