Our mission is to provide hands-on educational experiences for the public, based as much as possible on actual research sites and utilizing research personnel; to promote research and publications on the objects and information collected; and to collect, preserve, and interpret for the public, items relating to the physical and cultural heritage of the world. This corporation is dedicated to the sharing of information with other organizations for the advancement of science and the education and enjoyment of the public.
Here at the The Montana 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 The Montana 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 The Montana 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 Montana 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.
The The Montana Dinosaur Center also provides invaluable assistance to other museums across Montana, helping build new exhibits, develop scientific and educational programs, and strengthen the profile of Montana’s unique museums.
We are proud members of the American Alliance of Museums and have taken their Pledge of Excellence.
American Alliance of Museums Pledge of Excellence
“The museum pledges that, in fulfillment of its educational mission, it will strive to operate according to core standards to the best of its abilities and in accordance with its resources.”