Geological Society Founder's Day, March 14

On March 14, 2019, the Carter County Geological Society will host its annual Founder's Day Celebration at Carter County Events Center. Members of the CCGS are invited to bring a potluck dish of either a salad or dessert. Marlene Waterland will provide the main dish of dinner rolls and twice-baked barbecue chicken. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. with a program to follow.

In 2018, the Carter County Museum had a record of 5,144 visitors to the museum, including 42% from out-of-state and international. The museum served a total of 4,915 students, both onsite and through outreach programs including educational trunks like the MAIA: Mobile Science Lab. The total audience served by the museum in 2018 was 14,925!

Thanks to support from Carter County, the museum has a new collections storage facility and carpet was installed throughout the entire museum. Australian and local members of the paleontology field crew excavated a plesiosaur and have introduced a number of new exhibits, including a spotlight on the Curt Wilson archaeological collection and geology of the Medicine Rocks area.

In 2017, the American Alliance for Museums partnered with Oxford Economics to study the museum sector's contribution to the American economy. For Montana specifically, museums had an economic impact of $117 million to the economy, supported 2,088 jobs, generated $28.8 million in tax revenue and brought $83 million of income to state residents.

This year's Founder's Day presentation will focus on how the community can use the Carter County Museum as a resource. Over the past year, the museum has created a number of online exhibitions that are available 24/7 for students and lifelong learners to pursue at their leisure as well as many ongoing and upcoming programs.

Join the geological society and hear from Museum Director Sabre Moore as she presents information on curriculum that can be used by teachers, a portable planetarium known as StarLab and upcoming educational opportunities for children to partake in this summer. Jennifer Hall will provide updates on the upcoming seventh annual Dino Shindig.