BYNUM — Located in Bynum (about 13 miles north of Choteau) the Montana Dinosaur Center is one of the only museums in Montana that allows, and even encourages, public participation in scientific research by taking part in fossil digs.
Established in 1995, the Montana Dinosaur Center is one of only two dinosaur research facilities in the state.
“I love being able to take people out and teach them about it. It’s always one thing to see it for yourself, but it’s a completely different thing to be able to share it with other people,” said Cory Coverdell, the director of operations.
The Montana Dinosaur Center allows visitors to come explore two of their dig sites and get the chance to uncover a history that is millions of years old.
“It’s been really great as an intern, we kind of get to learn the whole spiel, we take people out on digs and we get to experience that. I’ve been taking on a lot of new knowledge, which is always exciting, and then sharing it with the public, kids get really excited and some adults get really interested, they ask great questions, so learning all of that has been really great,” said Kelly Gamacag, intern/brand designer at the Montana Dinosaur Center.
Click here to visit the website, which provides this overview:
Here at the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center, we believe that the best way to learn something is to experience it. That is why we are one of the only museums in the state of Montana that allows, even encourages, public participation in scientific research. Our public participants get to experience the world of paleontology first-hand. We are achieving this mainly through our public dig programs, volunteer programs, and seminars.
Since its establishment in 1995, the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center has drawn thousands of visitors every year to the Rocky Mountain Front of north-central Montana. This non-profit organization receives no tax dollars for its operational costs, yet provides invaluable services to the public through paleontological field programs, exciting exhibits, scientific publications, and consultations. Its dedicated staff provides one of the only museum-based field programs offered to the general public in Montana.
The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center houses a wide variety of dinosaur fossils, invertebrate fossils, plant fossils, and cultural artifacts. The research collections include new species of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life. The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center provides both castings and complete exhibits to other institutions, both as permanent or traveling exhibits, bringing the unique discoveries of the Rocky Mountain Front to a wide range of people. On permanent display in Bynum are some of Montana’s rarest fossil discoveries, including the first infant Maiasaura bones from the nearby Egg Mountain.
