FRIENDS OF DINOSAUR RIDGE

Operations/Visitor Experience
Friends of Dinosaur Ridge staff and volunteers model the characteristics of professional organizations, including personal and facility appearances that emphasize customer service, conduct that is respectful, a commitment to reliability and accountability, and clear competence and efficiency in all operations. Dinosaur Ridge provides a unique visitor experience that sparks curiosity and wonder while highlighting the world-class natural resources in a clean and safe environment.

Education
Dinosaur Ridge develops, implements, and continuously improves exciting in-person and virtual educational programs for all visitors that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and provide fun activities related to the natural and historical resources found at Dinosaur Ridge, Triceratops Trail, and related paleontology sites. Dinosaur Ridge consistently evaluates its educational programs relative to the stated core impact statements (see next page). The organization believes that its programs are sparks that ignite curiosity and a life-long passion for learning science and history about the natural resources found there.

Preservation
Dinosaur Ridge preserves the fossils and geological resources on Dinosaur Ridge and Triceratops Trail for future generations by managing the sites with responsible stewardship. The organization evaluates the preservation and aesthetic needs with oversight from Jefferson County Open Space. Dinosaur Ridge provides an on-going maintenance program to include a safe environment for all visitors.

Community Engagement
Dinosaur Ridge collaborates with Jefferson County Open Space and other community, educational, higher education, and research organizations as partners to use the power of vision and common goals to move together toward a bright future. The organization develops the fundraising capacity to fund all current and future projects that enhance the resources found at Dinosaur Ridge and Triceratops Trail. Friends of Dinosaur Ridge cares for the financial resources provided by its many donors.

Dinosaur Ridge - Education Programs Impact Statements

A) Participants will feel an increased connection to science, especially geology and
paleontology

● Participants are encouraged to think like a scientist or do the work of a scientist
● Participants are engaged by using the methods or tools of a scientist (e.g., led through
the observation & questioning process, examining fossil props, using a hand-lens etc.)

B) Participants will demonstrate an increased passion and curiosity for local geo/paleo
treasures

● Participants make observations, connections, and predictions, ask questions and report
new facts

C) Participants will gain scientific literacy and understanding through age-appropriate
content

● Participants explain scientific concepts in age-appropriate ways
● Participants learn through engagement with age-appropriate movement, sharing and
exploration

D) By studying the geo/paleo discoveries at Dinosaur Ridge, participants will become more
engaged in the scientific method and critical scientific thinking

● Participants make observations and predictions, ask questions, and report new facts
● Participants ask questions throughout their program

E) Participants will actively engage with nature while taking part in an outdoor adventure

● Participants touch the rocks/fossils at each stop as appropriate, objects that come from nature, and/or educational specimens/props (explore with their senses)
● Participants are engaged in interactive outdoor activities with other participants

F) Participants will respond to the importance of protecting and preserving resources in the National Natural Landmark

● Participants understand the value of the unique resources on the Ridge and the museum
by learning new facts

As a key cultural institution and unique open space area, FODR has a long history of engaging visitors of all ages, including families and students from local schools. FODRs regular programs include:
Guided Bus Tours: Tours are a 45-60-minute educational experience that feature stops at the Dinosaur Tracksite, Brontosaurus Bulges, and the Bone Bed. Tour guides provide historic and scientific explanations at each site and participants are invited to see and touch the fossils. We typically see approximately 25,000 people per year take our bus tours.
School Tours: These inquiry-based programs are designed to connect classroom lessons on changing environments, geology, fossils, and dinosaurs to real specimens in a unique outdoor classroom. FODR conducts an average of 250 K-12 school tours per year, serving approximately 12,000-15,000 students. A Field Experience Fund for Title I Schools allows FODR to makes its school tour program more equitable to all communities by offering a waiver program for Title I schools, where 50% or more students qualify for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program. Students from Title I schools comprise nearly 40%, or 5,000-6,000 of the students that FODR hosts each year.
Summer Camps: Each camp explores the Dinosaur Ridge fossil sites, offers hands-on science projects, and hosts expert guest presenters in the fields of paleontology, geology, art, earth science, survival skills, and more. Camp themes include Fossils and Fun, Nature Trekkers, Junior Scientists, STEAM Week, and Rock Stars. Camps are organized by age groups and serve 440 children from 5-13 years old.
TriceraTOTs Preschool Program: This program is held monthly and is designed for children aged 2-5 years. FODR staff read 2-4 childrens books with a dinosaur theme and do a 15-minute craft or activity.
Travel and Field Programs: Dinosaur Ridge leads several travel and field programs for adults throughout the year, ranging from day trips to multi-day weekend excursions to provide unique geology and paleontology field experiences throughout and outside of Colorado.
Dinosaur Discovery Days: These free outdoor events are hosted by FODR and include fun activities and interactive vendors for guests. On two of the days, FODR partners with Girl Scouts to offer participants customized outdoor programs.
Audio tours, developed in 2020, have been downloaded thousands of times, including tours for kids and Spanish-speaking audiences.

As FODR primarily serves the community through its educational programming, its overall impact is measured by the number of visitors it serves and the quality of its programs. In 2023, FODR served approximately 210,000 people who visited the site from all over the world. Evaluation efforts across all programs are being led by a senior staff position with half time dedicated to these efforts. We recently added evaluation efforts to a second staff persons job description as well. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation data is collected for all school field trip programs including teacher surveys, student assessments, and general visitor surveys. FODR has implemented formal outcome-based evaluation for special Dino Discovery Day events, summer camps, field trips, and other programs including for our public bus tours, volunteer programs, as well as other smaller programs and events. Results from these evaluations are reviewed monthly by the education team; in 2023, we received evaluation or survey data from several thousand program participants, and the data consistently show 95%+ satisfaction across all programs.