Waiting 467 million years for a starring role

The object of all that media attention along the Upper Iowa River in Freeport on Thursday afternoon?  That would be the statue of "Pentecopterus Decorahensis," the six-foot-long sea scorpion that roamed the area 467 million years ago.

A video crew from National Geographic was on hand for the unveiling of the statue, along with members of the Steve and Jane Hildebrand family, who own the property on which the fossil was found.

Researchers from the University of Iowa, Yale University and the Iowa Geological Survey have been exploring Decorah ever since a difference team of researchers discovered Decorah sat in the middle of a meteorite crater.  That led the first team of researchers to look for fossils in the crater. 

"Pentecopterus Decorahensis" is one of the most impressive species found in fossil remains--six feet long, with large limbs for trapping prey.

The film crew will prepare footage for use on a national television program which will air some time this winter.

Ready for the unveiling

Getting it on camera

A crowd watches the unveiling

Iowa Geological Survey researcher Paul Liu and property owner Jane HildebrandJane