A Love Letter to Red Lodge and Montana

To our dear friends in Red Lodge and Carbon County,

Since 2017, the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute has welcomed hundreds of people from around the world on summer dinosaur paleontology expeditions in and around Carbon County.  People join us expecting to learn a lot and have a great time finding and excavating dinosaurs, and that’s what we give them. What they don’t expect is the warmth and welcome of your beautiful town and incredible community. It doesn’t take more than a few moments for each and every one of our participants to fall in love with Red Lodge. 

It is because we all love Red Lodge and Montana so much that I’m writing to let you know that we have decided we won’t be able to join you this summer.  With things the way they are in the world right now, we cannot guarantee the safety of our staff, our participants, nor you, our wonderful hosts in Montana. This uncertainty leaves us with only one option: we must cancel this summer’s field season. No matter how much we all want to be there, we cannot - and will not - put your community at risk.  

This decision is heartbreaking for us. The field season is the lifeblood of our organization. This is what we love to do and miss every day of the year when we’re not in Montana. It is also heartbreaking to me, personally, and to my family. Our summers in Red Lodge have become a huge part of our lives.  

There is little use in dwelling on circumstances beyond our control, though, so we’re already planning our return in 2021. We will miss our wonderful Red Lodge friends terribly this summer, but we know the hardest decisions are sometimes the right ones.  We can’t wait for the start of the 2021 Field Expedition. Until then, we hope you stay safe, healthy, and happy!

Sincerely,

Jason P. Schein; Executive Director