Long Overdue Update
Dear Friends,
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After a bit of a summer hiatus, I’m long overdue on updating you on some exciting activities that are upcoming. First of all, our capital campaign has netted our museum collections effort over $250,000. Contributions have slowed over the summer but we have plans to supercharge our efforts as outlined below.
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Our big news however, is that after due consideration we have decided to simplify our name and do business as the “Wild West Dino Den.” We chose to make this change because it is simpler to remember and captures the excitement and vibe we want our museum to have. To this end, board member Nolan O’Neal worked with a graphic artist in Oregon to develop a poster announcing our name change. We will still retain the Big Horn Basin Dinosaur and Geoscience Museum association and, for the right donation, could change our name again in the future, but, for now we are very excited about this development. We will likely maintain our collections under our old name, but our public name will be the “Wild West Dino Den”.
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Our first regional fund-raising effort will be on July 16, 2025. Our museum recently became part of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network and we are participating for the first time in WyoGives. This is a 24-hour fundraising effort initiated by the Wyoming Nonprofit Network. It is a statewide online event designed to raise funds and awareness for Wyoming’s nonprofits. Over 430 organizations are participating. You can donate to us anytime during the 24-hour period. Just go to this website: https://www.wyogives.org/organizations/big-horn-basin-dinosaur-and-geoscience-museum. You could help us in our effort to build a classy and first-rate dinosaur museum in Greybull by spreading the word on this one-day effort by sharing this link with others in your social media circle.
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Our second fund-raising effort will be on July 25th and hosted by the Shell Bar in beautiful downtown Shell. There will be live music from 6:00-9:00pm with Jane Bell and Doc Tari https://doctari.bandcamp.com/track/the-well. On-site will be our very own Prehistoric Game Warden, Al Webster, issuing official dinosaur hunting licenses (in-state and out-of-state versions available). All proceeds from the sale of the licenses and other museum-related items will go directly into our museum collections fund. While you are there, check out the new THAGOMIZER Cocktail. A mocktail version will also be available. A portion of sales from these drinks will also benefit the museum.
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More exciting news will be coming soon. Including news about a promotional film being created about our efforts to build a dinosaur museum in Greybull. This film is being produced and written by Jesse Green, a four-time Emmy Award winning director (Longfellow films) .
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As always, thank you for your interest and support. Together we can “Bring’em Home.”
With Regards,
Erik
Erik Kvale, Ph.D., President
Big Horn Basin Dinosaur and Geoscience Museum/Wild West Dino Den.
Welcome to the website for the Big Horn Basin Dinosaur and Geoscience
Museum. We aren’t a brick-and-mortar building but rather a group of local
paleontology and geology enthusiasts and scientists who want to create a dinosaur museum in
Greybull, Wyoming. Working with the local Town of Greybull, our organization is
seeking funding to acquire museum-quality casts of some of the most spectacular
dinosaurs in the world that were found right in our own backyard.
All of the major fossil discoveries made in our area, including Big Al 2, the world’s
most complete Allosaurus (a large meat-eating dinosaur that was the distant
cousin to the Tyrannosaurs rex) and “Sarah/Sophie” one of the three most
complete Stegosaurs (plant-eating dinosaurs with large boney plates on its back
and spikes on its tail) reside in some of the best dinosaur museums in the world,
but not here in Big Horn County. However, we are working to change that.
As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, we are dedicated to bringing back at least
a part of the science and discoveries that have made our area famous amongst
paleontologists. We hope, as you visit our website, that you can imagine some of
the ancient Jurassic world that our dinosaurs and ancient marine reptiles once
lived in and appreciate the beauty and scientific importance of these discoveries.
Please join us in helping to bring back a part of what our area has lost, and
consider supporting our efforts to educate people of their significance and to
expand our collection of fossils and casts and to find a bigger home for their
display. Help us “Bring’em Home.”
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