The dinosaur camp is a camping experience with space limited to 12 students. The camp leaves from the Montana Learning Center in Helena and drives campers to Ekalaka, Montana. There is a Sunday start with a Friday return. There will be three days of field expeditions to various sites in the Pierre Shale and Hell Creek Formations. In addition to dinosaur excavation, students will also learn to identify microfossils (like tiny fossilized bones and fish scales), harvest fossil plants and collect amber. Once fossils are collected, campers will help to sort material and learn the basics of fossil preparation. Once preparation is completed, all specimens will be housed in a permanent exhibit at the Carter County Museum.

Due to enrollment demand, all prospective campers must fill out a short application before registering for the camp.

Campers will receive a special tour of the collections areas of the Carter County Museum to see the wide array of important fossils and materials that have been excavated over the past 85 years. Students will also receive a souvenir of a fossil cast.

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The goal of the program is to nurture and develop an interest in paleontology with the hope that students will consider pursuing study in the field of paleontology. With that goal, the cost of the program covers transportation, room and board and training, and additional proceeds from the camp also help fund an internship in paleontology for a college student. 

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Click here for more details on what to expect on a paleontology dig. 

Included in the cost of the paleotology camp is transportation to and from Helena to the camp and dig location in Ekalaka, Montana. Also included are all meals, snacks and all learning and recreational activities and related fees. 

Montana Learning Center staff will provide training in proper paleontology techniques and all the tools for digging and collecting, jacketing and transporting fossils are included.

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There are no accommodations. Students will be camping. There is a latrine and tents will be provided.

Campers will need to bring:

• Sleeping bag

• Pillow

• Flashlight

• Daypack

• Refillable water bottle.

It can get very hot in the summer, so students should bring lightweight clothing that covers and protects, such as:

• Long sleeve shirts

• Pants

• Sunglasses

• Hat

• Sunscreen is a must.

• The campsite is at a lake, so campers will want bathing suits.

• Closed, comfortable shoes or boots

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1. What makes the Vicki Mosasaur Site significant?
   Montana Learning Center campers have been helping excavate the tail end of a Mosasaur knows as "Vickie." The campers have helped to collect what appears to be nearly all of the bones, including 70 articulated vertebrae spanning 25 feet and multiple pelvic elements of this roughly 75 million year old predatory marine reptile. The specimen is unique in that it was found on the southern edge of the Cedar Creek Anticline. This area of marine sediments that are between 90-70 million years old has not been very well studied in the past.

2. What has been most surprising about your discoveries at this location?​
   What was most shocking about this site was the initial completeness of fossilized bones of Vickie the Mosasaur. On the surface, we were able to initially identify more than 25 feet of articulated vertebrae, which honestly is a rarity. We usually deal in partial specimens, but this one seemed to be nearly complete from the moment it was discovered.

3. What are your current research objectives at your site? 
   Our current research endeavors at this site are first and foremost to learn what species the Mosasaur is. No skull material has been recovered yet, and the axial skeleton is less diagnostic, so this may take a while to tease out once it is in the lab. Ammonites and other invertebrates will help date the mosasaur, which will aid in this process.

4. What was most important or rewarding find at this site?​
   The most important and rewarding find at the site was found by our Montana Learning Center campers nearby: ammonites. Ammonites are extinct relatives of squids, similar to nautiloids. Ammonites are extremely important because they can help constrain the date of when this specimen died. Having campers discover some of the most critical parts of the research is beyond rewarding for all parties included at the site.

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