Newly Excavated Fossils on Display

Scientists and volunteers work behind the scenes at the Page Museum year-round to identify and catalogue Ice Age fossils discovered in the nearby La Brea tar pits. Each summer, the public can view excavations from Pit 91, one of the richest fossil depositories in the world.

More than 80,000 specimens have been excavated from Pit 91 since 1969, said a spokesman for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. More than 1,100 fossils were discovered in a 1991 dig, including the skull of a saber-toothed cat and the bones of a giant ground sloth.

The public viewing station is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through Aug. 30. Tours that include Pit 91 begin at 1 p.m. Call (213) 936-2230.

ENVIRONMENT

The status of Los Angeles County significant ecological areas and ongoing research of the areas will be discussed at a meeting of the Los Angeles-Santa Monica Mountains chapter of the California Native Plant Society tonight at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Ocean Park branch of the Santa Monica Public Library. Call (213) 933-8993.

The Friends of the Big Bear Valley Preserve will lead an exploration of the lush west end of the Big Bear Valley to view summer plants, including columbine and lodgepole pine, on July 25. Space is limited and registration is required. Call (714) 585-0717.

ASTRONOMY

The stars and constellations of the “Midsummer Evening Skies,” will be the subject of the Moorpark College Astronomy program at the Charles Temple Observatory on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Call (805) 378-1408.

In conjunction with the anniversary of the first moon landing in 1969, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will open its newly remodeled and expanded Astronomy Center on Saturday. The center includes the Gladwin Planetarium and the Space Lab, with nine new interactive exhibits providing hands-on ways to learn about the universe. Planetarium programs are scheduled throughout the summer, including “A Tour of the Milky Way” on Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. Call (805) 682-4711 or (805) 682-3224.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Kidspace Museum in Pasadena continues its busy summer schedule with a workshop on weather for children 6 and older on Thursday at 2 and 3 p.m. and environmental stories for all ages today at 2 and 3 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.

SCIENCE EDUCATION

“The Developing Brain: New Frontiers of Research,” a symposium exploring the relationship of young children’s developing brains to academic achievement, will be offered by UCLA Extension Friday through Sunday at the Neuropsychiatric Institute Auditorium on the UCLA campus. Call (310) 825-4191.