Visitors to the Grand County Public Library should keep an eye out for crinoids, cycads, and Camarasaurus, thanks to Museum intern Christopher Moreira. A new display in the library’s exhibit cases was installed in mid-May 2024 by Moreira, a student at the Student Career and Success Center.
Moreira recently completed an internship with the Moab Museum, during which time he researched a selection of fossils from the Collection and selected several to display to help tell the story of how life on Earth has evolved.

The exhibit that Moreira curated, entitled “Life Over Time,” displays a broad array of fossils of many different ages, inviting viewers to see a tremendous variety of life forms from Earth’s past in one exhibit. Moab Museum Public Programs Manager Mary Langworthy said that Moreira is “passionate about paleontology, with an inquisitive mind and enthusiasm for research.”

Throughout the internship, Moreira enjoyed learning about the “fascinating and unique animals that have lived on this earth before us,” including researching what they ate, and how they were adapted to their specific ecosystems. Moreira reflected that the internship experience “confirmed my love for paleontology and helped me be hands-on with fossil of animals I am very interested in.”

The exhibit will be on display for about a year.

Red Cliffs Lodge, on the banks of the mighty Colorado River, is home to the Moab Museum of Film & Western Heritage. The lodge is built on the old George White Ranch, a key location for nine of the big westerns including Rio Grande, Cheyenne Autumn, Ten Who Dared, The Commancheros, and Rio Conchos.

The late George White was founder of the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission, the longest ongoing film commission in the world.

In the museum one can learn more about film locations, how the sets are built, and how the filming process is managed on nature’s own sound stage. On display in the museum are production photographs, movie posters, autographed scripts, props from the many pictures filmed in the area, and displays about the western ranching heritage. For information, call Red Cliffs Lodge at 435-259-2002.

Through the magnificent landscapes of southeastern Utah, writers have been inspired and stories born here. Zane Grey, the famous western novelist, traveled through the area in 1912. His visit inspired him to write his book Riders of the Purple Sage. The book was made into a movie starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan, and filmed on locations around Moab.