CITY PLANS MAMMOTH PROMOTION ICE AGE FOSSIL WILL BE USED FOR EDUCATION, CIVIC PRIDE.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

MOORPARK - The city will spend $21,000 on an effort to promote last spring's discovery of a nearly complete mammoth fossil, which will include replicas of the fossils and an educational program for students.

On March 30, workers unearthed the remains of a fossilized mammoth, which could be up to a million years old, at the site of a residential development in Moorpark where 250 homes are being built.

Just last week, construction crews uncovered an animal tusk in Moorpark Highlands near the Meridian Hills project. A team of paleontologists will examine the latest find and investigate the surrounding site to determine its significance.

The nearly intact skeleton at the Meridian Hills site, which experts call a very rare find, immediately grabbed local and national media attention. Moorpark now wants to celebrate its prehistoric past and keep the memory of the female creature ``alive.''

The plan, designed to preserve a piece of history, includes teaching materials, promotional items, lifelike replicas of some of the fossils for display, and an original painting.

``The first element of the plan, and most important, is creating a likeness of the animal ... There's no Polaroid photo to go by,'' said Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley, who has spearheaded the effort. ``When you sit down and think how old this find is, to me, it's mind-boggling.

``This is an opportunity for us to really share it with everyone. It's something that the community can feel good about and rally around.''

The City Council approved the promotional project last week to inform and educate the public about Moorpark's early resident - an adult mammoth that stood 12 feet tall, weighed several tons and had 8-foot-long tusks and is believed to be from 800,000 to 1.4 million years old.

The fossils are now being cleaned and preserved at a facility in Santa Ana where they will remain for the next several months.

Officials with Pardee Homes, which is developing the Moorpark Highlands, halted work in the area until the excavation is complete.

For $2,700, the city will be acquiring an original painting depicting the Moorpark mammoth in a prehistoric setting, which will be used to market a series of promotional items such as T-shirts, mugs and posters, among other things.

To some officials, however, a painting is not enough.

``The only problem I have is the fossil of the mammoth should be here, in Moorpark,'' said Councilman Clint Harper, who is pushing for a full reconstruction of the skeleton to be displayed at Moorpark College where he teaches. ``I don't want it in a storage container in Los Angeles.

``I don't want just a painting of the mammoth. I want the real thing in town.''

The five-member council in April claimed ownership of the prehistoric mammoth fossil rather than immediately donate it to a museum.

One possibility is donating the Ice Age skeleton to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. The council is not expected to take action on the matter any time soon.

The marketing strategies now in place include preparing replicas of some of the fossils for display in Moorpark, as well as to provide teaching material and training for the public schools.

To enhance and maintain public interest in the discovery, the city intends to prepare a ``Special Event Display'' featuring fossil reproductions, video/audio presentation, posters and handouts with written material to be used at festivals and other community events.

The display also can be used as an exhibit at the new City Hall, expected to be complete in 2008, or other venues.

A pilot education program, in partnership with the Moorpark Unified School District, would expose the discovery to young students in the form of a story, a hands-on activity book and a kit of specimens and other resources.

The program would teach youngsters about excavation and mapping, geography, climate and biological distribution and methods to determine the ages of ancient and prehistoric objects, among other related subjects.

Moorpark school board member David Pollock said the program ties in with the district's science program at the middle schools.

``It's something that our teachers would be thrilled with,'' he said. ``Kids naturally love archaeology and dinosaur bones. It's a no-brainer that (it) would spark their interest.''

Riley has asked the school district to pay for half of the cost - or $6,000 - to get the program running.

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com