Fossils Are Free At Last! 2018 - Passport in Time
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South Dakota - Custer NF
Closed! Fossils Are Free At Last!
Volunteers working on a FS dinosaur
SD-4372
June 25-30, 2018 (including weekends)
Must commit to entire session
As promised in the previous “dino project” listing (“Triceratops, Duckbills, and Champsosaurs...Oh My!!”), this project is the second – laboratory – phase of the Custer-Gallatin NF field session. So, dust off your field clothes, and follow (or join) Forest Service Paleontologist Barb Beasley and the Paleontology Preparators at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T), to learn how to free fossils from their sedimentary matrices, and get them ready to be catalogued and curated. The James E. Martin Paleontology Research Lab provides a very unique opportunity to prepare fossils. Volunteers will learn to use a wide variety of tools, consolidants, and other methods to stabilize fossils for long-term storage. During this project’s “off hours,” volunteers can visit the Museum of Geology on campus or the numerous historical, shopping, eating, and other attractions in Rapid City and the surrounding Black Hills. Volunteers may stay in local lodging or in campus dorm rooms. However, if you are selected for this project, please alert the project leader if you wish to stay in the dorms so availability counts and arrangements can be made ahead of time. We look forward to seeing you (or seeing you again) this summer!
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: No special skills required
Minimum age: 15 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Volunteers responsible for own lodging/lodging fees, meals, and daily transportation to the lab. Rapid City is a full-service community with many hotels/motels, restaurants, RV parks and campgrounds, B&Bs, and a wide range of other amenities; there is also a cafeteria on campus. All needed tools and supplies will be provided.
Nearest towns: Project based in Rapid City
Applications due: April 23, 2018
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