208 volunteers, 51 students for course credit, 14 teachers for professional development, and 38 Florida Museum staff devoted a grand total of 4,977 hours to Montbrook this season!

The Spring 2018 digging season ran for 90 days, from Friday, January 19^th until Sunday, May 13^th. Many different groups joined us, including students from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, UF students enrolled in Jonathan Bloch’s Florida Vertebrate Paleontology course and Laura Cotton’s Invertebrate Paleontology course, exhibits staff of the Florida Museum, High school students of the Gainesville Youth Fossil Club, and members of the Florida Paleontological Society.

Check out our Museum Voices blog for Florida Vertebrate Paleontology student content from their experiences digging at Montbrook this season: FL VP Student Blogs

We removed around 90 plaster jackets just this Spring and the close of the season brings us to around 30,000 identifiable fossil specimens total for Montbrook.

During the final 7 days of digging this season, Montbrook gifted us with rare and abundant mammal fossils

These include 2 mandibles, 1 skull, and 1 palate of our gomphothere (Rhynchotherium) and 2 rhino (Teleoceras)  skeletons, one a juvenile and the other a young adult, both with associated mandibles!

Baby rhino (Teloceras) hoof discovered by Richard Hulbert. Florida Museum photo by Jonathan Bloch.

Baby rhino (Teloceras) hoof discovered by Richard Hulbert. Florida Museum photo by Jonathan Bloch.

Gomphothere skull with tusks discovered by Sharon Lord. Florida Museum photo by Jonathan Bloch.

Gomphothere skull with tusks discovered by Sharon Lord. Florida Museum photo by Jonathan Bloch.

Gomphothere skull with tusks discovered by Sharon Lord. Florida Museum photo by Jonathan Bloch.

Young adult rhino (Teloceras) mandible discovered by Sharon Somers. Florida Museum photo by Cindy Lockner.

Young adult rhino (Teloceras) mandible discovered by Sharon Somers. Florida Museum photo by Cindy Lockner.

The crew moving a very heavy plaster and burlap jacket containing the mandible of a gomphothere. Florida Museum photo by Carol Sewell.

Thanks so much to everyone who has volunteered their time at Montbrook! None of this would’ve happened without your help. A special thanks to those volunteers who helped with the final push to remove those last large specimens and who worked over 30 hours this season. These people include (in alphabetical order): William Buhi, David Cox, Joshua Doby, David Evans, Joseph Fulco, Ben Grubbs, Susan Harris, John Helling, Daniel Ibison, Maya Ibison, James Kendrick, Sharon Lord, Margaret Messineo, Paula Mitchell, Robert Mitchell, Garrett Munger, Steven Munger, Andrew Puckett, Carol Sewell, William Sewell, Sharon Shears, Emily Sonnenberg, Maryan Stubbs, Dean Warner, and Judith  Wilbanks.

Susan Harris wins the award for most volunteer hours at 152.25 this season; not including the hours she also spends preparing fossils back at the museum! Thank you, Susan! Second place goes to Garrett Munger at 123.25 hours this season, which is also incredible because he is in high school! Also a huge thank you to the landowners and all Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology staff and students who make this dig possible!

Susan Harris posing with the baby rhino (Teloceras) skeleton.

Garrett Munger with a complete alligator humerus!

If you just can’t get enough of Montbrook or you missed this digging season, volunteer in the prep lab and collection!  Volunteer in Lab

Also, check back mid-late September for an update on the Fall 2018 digging season.