CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Exploring 90 Million Years of History in Southeastern Montana
CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
EIN: 81-6012684
Mission
"To increase and diffuse knowledge and appreciation of history, art and science; to discover, excavate and preserve fossils, fossil bones, and human artifacts; to advance the science of archaeology and paleontology; to collect and preserve objects of historic, artistic, and scientific interest; and to acquire and maintain a library to assist in the above purpose."
Ruling year
1938
Executive Director
Sabre Moore
Main address
PO Box 445 306 N Main Street
Ekalaka, MT 59324 USA
EIN
81-6012684
Museums
History museums
Natural history museums
Population served
Children and youth
Adolescents
Adults
Families
Students
NTEE code
Museum & Museum Activities (A50)
Natural History, Natural Science Museums (A56)
History Museums (A54)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
The Carter County Museum envisions an engaged community that works in concert with the museum to promote the incredible fossil and archaeological resources of the area, their stewardship, and increased knowledge through scientific inquiry and research.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Exhibits
Paleontology
Ekalaka has been an epicenter of dinosaur discoveries for the last century and continues to be a source of scientific discovery to this day. The exhibits of the Lambert Room include a mounted skeleton of the duckbill dinosaur Anatotitan copei (one of a few nearly complete specimens of its kind) as well as a complete skull of Triceratops. The badlands around Ekalaka have also produced pachycephalosaurs, pterosaurs, tyrannosaurs, and ankylosaurs. Notably, both the first known as well as the most complete juvenile T. rex have been found here, fueling much of what we know about how these animals grew. Mounts and casts of all of these are on display along with countless other real dinosaur bones.
Carter County has more than just dinosaurs, however. Exhibits also display the bones of sea reptiles and the shells of ammonites from when the Pierre Sea covered the midwest of North America. The Fort Union Formation records life after the dinosaurs, a landscape becoming increasingly dominated by small mammals. The Arikaree Formation and Pleistocene channel fill record the later arrival and origination of large mammals, like brontotheres and mammoths.
Regional History
In the spring of 1881, David Russell and his wife Ijakalaka — an Ogalala Sioux — moved to eastern Montana and began a family. In 1885, a town had grown up near their ranch and was named Ekalaka, spelled phonetically for the ease of visitors. The Carter County Museum tells the story of the presence of American Indians in this area which goes back far more than the 1880s. This area has been home to several tribes, including the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Mandan/Hidatsa, Lakota (Sioux), and Assiniboine and extends back to the Pleistocene era with the Mill Iron Site. On exhibit we have bead work, pottery, hunting and gathering tools as well as other items that illustrate a livelihood and enduring traditions that continue today.
As the homesteaders moved into the area their possessions traveled across the prairie with them. The exhibits here at the CCM reflect the numerous donations that have been made by the residents of Carter County, telling a story that stretches back to the late 1800s. That story is told in garments, tools, guns, saddles, branding irons and more.
With the formation of Carter County in 1917, many of county’s sons and daughters have answered the call of their country and marched off to war, some never to return. The purpose of the Veteran's Room is to tell their story in some small way. Each display within the Veteran’s room depicts an era of our country’s call to duty, beginning with the Indian Wars in the mid 1800′s to Desert Storm, complete with many of the uniforms, accouterments, and memorabilia of the experience.
Educational Programming
The Carter County Museum is an active member of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and an anchor institution in the community of Ekalaka, Montana. In addition to our permanent and rotating exhibitions, we offer educational programming in the form of our annual Dino Shindig Event , school visits and lectures, as well as presentations at our Geological Society Meetings.
Our curriculums, created in partnership with Museum of the Rockies and other partners are available on our Flipsnack profile at: https://www.flipsnack.com/cartercountymuseum/. Additionally, we operate a summer Junior Scientist program, which uses NISE Earth & Space kit material to introduce students to science and history, and Camp Clades & Spades fossil cam with Montana Learning Center. Throughout the summer we co-host Dark Sky Events at Medicine Rocks State Park and star parties at other sites across the county.
Dino Shindig
Visitors from all over the world attend the Annual Dino Shindig in the last weekend of July to hear lectures from leading paleontologists, partake in kids activities, and dance the night away. On the second day of the event, people participate in a dig day and excavate real fossils. Some discoveries even end up on display.
Outreach
The Carter County Museum is a member of the Montana Dinosaur Trail, a sister museum of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, and a member of the Kumamoto Montana Natural Science Museum Association. We have a local, national, and global reach and responsibility to advance knowledge of the paleontological and cultural history of Carter County and southeast Montana. Our outreach programs aid us in this endeavor, as we host a booth at the annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference and the Denver Gem and Mineral Show.
In 2020, the museum ventured into virtual programming, including virtual star parties, Facebook Lives and a hybrid format Dino Shindig. The institution also started a YouTube channel and made collections available on Montana Memory Project and montananewspapers.org. In 2021, we joined SketchFab (https://sketchfab.com/CarterCountyMuseum) and are in the process of 3D scanning objects to include on this site for educational use.
Volunteer Opportunities and Internships
The CCM offers seasonal internships and volunteer opportunities with our field crew, fossil preparation team, and museum collections. Examples of past projects include designing American Indian exhibit displays and establishing a native species garden.
Where we work
Awards
Event of the Year 2017
Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development
Heritage & Cultural Tourism Award - MT Dinosaur Trail 2022
Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development
Affiliations & memberships
Montana Dinosaur Trail 2018
Kumamoto Montana Natural Science Museum Association 2016
Museum of the Rockies (sister museum) 2013
Non-DOI Repository for BLM Collections 2013
NASA Museum Affiliate 2019
NISE Network Sustainability Fellow 2021
Culture and Community Participating Organization 2021
International Dark Sky Association - Montana Chapter 2019
Measurement of Museum Social Impact Host Museum 2021
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of policies formally established
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Institutional policies including a Collections Management Plan, Disaster Plan, Volunteer and Whistleblower Policy, Code of Ethics, Organizational Chart, and a Prep Manual were established in 2017-2019
Number of clients participating in educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Educational Programming
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We began keeping track of number of students served through our on-site and off-site Educational Programs in 2017.
Average daily attendance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Exhibits
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Despite continued challenges due to the COVID19 pandemic, we increased on-site attendance by 55% from 2020. Safety precautions remain in place according to local public health policies.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Volunteer Opportunities and Internships
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We define success here in the quality of volunteer time, rather than quantity. COVID-19 greatly affected our volunteer force in 2020. However, quality of effort remained high.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Volunteer Opportunities and Internships
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Recovery from the effects of COVID19 continues, many of our volunteers served during the 2021 Dino Shindig (9th Annual).
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
SHARPS Grant of $10,000 and a SHARPS Project Grant of $9,620 from Humanities Montana were our largest grants in 2021.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Carter County Museum is dedicated to inspiring, educating and enriching the life of the public by deepening the understanding and appreciation of history, art and science through the collection, research, preservation and exhibition of fossils, archaeological and cultural material, and the acquisition of a reference library with a focus on southeastern Montana and the surrounding region. The staff, board, and community members are actively working together to promote museum growth through scientific collection and research, donations, and unique programming. A current capital fundraising campaign is seeking $20 million for a building expansion. The new space will accommodate new fossil acquisitions, the Medicine Rocks visitor center, and exhibitions on the Western Interior Seaway, Hell Creek Cretaceous period, Tooke Bucking Horse legacy, Paleoindian and modern American Indian history, the settlement of Carter County, art, and military history.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We demonstrate Integrity. We align our actions with our words and encourage open debate.
We value Curiosity. We create an integrated environment where all people can explore, experiment, and share what is learned. We honor diverse learning styles and promote constructive dialogue among ourselves and with visitors.
We encourage Creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness.
We practice ethical and fiscal accountability and strive for transparency and careful Stewardship of resources, including collections, staff, facilities and donations.
We develop and encourage mutually beneficial Collaboration that helps further the museum’s mission.
We ensure the museum’s future Sustainability with robust financial management of income and expenses; and strong, effective philanthropy and endowment development.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Carter County Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located centrally on the Main Street of Ekalaka, Montana, a ranching community with a population of 331. Founded in 1936 by amateur archaeologists and paleontologists of the Carter County Geological Society, the museum’s original mission was related to the collection and study of dinosaur fossils found on local ranches. The museum has the proud distinction of being Montana’s first county museum as well as the state’s first dinosaur museum. The CCM is one of fourteen museums on the Montana Dinosaur Trail, a passport-style tour of Montana’s dinosaur-bearing institutions.
The CCM is a member of the Kumamoto Montana Natural Science Museums Association, Museum Association of Montana, Mountain Plains Museum Association and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. We are a sister museum to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman Montana, and a non-federal repository for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fossils.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Through our collections, displays and educational programming, we offer 100 million years of history in this region. Since 2013, visitor ship at the Carter County Museum has increased from 1,000 to 5,844 annual visitors as many travel to Ekalaka, Montana, population 400, to see the world-renowned dinosaur, American Indian, local history and natural history displays. Over 900 visitors attend the award winning Annual Dino Shindig to hear lectures from leading paleontologists and participate in kids activities. The museum volunteer corps has grown to 40 people, including students from Montana State University and Johns Hopkins University. In 2022, the museum reached a total audience of 109,271 people through on-site programming and educational outreach. Of that number, 5,193 listed the museum in person. Recent scholarship in the Museum field puts the value of an in-person visit to the museum at $415/person, meaning the Carter County Museum had a social impact of $2.1 million in 2022 alone.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The Carter County Museum serves families, students, and individuals of all ages, ethnicities, gender identities and cultural backgrounds.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
What significant change resulted from feedback?
The introduction of the Junior Scientist day camp to better serve children our local and visiting population. Increased online presence including virtual exhibits on Montana Memory Project and educational, family friendly videos on our YouTube channel.
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
0.00
Months of cash in 2021 info
213.4
Fringe rate in 2021 info
0%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $36,480 | $35,330 | $16,192 | $90,475 | $78,282 |
| As % of expenses | 64.4% | 94.0% | 30.4% | 100.4% | 151.8% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $36,480 | $35,330 | $16,192 | $90,475 | $78,282 |
| As % of expenses | 64.4% | 94.0% | 30.4% | 100.4% | 151.8% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $93,159 | $72,918 | $69,538 | $123,442 | $83,247 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 126.0% | -21.7% | -4.6% | 77.5% | -32.6% |
| Program services revenue | 28.2% | 30.3% | 39.7% | 19.6% | 20.3% |
| Membership dues | 0.8% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| Investment income | 2.4% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 10.1% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 43.2% | 23.6% |
| All other grants and contributions | 24.8% | 31.3% | 34.8% | 27.1% | 26.9% |
| Other revenue | 43.7% | 32.6% | 18.7% | 4.1% | 18.3% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $56,679 | $37,588 | $53,346 | $90,116 | $51,560 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.0% | -33.7% | 41.9% | 68.9% | -42.8% |
| Personnel | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Professional fees | 3.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 8.8% | 13.3% | 5.3% | 2.7% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 88.0% | 86.7% | 94.7% | 97.3% | 100.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $56,679 | $37,588 | $53,346 | $90,116 | $51,560 |
| One month of savings | $4,723 | $3,132 | $4,446 | $7,510 | $4,297 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $61,402 | $40,720 | $57,792 | $97,626 | $55,857 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 148.0 | 233.7 | 168.3 | 111.7 | 213.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 148.0 | 233.7 | 168.3 | 111.7 | 213.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 148.0 | 233.7 | 168.3 | 111.7 | 213.4 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $699,004 | $732,134 | $748,325 | $838,800 | $917,082 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $699,004 | $732,134 | $748,326 | $838,800 | $917,082 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Sabre Moore
Sabre Moore is the Executive Director for the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, Montana, home of the Annual Dino Shindig. Born and raised on a ranch in Wyoming, Sabre is intimately familiar with rural areas and her work with groups across Montana gives her a special insight into the ways museums can impact communities. She has worked at museums all over the world, including the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, Turkey and serving as an intern for the Smithsonian Office of International Relations. Sabre received a Bachelor's in History at Montana State University and a Master’s in Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently a PhD student at Montana State University in American Studies with a research focus on rural museums and their contributions to community vitality. She serves on numerous boards throughout the state, including the Montana Governor's Tourism Advisory Council, Visit Southeast Montana, and Museums Association of Montana.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
CARTER COUNTY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Board of directorsas of 03/02/2023
Board of directors data
Llane Carroll
Carter County Geological Society
Marlene Waterland
Carter County Geological Society
Brice Lambert
Carter County Geological Society
Branson Rogers
Carter County Geological Society
Jerry Cline
Carter County Geological Society
Michelle Mehling
Carter County Geological Society
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/12/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
GuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017*
- Financial statements for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016
- Board of Directors data for 2023
- *with the ability to download the data for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.