Tar Pits Exhibition Comes to Burbank

The first traveling exhibition to tell the story of the world-famous Rancho La Brea Tar Pits will take up residence at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County/Burbank on Friday. The Ice Age road show, “Treasures of the Tar Pits,” is the culmination of a five-year international tour. Displays include a detailed mural showing Rancho La Brea as it probably looked 20,000 years ago and a video showing the tar pits as they appear today.

The video includes explanations of how the tar pits were formed and how millions of animals were trapped there over the last 40,000 years. Interviews with George C. Page Museum paleontologists are part of the video.

Also featured in the exhibit are the skeletons of six Ice Age mammals, including two dire wolves, a coyote, a giant ground sloth, a saber-toothed cat and a North America lion.

A favorite exhibit among young visitors to the Page Museum, “Asphalt Is Sticky,” has been adapted for this exhibit. Visitors pull up on weighted handles in containers of tar, demonstrating the difficulty that trapped animals faced in trying to escape their fate.

“Treasures of the Tar Pits” will be at the Burbank Natural History Museum through Sept. 5. Call (818) 557-3562.

ASTRONOMY

* The Los Angeles Astronomical Society will hold a public “Star Party” at the Griffith Observatory from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Society members will have telescopes set up for observation of the evening sky. Call (213) 727-7909.

TECHNOLOGY

* A new exhibit at the California Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park interprets the science at work in the textile and apparel industry. “Behind the Seams: Science in Fashion” demonstrates how chemical composition and physical structure influence the properties of fabrics. It also explores technological advances in the textile industry. Call (213) 744-7400.

BOTANY

* The special plants that germinate after wildfires will be discussed by Cheryl Swift of Whittier College at the meeting of the California Native Plant Society Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains chapter at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Brentwood Magnet School Auditorium. Call (213) 933-8993.

ORNITHOLOGY

* Robert Flippin of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society will lead an owl watch at the Soka University campus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Among the nocturnal animals that may be seen are screech owls, great-horned owls and barn owls, as well as coyotes and bats. Call (818) 880-4649 for reservations.