Volunteer Program

The Big Horn Basin Foundation and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center would like to thank you for sharing in our programs. Please take a look at the enclosed criteria for our volunteer certification programs and do not hesitate to call or e-mail us with any questions.

For questions or information contact us at: 307-864-2259 ext 223

Big Horn Basin Foundation, e-mail mlehalbakken@gmail.com
Certification instructor: (Bill) wwahl2@aol.com

Holiday Inn 307-864-3131
Located in the Hot Springs State Park. Restaurant, lounge, pool and athletic club.

Best Western Plaza Hotel 307-864-2939
Newly remodeled, located in the Hot Spring State Park across from the Holiday Inn.

Rainbow Motel 307-864-2129 - Kitchenettes
Coachman Motel 307-864-3141
Super 8 Motel 307-864-5515 - Continental breakfast
Cactus Inn 307 864-864-3155 Kitchenettes
Elk Antler Inn 1-800-320-4025
Moonlighter Motel 307-864-2321

Ask about tent or RV camping near our facilities if you are interested.

Some local attractions (please contact the Chamber of Commerce @ 307-864-3192 for more details).

* The Old West Wax Museum, Dancing Bear Museum
* Whitewater rafting
* Two water parks located in the Hot Springs State Park – open all year
* 9 hole public golf course
* Hot Springs Historical Museum
* State buffalo herd roams the edges of Thermopolis
* Some of the best trout fishing in the country

Certification Rules, Regulations and Requirements
Current as of June 2008

The Big Horn Basin Foundation offers basic and intermediate preparation certification as well as basic and intermediate field certification. The preparation certifications are generally taught throughout the year, however there are seasonal restrictions limiting our field training to the summer months.

Call the Big Horn Basin Foundation at 307.864.2997 ext 223 to schedule certification and confirm the time frame. Registration forms must be completed before date of arrival. Prospective certification students or volunteers under the age of 18 will be conditionally accepted (if this applies to you call for specific conditions as they vary depending on circumstances).

All parties that complete the criteria set for any given level will be awarded a certification for that level. Because training volunteers takes the instructor(s) away from their normal tasks, we ask for a commitment of a period of time proportional to the amount of training required (2 consecutive weeks per level for out of town volunteers; 2-3 weeks non-consecutive for local volunteers). Further details will be provided at the time of scheduling. Although donations are not mandatory for this instruction, in-kind or monetary donations are gratefully accepted to help offset operation and instruction costs.

Donations from previous volunteers cover the cost of materials and supplies needed for certification and are supplied by the Center. Please consider the very hot dry weather, and that the fieldwork may be strenuous and hazardous. Participants must be in good physical condition, ready for unpredictable weather changes, steep slopes, falling rocks, insects and rattlesnakes. All participants are required to wear proper shoes (closed toes and heels) at all times, other personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided. If you will be in the field please bring a hat to shield you from the sun, sunscreen and a water bottle. We will provide ice water on location at all times. Meals are not provided.

The Big Horn Basin Foundation and Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites are a scientific research operation in which the public has been invited to participate. Fossil collecting from our ranch is not allowed without permission from a supervisor. All other fossils will not be removed or disturbed from any location at anytime unless otherwise directed by a site supervisor. There will be crewmembers present to ensure the integrity of the dig sites while providing a place in which the public will be allowed to encounter a professional learning and teaching experience.

All staff and volunteers must continue to uphold the policies and criteria required for certification throughout their time at the center. Incomplete requirements or unsatisfactory performance will disqualify certification until lacking components are accomplished or upheld.

EMPLOYEE AND VOLUNTEER AWARENESS OF LIMITATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

Basic Preparation Certification

All WDC and BHBF staff and volunteer members are required to complete our certification programs (or equivalent) before assisting with any day programs. If you have successfully passed the basic level of preparation (or equivalent), you may assist with hour-long programs such as kids’ dig, earth explorer’s, and special digs.

Basic level is an introduction to the elementary requirements of fossil preparation that includes such topics as learning proper documentation, identifying bone and abnormalities that occur, applying the glue correctly, learning the prep processes and purpose of procedures.

All basic members will need to perform a number of tasks given by the prep lab manager or assistant before advancing to the intermediate level of prep. You must prove you can successfully and correctly prepare specimens during down time, as well as learn all functions and regulations of the prep lab. After completion of this level, further instruction is provided as needed.

Intermediate Preparation Certification

Intermediate level candidates are further instructed in preparation procedures as techniques, and will become less and less supervised until they can take a project they are given from initiation to completion without supervision.

At the intermediate level, you will be cross-trained to perform and assist with a variety of tasks. Tasks learned during the 3-day intermediate prep course include removing a specimen correctly from a jacket and the ability to choose a proper method of stabilizing and preparing a specimen.

As a member of the intermediate level, you may be assisting with the instruction of our day programs. Prior to completing this level each candidate must be able to guide museum tours and dig site tours.

Upon successful completion of the intermediate prep certification, you will be eligible to attend the intermediate field certification.

Basic Field Certification

The basic field certification program is intended primarily as an introduction to what types of materials to watch for, how to recognize fossil specimens, and how to dig with basic tools. This level of certification will not prepare a participant for excavation work on his or her own; instead, the program is intended as a precursor to the intermediate level of certification.

Although the basic field course does not require completion of the basic prep course beforehand, most participants who have not completed basic prep will need several extra days in the basic field program in order to pass. The basic prep course is thus highly recommended as the introductory program to the fossils and procedures of the WDC. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center volunteer program requires certification through at least the Intermediate level to work at the dig sites without the immediate supervision of staff members.

The single most important aspect of the basic field certification is learning to identify fossil materials and potentially significant non-fossil materials. Heavy emphasis is placed on this ability during the certification test, so any questions participants have about identification should be directed toward the instructor in order to facilitate learning the necessary materials.

Intermediate Field Certification

The intermediate level of field certification is the minimum requirement for staff and volunteers to work outside the immediate supervision of certified staff at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites. Hill supervisors will assist in developing field localities and site plans.

Participants in the intermediate level of field certification will need to demonstrate that they can properly excavate, survey, document, and remove a specimen. At a minimum, proper digging techniques and removal methods must be demonstrated. The intermediate program also places more emphasis on identifying what kind of fossil material or significant specimens are encountered during the digging process as well as rigorous field documentation of those specimens.

Certification at the intermediate level for the dig sites requires completion of the Intermediate level of preparation. This requirement helps to ensure that volunteers and staff realize the consequences of their actions on the hill when the specimen(s) are moved to the prep lab.

As a volunteer you will be expected to effectively be part of the staff. As you gain instruction and experience, you will be given more and more options to participate in a myriad of projects.

We reserve the right to refuse instruction to a person whenever we feel that individual is not well suited to be part of our staff, or is detrimental to specimens under our care. When a person is accepted as a volunteer, he or she will always be eligible to volunteer so long as he or she conforms to the certification criteria.