Sunny with a High Chance of Dinosaurs
Participant Melody Pryor after wrapping a dinosaur toe she found!
Whether this is your first year with us or you’re already part of the Elevation Science family or you’re quietly admiring from a distance, wondering if this adventure is right for you, it’s always good to know what’s coming and how to be prepared. Here, we break down what each week of the field season might look like! Of course, despite the most diligent planning, one thing you can expect for sure is a surprise or two!
Week 1
The first week is always filled with excitement and new beginnings. Everyone is eager to get started, so it’s important that the season gets off on the right foot. This time is spent building the foundation for the rest of the season and that requires a lot of digging. It is critical that all of the quarries are opened and that we assess how Mother Nature has altered our sites since the previous year. (Often, this is where we find our first surprises.)
This week also offers participants the opportunity to work alongside the college students taking our 2-week intensive course. In addition to learning all about the Bighorn Basin and its natural treasures from the Elevation Science staff, you’ll have the chance to chat with these up and coming paleontologists and geologists about amazing research they are doing and the weird and wonderful things about this planet that have driven them to this field of study. Of course, one of the best parts about this week is that you will be among the first to find new fossils of the year (not to mention being the first living thing to lay eyes on that fossil in millions of years)!
Week 2
2022 field intern Daniel Dunfee and one of our 2022 college students
By the second week, operations are well underway! We use this time to continue expanding our current sites, seeing just how far these dinosaur bones will take us. With two brand new sites discovered last year, both mammal and dinosaur, it’s an exciting time to discover even more! This is also the final week with our college students; we’re always sad to see them go, but it’s fulfilling to watch them learn and grow as young scientists. If you’re a participant this week, it’s a unique opportunity to learn and see how a quarry is managed and supervised (the final project for our students).
Week 3
While working on our current projects is amazing, we also can’t ignore our scientific curiosity! What else is out there? What other dinosaurs are waiting for us to discover them? This week is a great time for some prospecting. Grab some friends, lots of water, a radio, and explore deeper into the Bighorn Basin looking for the next big find. If you find an area with fragments of bones, there could be something bigger closeby. If they do lead to something bigger, like a dinosaur… That could be the start of our next big project!
Week 4
Katie Hunt and Jason Poole after a day of digging at LZ Blue
Are we halfway through the field season already!? This is usually the point where we realize that time really does fly when you’re having fun! However, the team will be beginning to think about priorities for the rest of the season, jacket extractions, and much more. As an added bonus, this is the week we will celebrate The Jasons’ birthdays! Don’t forget your sleeveless plaid button-downs for Sleeveless Shirt Day!
Week 5
At this time, we begin to focus on the bones already exposed in the ground. This is also where some of our toughest logistical planning comes into play; what do we bring back with us and what do we leave behind for next year? Year-round, we have several research projects in progress. This research sometimes affects which fossils are brought back and which ones can wait until we return. Of course, no matter how hard we try to plan, undoubtedly new and exciting things are going to reveal themselves and keep us constantly reassessing.
Week 6
The sixth week is when we not only get to work with our awesome Elevation Science family, but our friends from the Academy of Natural Sciences join us as well! Now is the time to focus on our existing fossils and jackets. But don’t worry - there is always the chance to discover something new. In fact, just last year, two of our Academy members were out prospecting and discovered a BRAND NEW theropod dinosaur site to explore this year!
Week 7
Participants Steve and Brandi Hallet with their Diplodocus femur discovery in 2022!
At the beginning of the seventh week, we have DESLA (Drexel Environmental Science Leadership Academy) students visiting and getting hands-on field experience. Unfortunately, this is also where our field operations come to a close for the season. At this point in the season, the team begins to get the sites ready for the harsh Montana winters. Staff and crew members rush to get exposed fossils out of the ground and jacketed, while applying winter jackets to those that we know will have to wait until the following year. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to our beloved fossils for the remainder of the year, but it makes us all the more excited to return each year!
Each week, you will have the opportunity to get your hands dirty with the experience of digging for dinosaurs, contributing to decades of paleontological research, and making some friends along the way. Nights are full of companionship and learning, a beautiful view of the Beartooth mountains, and maybe even a fun trip to see the weekly pig races. No matter when you arrive, you can expect to wake up every morning excited to get outside, explore the Bighorn Basin, and be among the first to discover a dinosaur bone. We’re delighted to see you all this summer for yet another successful season!