The San Diego Museum of Natural History donated a collection of prehistoric fossils to the new Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park that opened on Monday at 5801 W. 135th St.

Amateur paleontologist Charles H. Sternberg collected the fossils in west central Kansas. The fossils included a 17-foot-long skeleton of a marine reptile and a 16-foot-long skeleton of a giant bony fish.

Before being donated, the museum had planned to carry out an auction of the fossils in 2013. But many researchers did not like this idea and protested against the auction. They argued the fossils should be part of a public institution, so they can remain in approachable range of scientists.

Seeing the tension around the issue, museum officials decided not to sell the prehistoric fossils. "Putting them up for auction without the guarantee that they would go to a scientific organization was a mistake that we won't make again", affirmed Tom Deméré, curator of paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Tom also clarified that intent of the museum was not sell the fossils for financial gain.

The fossils originally belong to Kansas. Deméré said it would be a great opportunity for Kansas people to see the fossils from their state. Uli Sailer Das, executive director of the Museum at Prairiefire said they are on seventh sky.

Sailer Das said the donation would not have been possible if Mark Norell, Chairman of the paleontology division at the American Museum of Natural History, would not have helped arrange the donation.