What we do
Fossils have something to teach all of us
We have been studying, collecting, and preparing fossils as a group for nearly 30 years. We have partnered with leading paleontologists and donated unique specimens to multiple museums.
We are also focused on education and life-long learning, having delivered more than 200 dinosaur and fossil related presentations to institutions and schools over the last two decades.
Our work runs on a simple order of operations: find the specimen, prepare it properly, document it so it can be studied by anyone, and place it where it will be cared for permanently.
History
How it began
High Plains Paleontology was the result of brothers Pat and Steve and friends Clare and Glen talking about the possibilities. They envisioned an organization that would use paleontology to benefit everyone with an interest in the past.
Clare and Glen worked to flesh out the concept that is now High Plains Paleontology, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serving a number of communities through the study of natural history.
Dracorex hogwartsia
Pat, along with his brother Steve, was part of the team that helped uncover and describe the holotype of Dracorex hogwartsia, and both were instrumental in its publication and its donation to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
Skull diagram by Robert T. Bakker
The team
Dr. Pat Saulsbury, D.V.M.
Founder
Pat has been practicing small and exotic veterinary medicine for 34 years and is co-owner of Siouxland Animal Hospital. He has been digging in the Hell Creek and White River formations for over 30 years.
Dr. Steven Saulsbury, M.D.
Founder
Steve was a radiologist at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, Iowa. He used his radiology background to contribute research data to institutions including the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Steve passed away tragically in August of 2024. He is missed by many.
Nate Peters
Imaging & digitization
Paleontological imaging technician and protected species observer with an academic background in museums and nonprofits. Nate has participated in paleontological study through field and laboratory work involving CT segmentation, 3D modeling, and photogrammetry.
Brian Fernando
Education & field work
Paleo educator and field paleontologist with extensive experience in several formations, including the Hell Creek and the Morrison. Brian has educated the public in settings ranging from museum tours to school presentations.
Clare Fairfield
Founding board
In addition to being an amateur paleontologist, Clare Fairfield is chair of the Venture Capital Institute, where he focuses on global innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology development and commercialization.
Glen Stettler
Founding board
Glen Stettler is a retired Navy commander and past Presidential Communications Officer. He served as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for International Technology Security and as Director of Technology Security until his retirement from federal service.
Dylan Dewitt
Lab & fabrication
Laboratory paleontologist and fabrication specialist with several years in mitigation paleontology and fossil prep. Dylan has created a variety of replicas from small claws to entire skeletons, and paints them to be as authentic as possible.
Ongoing projects
Four lines of work
Research feeds education, education feeds outreach, and digitization makes all of it shareable.
Independent research
Our team participates in academic research that fuels the content and services we provide, spanning a number of time periods and topics in Earth's history.
Digitization initiative
Digitizing fossil finds lets us study the ancient past more effectively while giving us better tools to teach the public and our stakeholders.
Outreach and education
High Plains Paleontology seeks to connect students and other interested parties to real dinosaur research.
Giving back to our veterans
We hope to create opportunities to share the thrill of hunting for fossils with the armed services community and their families.
Formation
The White River Group
The White River Group covers the Late Eocene to the Late Oligocene epochs of the Cenozoic era, often called the age of mammals. In the Eocene the fossil record shows a tropical forest environment with the earliest known species of alligator and browsing mammals like Megacerops.
By the Oligocene the environment had changed into a more open forest and grassland habitat, with notable residents including the early horse Mesohippus and the ferocious entelodont Archaeotherium. With well preserved fossils constantly eroding out of these badlands, paleontologists are always on the hunt to find bones before they crumble away.
Formation
The Hell Creek Formation
The Hell Creek Formation was a forested floodplain environment recorded in the rocks of the western United States. This is where the youngest non-avian dinosaurs in the fossil record lived — some of the last dinosaurs on Earth, and an incredible window into their lives.
High Plains Paleontology and its leadership have traditionally hunted the Hell Creek because of its immense potential to yield fossils. This formation has given us the chance to study numerous aspects of an entire ancient ecosystem. So much of what we know about North American dinosaurs traces back to this rock.
Species illustrations by Jonathan Metzger and Nathan E Rogers.
Get involved
Help us keep digging
Every donation goes back into field work, preparation, and the programs we bring to schools and museums.
Donate on Ko-fi
One-time or recurring support for field seasons, lab supplies, and outreach.
Book a presentation
Schools, museums, and community groups — tell us your audience and we will build the program.