Visitors to the 2004 UC Berkeley CalDay on April 17th were treated to a range of events, activities, and learning opportunities at the Berkeley Natural History Museums. Kids of all ages were treated to a treasure hunt through the museums with free stickers to those who finished and a raffle for free museum T-shirts. See you next year!

Activities at individual member museums included:

The University and Jepson Herbaria had tours and displays of interesting specimens, including a giant leaf, edible and medicinal mushrooms, California wildflowers, mosses, and Antarctic seaweeds. There was also a plant mounting demonstration and merchandise table (t-shirts, mugs, books).

The UC Museum of Paleontology had a display of fossils found locally, demonstration of fossil preparation, tours of the collections, fossil hunting activities, and a special lecture on paleontology of the solar system by Jere Lipps. Also see the UC Museum of Paleontology CalDay Page.

The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology had hands-on experiences with exotic animals and information on biology and the environment. Live snakes, geckos, and salamanders were available for touching and holding! Also see the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology CalDay Page.

The Essig Museum of Entomology exhibited beautiful and bizarre specimens of arachnids and insects, while the Entomology Students Organization provided tasty samples of foods containing insects, conducted campus bug hunts, and offered face painting and crafts. Additionaly, Dr. Vernard Lewis (aka, 'the Bug Doctor') was on hand to answer questions about insects.

The Botanical Garden was open for visitors all day, the Hearst museum invited visitors to view specimens from one of the museum's founding collections and offered a lecture on the ancient Mediterranean world by Professor Andrew Stewart.