Day Dig Programs
Extended Dig Programs
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster
Thursday, July 2, 2009
How can I go on a Dinosaur dig?
This is one of many questions I get asked often (by non-paleontologist, typically). Below are a few non-commercial outfits that offer day digs and extended dig oportunities to the general public. All of the fossils collected on these digs go to museums and you have a chance to work along side paleontologist. If anyone else can think of others, please feel free to let me know.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster
© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster
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9 comments:
Earthwatch also have a few such programmes. When I worked at the Mammoth Site, we had a couple of teams coming in for two weeks at a time.
Not sure if they still do it but I went through the Museum of the Rockies for their paleontology program for 2 summers back in 97 and 98.
My wife and I do volunteer fossil prep work at the Utah Museum of Natural History, and volunteers can join in field work at multiple sites through the exploration and investigation season. The paleo lab offers fossil prep training classes. Once you're trained, you can work in the lab at your convenience and work in the field as well. This year's field work has exploration and recovery at several locales in Utah and New Mexico.
http://www.umnh.utah.edu/home
I've recently started a blog where I'm posting information about the UMNH field work, lab and prep classes. There's a schedule of field work from Mike Getty, UMNH Collections Manager, Paleontology here and at the UFOP site below.
http://paleoutah.blogspot.com/
The Utah Friends of Paleontology work with state and university paleo programs and they're a great place to make connections with people who share your interests with abundant volunteer opportunities. There are six regional chapters for the state.
http://www.utahpaleo.org/index.html
-BJ
Thanks Julia - I have no idea how I forgot that one!
Jim - Do they still do those?
BJ - Thanks for the links. Great info!
Thanks for the link BJ. Had a quick peek over at your blog. That ceratopsian skull is insane!
Yeah my advice was to volunteer (which i'm hoping to do with Burpee someday). That's how i got to do prep work on a mammoth last summer.
It seems the do: http://museumoftherockies.org/Home/EXPLORE/Dinosaurs/DinosaurResearch/PaleontologyFieldProgram/tabid/453/Default.aspx
The Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum holds three 'field classes' each year. These are essentially five-day sessions which involve five to six hours of digging in the late Triassic Redonda Formation at a site approximately 45 minutes out of town followed by two to three hours of prep work and 'class time' in which the participants learn the basics of paleo. To sign up for next year's program, please contact my instructor, Dr. Axel Hungerbuehler at axelh@mesalands.edu
I apologize for making this comment sound like a bloody infomercial...
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
Also, Marmarth Research Foundation does digs the public can sign up for in south western North Dakota. http://www.mrfdigs.com/
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