1. April, 2007

2. It’s more than just cowboys and rodeos …
Wyoming’s bighorn basin
It’s more than just cowboys and rodeos …

3. The Bighorn Basin of Wyoming contains extensively documented fossil deposits dating 542 million years ago (Cambrian Period) to the present.

4. World famous localities with:
- Dinosaur and marine reptile bones
- Dinosaur eggshells
- Dinosaur tracks and trackways
- Primitive mammal fossils
Located on private land as well as state and federal land.

5. Dinosaur Quarries near Shell

6. “The Bighorn Basin is one of the few places in the world where the fossil record, as shown in the rocks, is uninterrupted from the demise of dinosaurs through the early diversification of mammals”
Source: USDI Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Grass Creek Resource Area Resource Management Plan September 1994

7. Primitive Mammals Natural Trap Cave in the Bighorns
20,000 to 25,000 years ago a variety of large mammals died and plummeted 85 feet into what is now called Natural Trap Cave. "It's a world-class paleontological Pleistocene deposit."
"Essentially it has the entire record of the Pleistocene up until 10,000, 12,000 years ago."
Source: Billings Gazette, October, 2005
Saber-toothed lion
Dire Wolf

8. “The Bighorn Canyon rock shelters study area contains evidence of continuous occupation by humans for over 11,000 years”
Source: Personal conversation with Dr. George Frison
Professor emeritus of anthropology, University of Wyoming

9. Where are these Bighorn Basin Fossils?
Each year, major fossil discoveries are collected and removed from this part of the Bighorn Basin!
Where are these
Bighorn Basin Fossils?

10. Where are They? . . . Montana’s Museum of the Rockies
The famous allosaur “Big Al”, subject of the BBC / Discover video entitled “Allosaur” . . .
. . . Montana’s Museum of the Rockies

11. Where are They?
The 1934 Howe Dinosaur Quarry collection of over 4,000 dinosaur bones collected by the famous paleontologist Barnum Brown
American Museum of Natural History, New York City

12. Where are They? . . . Saurier Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland
The Howe-Stephens Dinosaur collection, featuring “Big Al Two”, the most complete allosaur ever discovered, and six other major dinosaur discoveries . . .
. . . Saurier Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland

13. Where are They? . . . Smithsonian Institution
Rare Jurassic-age Dinosaur Eggshell Fossils
Smithsonian Institution

14. Where are They? . . . Smithsonian Institution
Ancient Marine Reptile Fossils
Smithsonian Institution
Ichthyosaur collected 1006 by the Smithsonian team near Shell
Plesiosaur pelvis in jacket – collected by Dr. Robin O’Keefe, New York

15. Why are they leaving our area?
Suitable facilities and resources for preparation, storage and display of dinosaur fossils are
NOT AVAILABLE!

16. Our Fossil Heritage is Relatively Unknown to the Average Citizen!
Professional scientists, including world famous anthropologists, geologists, and paleontologists have conducted research and collection activities in the Bighorn Basin for over 75 years . . .

17. Dr. Neil Clark Kirby Siber Dr. Michael Brett-Surman
Professional Geoscientists Currently Active Here (partial list)
Dr. Erik Kvale
Dr. Neil Clark Kirby Siber Dr. Michael Brett-Surman
Dr. Matt Carrano Steve Jabo Pete Kroehler Dr. Robin O’Keefe Dr. Jack Beuthin
Dr. Paul Sereno Dr. James Farlow Dr Nick Fraser Dr. Brian Dade

18. These continuing research and educational activities are only loosely coordinated among entities.
Therefore
The rich natural resources of the area remains relatively unknown to the people of Wyoming and to the world.

19. WHAT DO WE NEED?

20. W E N E E D ! GeoScience Center /Museum
- Display Bighorn Basin natural history
- Educational resource for visitors & residents
- Support Center for visiting geoscientists

21. Bighorn Basin GeoScience Center
The Bighorn Basin Geoscience Center is a new non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to geological, paleontological, and archeological research and education and to the conservation of the natural resources of the northern Bighorn Basin of Wyoming.

22. Bighorn Basin GeoScience Center
Current Board of Directors
Cliff Manuel, Chairman
President, GeoScience Adventures, Inc., Shell
John Coyne, Vice Chairman
President, Big Horn Federal Savings and Loan,
Greybull
Scott McCollough, Secretary & Treasurer
Attorney at Law, Greybull

23. Primary Goals
1.) Establish a permanent facility in the Shell Valley of Wyoming that serves as a museum and interpretive center for Bighorn Basin natural resources, and features the major fossil discoveries from this part of Wyoming.

24. Primary Goals
2.) Provide a repository for type specimens, especially unique scientifically valuable fossils from the northern part of the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming.

25. Primary Goals
3.) Educate and inspire the public with an understanding and appreciation for the significant scientific and historical values of fossil specimens.

26. Feature Major Discoveries From our Area!
Museum Concept
Feature Major Discoveries From our Area!
- The major Howe Dinosaur Quarry fossils
- Allosaur “Big Al Two”
- Camarasaurus “E.T.”
- Diplodocus full mount & crest impressions
- Apatosaurus Baby “Toni”
- Stegosaurus “Lilly”
- Skull Casts

27. Howe –Stephens Quarry Dinosaurs
DinoRama 2006 Exhibit

28. Other Major Fossil Discoveries From the Area!
Museum Concept
Other Major Fossil Discoveries From the Area!
- The Red Canyon Ranch Stegosaurus “Sarah”
- Rare Middle-Jurassic age Dinosaur Tracks
- Jurassic Marine Reptiles – Ichthyosaur and Plesiosaur

29. Red Canyon Ranch Stegosaurus “Sarah”
One of the most complete Stegosaurus ever found!

30. Wyoming’s Middle-Jurassic Treasure
Rare Dinosaur Tracks

31. Marine Reptile Fossils
Ichthyosaur collected by the Smithsonian Team
Plesiosaur pelvis in jacket

32. Other Major Displays - detailed in the book “Bones for Barnum Brown”
Geology of the Bighorn Basin
- depicting our rich geological history
1934 Howe Dinosaur Quarry history
- detailed in the book “Bones for Barnum Brown”

33. Over 500 Million Years of Geologic History on Display in our Area

34. Sheep Mountain Anticline near Greybull

35. The Age of Dinosaurs – Beginning to End!
The Beginning of the Mesozoic Era
(near the mouth of Shell Canyon)
Largest mass extinction event ever, triggering the “Age of Dinosaurs”
The End of the Mesozoic Era
(near the Greybull airport)
Mass extinction event ending the “Age of Dinosaurs”
The K/T Boundary

36. The Barker Howe/ Barnum Brown/ Howe Quarry history

37. The Siber Team / Howe Quarry history

38. Other Major Displays Displays from other institutions/entities
- Smithsonian Institution
- Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- Iowa State University
- Dartmouth College
Other Bighorn Basin history
- The “Bentonite Story”, Oil & Gas Industry
- Humans in the Bighorn Basin, Guest Ranching

39. Guest Ranching (1930’s image)
Bentonite Industry
Oil and Gas Industry
2006 was the 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil in the Bighorn Basin
Sinclair Oil financed the original Howe Quarry Expedition near Shell. This expedition inspired the famous Sinclair “green dinosaur” logo.
Guest Ranching (1930’s image)

40. Early Man in the Bighorn Basin

41. Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin

42. Deinonychus Site
Bighorn Canyon
Natural Trap Cave
Dinosaur Site
Draper Museum
Howe Quarry
Shell Falls
Dinosaur Tracks
Ancient Mammals
Mammoth Sites
Ancient Plants
Wyo Dino Center

43. Public Awareness Campaign July, 2006
Kirby Siber exhibited several of his Howe Quarry dinosaur mounts at Dinorama-2006 in Shell, including “Big Al Two”, the most complete Allosaurus specimen ever collected.

45. Public Awareness Campaign July, 2006
This effectively demonstrated the need for a the Bighorn Basin GeoScience Center so that we can conserve and display our natural resources in an appropriate local setting.

46. Thanks to our Dinorama Sponsors !
- Display Housing & Support
– Dirty Annie’s Country Store
- Dino Specimen Shipping & Setup
– The Hideout
– Saurier Museum
– Black Hills Institute
- Promotion, Advertising, Logistics
– GeoScience Adventures
- Logistical /Financial Assistance
- Big Horn Rural Electric Co.
- Tri State
- TCT West

47. Phase Two

48. Planned Activities Preplanning and Site Selection Construction Program
- Establish a Strategic Planning Team
- Pursue grants for Preplanning & Design of Museum and
Exhibits.
- Solicit donation of real property for museum site.
- Prepare specifications for Museum and Exhibits
Construction Program
- Pursue funding for construction of Museum and Exhibits.

49. November 2006

51. Estimated Costs Estimated Initial Costs: Museum & Exhibits:
Planning $ ,000
Property ,000
Construction ,000,000
Exhibits / Displays ,000,000
Grants/Donations Needed:
Planning Building / Exhibit Designs
Real Property Land, Utilities, Excavation, etc.
Construction ,000 sq. $150/sq. ft.
Exhibits / Displays - “Adopt an Exhibit” Sponsors

52. Annual Attendance Projection
A first-class museum and interpretive center situated on U.S. Highway 14 near Shell, Wyoming, will draw an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 visitors annually, based on estimates of tourist traffic and local visitations.
Other regional institutions annual attendance estimates:
Shell Falls Visitor Center ,000 (est)
Buffalo Bill Historical Center ,000 *
Wyoming Dinosaur Center ,000 *
Devils Tower ,000 *
* Source – Official Museum Directory 2005

53. Annual Income Projection
An estimated 350, ,000 people travel over the Bighorn Mountain through Shell on highway 14 during the summer months
If just 15 % of those visitors stop at the museum, annual attendance could approach 50,000 visitors with annual income estimated at $250,000 to $300,000

54. Government and Local Support:
W H A T DO W E N E E D ?
Government and Local Support:
Recognition of the area’s need for the museum
Promotion of Wyoming’s natural resources
Financial Assistance

55. Cooperating Entities (Potential)
W H A T DO W E N E E D ?
Cooperating Entities (Potential)
Saurier Museum Aathal, Zurich, Switzerland
Howe Quarry Property Owners
Red Canyon Ranch Property Owners
Flitner Ranch
State of Wyoming & Neighboring States
USDI - Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Iowa State University
Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History
Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville
Draper Museum of Natural History, Cody
National Park Service
Local Businesses and Institutions

56. Advisory Group (proposed)
W H A T DO W E N E E D ?
Advisory Group (proposed)
Erik Kvale Ph.D Senior Scientist, Devon Energy Corp
Chris Dimock Businessman, Cody
David Flitner Flitner Ranch, Shell
Meredith Scott MD Landowner, Shell
Rick Magstadt Vice President Manufacturing, Wyo-Ben, Inc.
Dan Close M-I SWACO
John Ed Anderson Red Canyon Ranch, Shell
H. J. (Kirby) Siber Director, Saurier Museum Aathal, Zurich, Switzerland
James Farlow Ph.D Professor of Geology, Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne
Nicholas Fraser Ph.D Curator, Virginia Museum of Natural History at Martinsville
M. Brett-Surman Ph.D Museum Specialist, Smithsonian Institution
Brian Dade Ph.D. Professor of Geology, Dartmouth College
Angela Botzer Production Editor, International Editions, National Geographic

57. What are our neighboring states doing?
Montana advertises the Montana Dinosaur Trail . . .
. . . Museums or Interpretive Centers in thirteen localities in Montana.

58. Fort Peck Museum – Montana Featuring “Peck’s Rex”

59. Phillips County Museum – Montana
Featuring “Leonardo” – (mummified dinosaur)

60. What are our neighboring states doing?
Utah and Colorado both advertise the Dinosaur Diamond . .
. . . A “Road Map” to museums and dinosaur localities in Utah and Colorado.

61. Price, Utah Museum

62. Castle Dale, Utah Museum

63. Woodland Park, Colorado Museum

64. What are our neighboring states doing?
The Black Hills of South Dakota advertises the Black Hills Museum Alliance with eleven museums in the area bordering eastern Wyoming . . .
. . . South Dakota Museum of Geology and Paleontology featuring local rocks and fossils
. . . Black Hills Museum of Natural History featuring the T-rex “Stan”

65. . . . The Mammoth Site – a National Natural Landmark
featuring in-situ display of fossil mammoth bones

66. What is Wyoming doing?
Unlike our neighboring states, “Wyoming’s Official State Travel Website” contains only general information about dinosaur sites.

67. Wyoming Visitor Center – Evanston, Wyoming 2006
Brochure for Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Wyoming Visitor Center – Evanston, Wyoming 2006
(one dinosaur related brochure)

68. Our neighboring states are promoting their natural resources . . .
. . . W E C A N A L S O !

69. Bighorn Basin / Big Horn Mountains There Really is a Pot of Gold here

70. CONTACT: Cliff Manuel, Chairman Bighorn Basin GeoScience Center
1802 Highway 14 E
Shell, Wyoming 82441
Phone: ( or (866)
Internet:
January, 2007