A 30-foot gray whale is coming to Greenfield

Two weeks from now, students from Vista Verde Middle School in Greenfield will have the chance to view and touch a complete skeleton of a 30-foot gray whale.

The Greenfield Science Workshop program, which is part of a network of science workshops across California, will bring the whale exhibit.  The exhibit travels in a modified truck and is used as a natural science resource to engage students in science education.

Dan Sudran, founder of the network of workshops, salvaged the whale bones that make up the traveling exhibit.  The young gray whale first washed up on Pescadero Beach in June 2011. Sudran asked for permission to remove the dead whale’s remains, and with little time to act, he relied on a team of volunteers and friends to dig up the bones and carry them to his backyard in Pescadero. He  cleaned the bones and built a structure that would allow for the safe travel of the skeleton in a donated truck.  A real human skeleton, the rib of a blue whale, as well as cow, deer, and even gopher bones accompany the exhibit.

I've been to the workshop in Greenfield, which is truly magical. Being around the children and teachers you realize how much students gain when they receive an opportunity to explore. The whale exhibit sounds like another great opportunity.

The exhibit is scheduled to return during February 2013 to visit Oak Elementary School.