In 2011, Sylvan Bald stumbled upon two exposed dinosaur fossils near Telluride while on a hike. After working with a paleontologist and other local experts, Sylvan helped piece together the story of these bones. Sylvan has recently published “The Ice Blue Bones of Telluride: A Discovery Story”, a children’s book chronicling his find. Sylvan will share the story of the bones, which are now on display in the Museum’s current exhibit, Forces of Nature: Telluride’s Prehistoric Journey.

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1998, Sylvan moved back to Placerville, CO with his parents when he was two months old. Throughout his childhood Sylvan spent a lot of time outside exploring the woods, the rock cliffs, and the old town dump near the family’s home. Here was where his love for adventure and finding interesting objects of all kinds flourished. At three years old, Sylvan wandered off by himself for almost an hour – sending his parents into a total panic. Once found, he calmly told them that he was following a bee. As a homeschooler until seventh grade, Sylvan learned to appreciate the planet as his classroom. His family spent a lot of time learning about the world through reading, traveling and diving into interesting subjects. When Sylvan is not finding new treasures wherever he goes, he loves skiing, running, reading, traveling – especially to northern Minnesota to spend time at the family cabin – and doing art work. He hopes to continue his education through new adventures wherever he goes.