Welcome To Judith River Dinosaur Institute

The Judith River Dinosaur Institute, established in 1993, seeks to follow Simpson’s creed. It is the mission of JRDI to promote the science of paleontology in a meaningful way to the general public. Imagine uncovering bones of these ancient creatures and YOU being the first living thing to see them in 150 million years! Many have described it as a surreal experience—something hard to describe but life changing nonetheless. Some have come to appreciate not just the fossils but our place as humans within earth’s vast timeline. Still others just come to unwind, have fun, and learn something about their favorite childhood “monsters” and their world.

This summer, the JRDI team invites those interested in dinosaurs, geology, and natural history to participate in a six-day long experience under the big sky of Eastern Montana. Specimens recovered by JRDI are studied by scientists so as to add to the “treasures of human knowledge”. Our program is not just for the casual vacationer looking for a day trip but also for those who are seriously seeking to learn about the science.

We invite you to become a detective in deep-time crime along with us. You’ll leave knowing, like a fossil hunter, you helped resurrect long lost dragons and preserve them for future study and imagination. We guarantee you will never look at a dinosaur the same way again!

JRDI Staff

For dig space availability call 1-406-696-5842 or email nate@jrdi.net

What People Are Saying About Our Digs

“I was always interested in dinosaurs. My professor was looking through some web sites and he found this one. He immediately told me about it, so I looked it up and scheduled my trip in just a few days. That was for the summer of 2007, and it was an amazing week. I loved it so much that I scheduled a week for the next summer soon after. All in all, it was an amazing two summers, and I hope to be able to do it again someday.”

Amanda Lepelstat – Student New York

“By sharing his knowledge and by on-the-ground demonstrations, Nate Murphy makes every participant into an important part of the team. I’ve come from Florida for 2 years, and am signed up for a 2-week tour in Summer ’09. My tent’s already packed!”

Susan Emley – Insurance Agent Florida

“My son was interested in dinosaurs so I brought him on the JDRI dig 4 years ago and I got hooked and am now a veteran of 4 digs. There is nothing like the experience of uncovering your first bone and sharing the experience of discovery with others that have the same fascination and passion for dinosaurs all the while knowing that you are uncovering new piece of history for others to see. The great thing is you don’t need any experience to participate; just a willingness to listen, learn, dig, and work as a team. The JDRI crew does a great job blending their experience and enthusiasm for the science to make the dig experience one that I look forward to year after year.”

Kathy Sweeney – Banking Consultant Indiana

“We were sitting around the campfire one evening after a long day of peeling back the slope of a ridgeline with shovels, awls and buckets, exposing to the Montana sky a heart stopping display of bones that lay like paleo pick up sticks, jumbled over each other in Jurassic disarray, when a fellow participant in these dino digs, pulling a swig from a favorite alcoholic beverage, looked about and spoke of the experience as akin to a summer camp for grown ups. It is that. I’ve discovered community and new friends from across the country and across the oceans whom I think of often and always with fondness. Lying on my side with cramped legs on a cushion that is too thin, holding an exacto blade pulling millimeters of matrix away from a crumbling vertebrae, I’ve baked under the glare of a 100 degree sun as I’ve laughed at a deftly told story or an old movie line till tears have come to my eyes. It is all that. But it is also a seminar in the science and spirit of creation, allowing you the opportunity to breathe in ancient and odd creatures that once-upon-a-time passed right over your head, and to hold the equivalent of a million years of geology in the palm of your hand. For me, these weeks have offered pauses from the rhythm of my usual life and troubles, providing perspective and place for my imagination to be tutored and expanded.”

The Reverend Skip Johnson, Ph.D., 5 Seasons Georgia

“I have been interested in paleontology for as long as I can remember. My daughter, for my 65th birthday gave me my first J.R.D.I. dino. dig. This summer will be my fourth season and I plan to keep coming back as long as I am able. Last year I brought my daughter along and for this upcoming trip my son is planning on joining the group. I enjoy the expeditions, not just for the excitement of finding the remains of a once living/breathing creature over 70 million years old but sharing that experience with a small group of like minded people around a camp fire after a superb dinner in the wide open grass lands of Montana. I have had the opportunity to share my knowledge I learned on the digs with my 10 grandchildren and their fellow classmates in their respected classrooms.”

Joe Haslwanter – Retired Scientist Tennessee

“A wonderful learning experience for anyone interested in dinosaurs and paleontology”

Mike Betts – Media Engineer, 3 tours California

“To sum up my experience I will give you a short quote from my entrance essay for University of Chicago:

It [the dig] is a mile marker on the road toward my paleontology career. It is where I found my first major bone and experienced the thrill of discovery. The labor that it took to make this find gave me confidence that I have the perseverance and patience required to accomplish my career goal. My work in the field, however, is not the only success that this site embodies. It embodies my realization that companions are just as important as hard work and discovery . . . When friends share an experience they can guide and comfort each other, just as our dig team rejoiced over every find and persevered through bone droughts. Shared excitement becomes more than it ever could be alone. That excitement transfers into energy, confidence, and perseverance, allowing a group to be so much more than an individual.”

Nicole Ridgewell – Student, 2nd year undergrad at the University of Chicago Missouri

“Intellectually stimulating – look, listen, touch; it was so easy to learn from these folks. They really know what they are doing and are so willing to share. I picked a physical challenge and pace I could handle and the bones just kept coming. Then in the evenings- food, fire, friendship, and sleep comes so easy. By the time it was over my range of motion had improved tremendously. I’ll be back!”

David Paulsen – Analytical Chemist, Retired, 2nd week summer ’08 Nevada

“My first dig with Nate was such a fun experience that I haven’t wanted to do anything else with my summers since then. Because of the great experience that I had on my first dig I have been going back all through high school and now into college. The memories and education you get on one of these digs is so unique and special. You can’t find it anywhere else. I have learned so much from the Judith River Dinosaur Institute that a normal person will never get to see. It’s amazing and I encourage anyone who is even mildly interested in dinosaurs to try it.”

Amber Johnson-Carroll – Student, four summer digs, one summer exploration California

“The best part about the digs is getting to know everyone, both the staff and fellow diggers. By the time you leave you’ll feel almost like you’re leaving a second family. It’s been great getting to know everyone and making new friends. Of course, digging is fun as well, it’s interesting work and you feel a real sense of camaraderie with your fellow diggers after working in the sun for 8 hours.”

Caleb Behnke – Student, 8 summer digs Wisconsin

“We have had the good fortune of excavating with Nate Murphy of the Judith River Dinosaur Institute on ten different occasions. During this time we have learned how to explore, excavate and prepare fossil specimens. Nate makes the paleo-experience fun for the amateur to learn by participation. Nate has a deep understanding of paleontology and his supporting team provide knowledgeable incite from other scientific fields.”

Vi Kanak – wonderful mom & wife.Kathy Kanak – engineerPennsylvania

“Having never gone on a true dig before, that was the best experience of my life. I now know where I am going in life for sure, and that meeting everyone there and doing all that I did has been the best thing yet. Sorry Nate, you’re going to have a second son next summer.”