Montana dinosaurs

The PWRF field season runs from June 1 through July 31 of each year. Activities take place seven days a week. The amount of time you spend with us is completely up to you. People who are new to this type of experience may want to begin with an option we call “Dig-for-a-day”. This is a great way to introduce you to the science of paleontology. For those who are more adventurous, you can choose to spend the entire summer with us! One day or many, it’s up to you!

All individual participants must be at least 18 years old. Younger participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian 18 years old or older. To join our expedition, complete and sign the registration and liability forms which can be accessed by clicking on the links to the left. Upon completion, mail the forms to the address shown to the left and include a 20% deposit in the form of a check or money order. The remaining balance of the fee is due 30 days prior to your arrival at camp. Use the links to the left to learn more about our schedule and fees.

While on our expedition, you will learn about various field techniques used by dinosaur hunters such as: prospecting, excavating, creating a plaster jacket, fossil removal and quarry mapping. In our field lab you will discover how fossils are prepared and identified. During your stay we’ll also provide you with a little history of the Hell Creek Formation which is the name of the area in NE Montana where we search for dinosaurs. All activities you will be participating in are designed to assist our field teams with current scientific research projects. The information that you help to collect provides valuable insight into the amazing creatures that once lived in this area, their behavior and the environment as it existed 65 million years ago. To read more about what takes place during our expeditions, click on our facebook link at the bottom of the “Schedule of Activity” page.

For your information: The weather during our field season is generally dry. Daytime temperatures can rise to 100 °F or higher. The highly reflective sandstone that is present in most of the areas where we may be working can increase the local temperatures to approximately 120 °F. The weather in this area is also known to be somewhat variable. A day that begins hot and sunny can quickly produce cold hailstorms. This information is not meant to scare you but we want to give you a realistic expectation of the conditions you may encounter during your visit with us.

What to bring: The conditions mentioned above make a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and a canteen or water bottle a MUST! However, you should also be prepared for the possibilities of rain and/or chilly nights. We suggest that you bring clothing suitable for a range of weather conditions such as:

Shorts and/or long pants, Rain gear,T-shirts/sweatshirts/light jacket , Work gloves, Sturdy shoes or hiking boots , Sun glasses
Lip balm/lotion, Bug spray, A light backpack

We also encourage you to bring your cameras (still or video) with lots of film (if you have an “old fashioned” camera) or memory capacity.

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