Dino Den presentation this Saturday

The Big Horn Basin has increasingly become more than a gateway to Yellowstone. In recent years, the region has emerged as a destination in its own right, drawing visitors for wild horse viewing, backcountry hiking, water recreation and a growing network of excellent local museums. Combined with year-round recreation in the Big Horn Mountains, the basin has quietly expanded its tourism identity, offering experiences that encourage visitors to stay longer and explore deeper.

Now, one group believes the basin’s prehistoric past may be its most untapped attraction.

This week, the Wild West Dino Den will bring that idea to Lovell with a free public program Saturday, Feb. 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hyart Theatre. The presentation will outline plans for a science-based dinosaur museum in Greybull focused entirely on fossils discovered in the northern Big Horn Basin.

For nearly 100 years, world-class Jurassic dinosaurs and marine reptiles have been found in the Lovell, Greybull and Shell area. Many of those discoveries are now housed in major museums in London, Zurich, New York City, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. Even the closest major dinosaur fossil discovered locally is displayed at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

“That history is incredible, but it’s also frustrating,” said Wild West Dino Den founder Erik Kvale. “Our most famous dinosaurs were found here, but people have to leave the basin to see them.”

Organizers envision a high-quality dinosaur museum that would become a destination for visitors interested in the region’s deep prehistoric history. The Wild West Dino Den plans to develop hands-on, immersive exhibits built around scientifically accurate replicas of iconic local dinosaurs and marine reptiles, allowing those discoveries to be experienced in the Big Horn Basin where they were first found.

But the vision extends beyond traditional displays. “We don’t want a police lineup of dinosaurs,” Kvale said. “We want people to feel like they’ve stepped back into the Jurassic.” Proposed exhibits would incorporate elements of the ancient environment, including plants, smaller animals, sounds and other contextual features, helping visitors better understand what the basin looked like millions of years ago and why its fossils are important to science.

Saturday’s Lovell program will include short presentations on the museum concept, updates on fundraising and planning efforts and a screening of the award-winning documentary “Why Dinosaurs?” A question-and-answer session with paleontologists and geologists involved in the project will follow.

Organizers see the proposed museum as both an educational asset and a natural extension of the basin’s growing tourism economy, adding dinosaurs to a region already known for outdoor recreation, history and discovery. They believe it would serve as another reason for visitors to stop, stay and explore, giving travelers an opportunity to discover how much more the Big Horn Basin has to offer.