Description
Background: The BLM Montana State Office is seeking to support archaeological and paleontological programs, studies, and curation and protection of the region's finds, program such as: 1) The Crooked Creek region that spans the Montana/Wyoming border contains spectacular natural resources, including spectacular views, biological diversity, a wild horse preserve, and important geologic outcrops containing rare fossils from the Early Cretaceous period. This region has been subject to research since the 1960s and institutions including Yale, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Stony Brook, have studied and worked there. Many important scientific collections have been made in this area. Most recently, faculty from Adelphi University have been leading a research team to again focus on the paleontology resources found in this general region. Supporting the efforts of such studies results in the recovery of important and unique fossil resources, new and expanded understanding of the environment and evolution of dinosaurs and other vertebrates, enhanced educational opportunities, and makes specimens and data more available and useful to researchers and the public. 2) One of the most intensive studies of the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation, dubbed The Hell Creek Project, has been underway for the past 20 years. The Hell Creek contains abundant fossils of dinosaurs, plants, and other animals from the critical time right before, during, and after the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. The project was begun at the Museum of the Rockies under the leadership of John Horner, but coordination of this multi-disciplinary project is now being led by faculty members at the University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Much of the vital work of the project has taken place on lands managed by the BLM. Many thousands of fossils have been collected and deposited at museums. The Hell Creek Project continues annually, collecting additional material and data. Additionally, the University of Washington has been a leader in providing educational opportunities on public lands for teachers through their DIG schools. These DIG schools exploit the force multiplier of teaching teachers about science, research, and prehistory so that they can take this knowledge and experience back to their classrooms and impact generations of young people. The BLM wants to support the research efforts, as well as the curatorial needs of the region's museums. 3) The Museum of the Rockies (MOR), a part of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, is the largest museum of natural science in the state. The museum is the primary repository for fossils from state-managed land, and perhaps the most significant repository for fossils from BLM-managed land. For decades, the MOR has been the approved repository for paleontological material collected from BLM land, as well as many other Federal agencies. Over the years their holdings of public trust material has outgrown their ability to house and curate the fossils so they are available for research and education. An untold number of potentially scientifically valuable fossils are stored in off-site temporary storage. Support from the BLM will help fund long-sought expansion of the museum's collection space greatly facilitating proper housing of their managed collections and greatly improving access and usefulness of these fossils to the public. 4) The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) has been a long-term partner with BLM, storing and managing fossils from public lands. Building on the CMC's current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Montana State Office of the BLM for museum collection management, financial assistance support of this program will help fund the preparation, curation, and storage of fossil collections housed at this partner institution. One example of these important collections is the material from the Motherâ¿¿s Day Site (MDS), a single bone-bed deposit that the CMC collected for a 10-year period. In that time well over 2,000 bones of long-necked dinosaurs were collected. This single collection provides important information about the environment and life-history of this unusual group of prehistoric animals. Since their collection, the museum has worked to restore, clean, catalogue, store, and interpret this collection, as well as others from public lands in Montana and the Dakotas. Many of the specimens from the MDS require oversized housing to properly store, and much of the material collected is still awaiting cleaning and proper preparation to allow full study or exhibition and interpretation to the public. The BLM's support of this program will help fund the efforts of our partner museum which is presently bearing the full expense of the care of these specimens. Objectives: 1) Collection and protection of significant fossils of dinosaurs, other animals, and plant fossils. 2) Clean, stabilize, curate, and prepare specimens, using curatorial-grade specimen storage containers and systems, with professional standards and oversight of student/volunteer involvement in preparation for long-term storage, researcher access, and potential exhibition and interpretation. 3) Record specimen information and related data into museum curation database systems and make records available and accessible to qualified researchers and the public, while protecting sensitive information in compliance with federal law and regulations. 4) Support educational programs, such as the Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) school, that train and enhance teachers' abilities to involve and instruct their students. 5) Publish results of new studies for both professional and lay audiences, as well as providing educational opportunities for the public to learn about the resources on public lands. Public Benefit: Expanding and sharing our understanding of prehistoric life, evolution, and changing environments over time through study and preservation of the fossil record, its publication, and proper curation is crucial to current and future knowledge base for conservation and protection of our public lands and resources. As collections of historical specimens are made, documented, and properly stored and curated, they are then accessible to researchers, students, and institutions as well as for the general public's enjoyment and edification. Support for basic museum infrastructure enhances access to the collections, future exhibit development, and educational outreach to the public. Support for programs such as the DIG school provides teachers and the public novel experiences on public lands learning about historical natural resources and the science of paleontology. Participants, students, and volunteers gain hands-on training and experience, and the results of the research and specimens produced are made available for research, education, and public exhibition.