Big Bone Lick

Big Bone Naturalist and interim park manager, Todd Young, has a new blog about the park.  From his blog:

“Todd is a native of Northern Kentucky and grew up visiting Big Bone Lick State Park. His interest in paleontology and archaeology grew after finding a piece of a mammoth’s tooth at the park, which was displayed in the old museum.  Todd is a graduate from NKU with degrees in Anthropology and Philosophy.  In 2006, he took over the full time Naturalist position.”

Big Bone Naturalist Blog

Big Bone Lick State Park has named park naturalist Todd Young as the interim park manager.  Young will hold the position at least until April.  He replaced retired manager Bertie Lucas.

Young has worked at the park for eight years and has been the park naturalist the past four years.  “I grew up coming to the park.  I want to see it prosper and do the best it can,” Young said in a Boone Blog interview.  “I’m happy they thought I could do a good job at it.  I will try my best.”

I’ve known Todd professionally for years through park events and this blog.  I believe he’s very knowledgeable, dedicated, motivated to do well for the park, he’s visitor-focused (which is a good thing for a state park), and he’s an all-around good guy. 

Congratulations, Todd!

Big Bone Lick State Park is hosting a weekend of pre-historic survival training with its “Lick the Wild: Survival Skills Weekend” on September 10-12, 2010.

Taught from a “no modern tools” perspective, these classes are designed to teach guests how to cope with various challenges when in survival situations.  Some of the skills and demonstrations include making a fire with a bow drill, weapons, flint-knapping and building a shelter.

Registration is required and limited to first-come, first-serve basis until all spots are filled.  E-mail todd.young@ky.gov or call (859) 384-3522 for information.  The cost is $75 per person, with group rates available.

Travel back 450 million years with the park naturalist staff for an exciting day of fossil hunting at Big Bone Lick State Park on Saturday, May 2.  Help find, photograph, clean and catalogue the various Ordovician fossils found on the park.  Any extraordinary fossils that are found will be put on display in the nature and history center.

The Ordovician is a geologic period, the second of six periods in the Paleozoic era, and covers the time between 488-443 million years ago.  It follows the Cambrian period and precedes the Silurian period.  The Ordovician, named after the Welsh tribe of the Ordovices, was defined by Charles Lapworth in 1879.

Metazoan invertebrates dominated Ordovician life.  Marine life increased four-fold during this period.  Corals collected to build reefs.  Green algae — from which plants probably evolved — became common.  The first terrestrial plants resembling liverworts appeared.  The first jawed fish appeared late in the Ordovician.  A mass marine life extinction occurred during the late Ordovician and claimed some 60% of genera, thereby creating niches for benthic (bottom-dwelling) and planktonic (floating, swimming) organisms.

Todd Young is the naturalist at Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County, Kentucky.

A naturalist is a person who studies natural history: animals and plants and how they evolve.  Note that this job is not to be confused with a naturist, which is someone who enjoys life “clothing optional.”

Todd graduated from Northern Kentucky University with degrees in both Anthropology and Philosophy.  He started at Big Bone Lick in the spring of 2002 as a seasonal naturalist and recreation specialist.  In November 2006, Todd became the full-time naturalist for the park.

Todd and the naturalist staff at Big Bone Lick State Park offer high quality educational and community outreach programs that are tailored specifically to each individual group.  If you are lucky to run into Todd while visiting the park, you’ll find him to be very approachable, knowledgeable, and an all-around nice guy.

You can phone Todd at 859-384-3522 or send email to todd.young@ky.gov