The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science is a

natural history museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

in Bakersfield,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is located downtown in the Arts district. The museum focuses on three areas:

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

, and

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

History

The museum was founded in 1995. The museum was centered on the Bob and Mary Ernst Collection of Miocene fossils from Shark Tooth Hill (in Kern County). It is the largest collection of Miocene fossils from that location. Originally the museum was housed out of a small space in the

California Living Museum The California Living Museum (commonly referred to as CALM) is a zoo in Bakersfield, California. The primary focuses are plants and animals that are native to California, specifically Kern County. The California Living Museum is accredited by ...

(CALM). The collection would continue to grow, encompassing areas outside of

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

. Because of the growth, the museum would move several times before arriving at the current location in downtown.

Description

The centerpiece of the museum is the Mary Ernst Collection of Miocene fossils from Shark Tooth Hill. Other exhibits include: collection of taxidermy animals from Africa, replica of a triceratops skull, replica of a yokuts Indian village, and a model of

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Hal ...

complete with roads, buildings, and trails. Several of these items are not owned by museum, but are on long term loan. The museum also contains an interactive section known as the "Oh Zone". There is also a Paleo Lab, which is equipped to clean, repair, preserve, and reconstruct fossils and other artifacts.Paleo Lab
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science. Accessed: 03-27-2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buena Vista Museum of Natural History and Science Natural history museums in California Museums in Kern County, California Museums established in 1995 Buildings and structures in Bakersfield, California Tourist attractions in Bakersfield, California Fossil museums Paleontology in California