Not listed CARTER COUNTY MUSEUM IS MONTANA S OLDEST COUNTY MUSEUM AND THE FIRST TO PUBLICLY DISPLAY FOSSILS IN THE STATE. ITS VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY CATALOG WAS OFFICIALLY FORMED IN 1933 FROM LOCAL COLLECTIONS DATING BACK TO 1900. OVER 1,000 HELL CREEK FORMATION (HCF) SPECIMENS ARE CATALOGUED IN THE MUSEUM S COLLECTION, PROVIDING A RESOURCE FOR THE TESTING OF EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL HYPOTHESES REGARDING THE TERMINAL CRETACEOUS. EXCAVATED FROM BLM LANDS IN 1962, THE BLAIR TRICERATOPS IS ONE OF THE MORE COMPLETE SKULLS AND SKELETONS IN THE CARTER COUNTY MUSEUM COLLECTION. THE ASSOCIATED MATERIAL RECOVERED FROM THE SITE ALSO HELPS PROVIDE A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE PERIOD IN WHICH IT LIVED AND TAKEN TOGETHER, THIS SPECIMEN PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL TEST OF THIS EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESIS AND FURTHER DEMONSTRATES HOW THE FORMATION OF LOCAL MUSEUMS IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF PRESERVING NATURAL HISTORY OBJECTS AND ARCHIVES TO YIELD VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC DATA AND TEST CURRENT AND FUTURE HYPOTHESES. THIS PROJECT IS KEY IN ENABLING US TO DISPLAY THIS TRICERATOPS AS THE FIRST FOSSIL SPECIMEN FULLY MOUNTED IN THE MUSEUM S FORTHCOMING, EXPANDED DINOSAUR HALL, CREATING A FOCAL POINT ON THE MUSEUM S STATUS AS A REPOSITORY FOR BLM AND OTHER FOSSILS FROM A 100 MILE RADIUS OF THE MUSEUM, FURTHER UNDERSCORING THE POSITION OF THIS RURAL PLACE AS AN EPICENTER OF PALEONTOLOGICAL DISCOVERY AND FUTURE RESEARCH FOR THOUSANDS OF ANNUAL VISITORS TO SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA.THIS PROJECT, WHICH ACCOMPLISHES THE STATED GOALS OF THE MONTANA DAKOTA BLM OFFICE BY PROTECTING AND PRESERVING PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES INCLUDING THE BLAIR TRICERATOPS FOR THE BENEFIT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS THROUGH ARCHIVAL HOUSING AND STABILIZATION AT A RECOGNIZED CURATION FACILITY, WILL BROADEN PUBLIC ACCESS TO MUSEUM COLLECTIONS BY BRINGING THE BLAIR TRICERATOPS AND OTHER ASSOCIATED FOSSILS FROM THE SITE FROM THEIR CURRENT AT-RISK STORAGE IN FIELD JACKETS AND NON-ARCHIVAL BOXES TO PUBLIC DISPLAY IN OUR NEWLY EXPANDED DINOSAUR HALL.EXPECTED DELIVERABLES OUTCOMES- 28 FOSSIL SPECIMENS CURATED AT CARTER COUNTY MUSEUM, INCLUDING BLAIR TRICERATOPS- PHOTOGRAPHS AND 3D SCANS- FINAL DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION OF SPECIMENS AND UPDATED RECORD IN CCM COLLECTIONS DATABASE- PRESENTATION OF POSTER AT SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING- FINAL DIGITAL SCAN RENDERED AND MADE AVAILABLE WITH CONSULTATION ON CCM AND BLM MONTANA DAKOTAS SKETCHFAB PAGES- DIGITAL MOUNT MODEL COMPLETED FOR BLAIR TRICERATOPS SPECIMEN- PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF PROJECT AT CARTER COUNTY MUSEUM GEOLOGICAL DEC. 3, 2026 SOCIETY MEETING (NOTE: CAN BE MADE VIRTUALLY)INTENDED BENEFICIARIESBY HIRING AN INTERN WITH FUNDS AND GIVING THEM THE SUPPLIES AND TOOLS TO DO THIS VITAL WORK, CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY WILL BE PROVIDING AN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL, BUT ALSO ONE FOR THE VISITING PUBLIC, WHO WILL GET TO SEE THIS SPECIMEN PREPPED AT OUR INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DINO SHINDIG EVENT, LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECT THROUGH A LIVESTREAMED TALK, AND SEE IT VISUALIZED ON A POSTER AT THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING. $0 1/29/26 Not listed THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE A DISPLAY OF THE BLAIR TRICERATOPS AS THE FIRST FOSSIL SPECIMEN FULLY MOUNTED IN THE MUSEUM S FORTHCOMING, EXPANDED DINOSAUR HALL, CREATING A FOCAL POINT ON THE MUSEUM S STATUS AS A REPOSITORY FOR BLM AND OTHER FOSSILS FROM A 100-MILE RADIUS OF THE MUSEUM, FURTHER UNDERSCORING THE POSITION OF THIS RURAL COMMUNITY AS AN EPICENTER OF PALEONTOLOGICAL DISCOVERY AND FUTURE RESEARCH FOR THOUSANDS OF ANNUAL VISITORS TO SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA. $20.0k 9/24/25