Reptiles Rule during Reptile Day at Fernbank Museum of Natural History July 26, 2008

Meet dozens of fascinating, scaly animals in Fernbank’s Great Hall during the Museum’s annual Reptile Day. Members of the Georgia Herpetological Society and Fernbank educators will be available to answer questions and provide opportunities for visitors to interact with and learn more about reptiles during this popular Family Fun Day.

Special Activities:
Live Reptile Displays
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Great Hall
Visitors will have the opportunity to observe a wide variety of reptiles courtesy of the Georgia Herpetological Society

Remarkable Reptiles
11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., Auditorium
Live animal presentations with Fernbank scientists. Seating is limited.

Kids’ Meals
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fernbank Café
Kids’ Meals will be available in The Fernbank Café, which include lizard- and snake-shaped chicken nuggets, a side item, and a drink for $6.

Saturday, July 26, 2008
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History
767 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
www.fernbankmuseum.org
404.929.6300 info, 404.929.6400 tickets

Included with Museum admission—$15 for adults, $14 for students/seniors, $12 children ages 12 and under, free for members and children ages 2 and under.

Enjoy a Summer Picnic at Fernbank’s Martinis & IMAX®

Fernbank’s Martinis & IMAX® presented by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. brings picnicking indoors for a hassle-free, ant-free tribute to a favorite summer pastime.

Fried chicken, potato salad, seasonal fruit, wine and two IMAX® tickets make Martinis & IMAX® Picnic Packages the perfect way to spend a summer evening. While savoring this traditional and delicious picnic dinner, guests can listen to live music by The Nick Longo Band and sip summer-inspired martinis. Picnics can also be taken outside for enjoyment on the Terrace, which adds lush scenery from the Fernbank Forest Overlook.

The Picnic Package includes a choice one of three IMAX® films: Antarctica, Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk or Alaska: Spirit of the Wild.

Picnic Packages are available during Martinis & IMAX® at Fernbank Museum of Natural History on June 20, 2008 only.

Picnic Packages must be purchased in advance and are $63 for Museum members and $70 for non-members. Tickets to specific IMAX® show times are based on availability and early reservations are recommended. Regular prices apply for other menu items offered in The Fernbank Café for those not purchasing a package.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 404.929.6400. Visitor information is available at fernbankmuseum.org or by calling 404.929.6300.

Antarctica Ices Over Fernbank’s IMAX® Theatre

Experience the icy mysteries and exquisite beauties of the highest, driest and coldest continent on Earth in the giant screen film Antarctica opening June 7, 2008 at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Audiences will witness penguins, seals and other exotic life forms that call this southernmost expanse home while learning about its history and scientific research stations. The only place on Earth with no permanent human inhabitants, Antarctica is home to an incredible diversity of life that thrives in one of the harshest environments, giving an air of wonderment to this delicate ecosystem. This five-story film experience illustrates the magnificence of the crisp, blue skies and bright, white ice along with the deep crevasses and towering mountains of the Antarctic.

Observe scientific endeavors in this remote region aiming to spread the message of protecting the fragile balance of the Earth’s ecology. The Antarctic ice sheets hold 70 percent of the world’s water, demonstrating the importance of slowing global warming, preserving the ozone layer and, ultimately, helping our planet.

“Antarctica is a film that uses the IMAX® format so well, taking audiences to one of the Earth’s natural wonders in a way that most people will never experience on their own,” said Heather Heimmer, Fernbank’s Director of Environmental Education. “It’s a great companion to our special exhibition, Ends of the Earth—giving people a hands-on exploration of our polar regions in the exhibition, and a dramatically beautiful view beneath the icy waters and across the frozen expanses of Antarctica in the film.”

Fernbank has combined the splendor of Antarctica with the special exhibition, Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins, to maximize an exciting adventure to the freezing, yet lively, environments of the world. Penguins of the Antarctic: A Photographic Expedition will also be featured at Fernbank from June 8-August 31, allowing Museum visitors to get an up-close look at the Adelie, Gentoo, Macaroni, King and Emperor Penguins that are found in Antarctica.

Antarctica shows daily at Fernbank Museum of Natural History from June 7, 2008 through January 2, 2009. Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins is on view from June 7, 2008 through January 2, 2009.

IMAX® tickets are $13 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $11 for children ages 3 to 12, $8 for Museum members, and free for children ages 2 and under. Martinis & IMAX® tickets, available on Friday nights, are $15. Value Pass tickets, which combine Antarctica, Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins and Penguins of the Antarctic: A Photographic Expedition with full museum access, are $23 for adults, $21 for students and seniors, $19 for children ages 3 to 12, $8 for Museum members, and free for children 2 and under.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. More information is available to visitors at fernbankmuseum.org. Tickets can be purchased in advance at 404.929.6400.

Wild Ocean Takes IMAX® Audiences at Fernbank Museum on a Spectacular Underwater Adventure Where Africa Meets the Sea

Embark on an underwater adventure where Africa meets the sea, in the new large-format film Wild Ocean showing in Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s IMAX® Theatre from July 19 through November 14, 2008. This action-packed, inspirational IMAX® documentary explores the relationship between man and the ocean ecosystem.

Highlighting one of nature’s greatest migration spectacles, Wild Ocean plunges viewers into an underwater feeding frenzy—an epic struggle for survival where whales, sharks, dolphins, seals, gannets and billions of fish collide with the most voracious sea predator, mankind. Filmed off the Wild Coast of South Africa and set to the rhythmic dances and songs of the local people, Wild Ocean reveals the economic and cultural impact of the ocean while celebrating the communal efforts to protect our invaluable marine resources.

Wild Ocean chronicles the annual migration of billions of sardines that travel up the KwaZulu-Natal shoreline, known to locals as the Wild Coast. This migration has provided a food source not only for countless generations of people living along the African shore, but also for the ocean’s residents, including predators that journey from great distances to feast.

An amazing array of ocean life converges on the migration route in a dramatic and frenzied fashion. Bottlenose dolphins create superpods thousands strong to track down the huge shoals. Sharks sense blood in the water and join the hunt. Seals and common dolphins chase the fish from cooler currents up the coast into the warmer tropical waters. Cape Gannets, a species of diving birds, join the battle with aerial attacks from the sky. All of these animals are drawn to the scene, enmeshed in one of the most incredible mass feeding melees in the natural world.

Unfortunately such a richness of life is now rare in our seas. For centuries the ocean was considered a vast, limitless resource. As fishing practices grew more industrialized and efficient throughout the 20th century, entire fish stocks around North America, Europe and Asia began to collapse. The fish, hauled onto boats by the ton, were an integral part of a complex marine ecosystem, a link in a great food chain on which many predators depend. Eventually, entire fish species were decimated and the ocean predator populations went into a steep decline.

Now a new threat, global climate change, threatens to further damage the fragile ocean ecology. While Wild Ocean explores the causes and effects of man’s impact, it is an inspirational film looking toward a bright future, taking audiences to a rare and unspoiled marine wilderness to glimpse what the oceans of the world once looked like and reveals the steps being taken to help restore a healthy ocean ecosystem. The film champions the creation of marine reserves, ecologically friendly fishing practices, fishing limits and other measures necessary to bring our oceans back to life—with South Africa leading the way.

“Wild Ocean is a timely and uplifting film that celebrates the life in our oceans,” said Heather Heimmer, Fernbank’s Director of Environmental Education. “It’s an incredible look at how a balanced ocean needs healthy numbers from the bottom of the food chain to the top and how the South African culture has embraced this annual feeding event while doing their part to keep the ecosystem in check.”

Wild Ocean shows daily at Fernbank Museum of Natural History from July 19 through November 14, 2008. IMAX® tickets are $13 for adults, $12 for students/seniors, $11 for children ages 3-12, $8 for Museum members, and free (on a space-available basis) for children ages 2 and younger.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta. To reserve tickets by phone call 404.929.6400. For Museum information call 404.929.6300 or visit www.fernbankmuseum.org.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone