About

As part of Wyoming’s Archaeology Awareness Month in September 2020, the Meeteetse Museums introduced the “Bison of the Bighorn Basin” project. The project's goals were three-fold: 1) engage the public and encourage their participation in a museum-based research project; 2) develop a regionally based data set derived from measuring bison crania found throughout the Bighorn Basin; and 3) apply these data to research questions about local and regional variation in bison cranial morphology and ecology.

In June 2021, with funding from the University of Wyoming George C. Frison Institute, Buffalo Bill Center of the West Fellowship, and the public, 23 bison crania were sampled for radiocarbon dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Currently, the project plans to conduct DNA analysis to better understand genetic diversity in the Bighorn Basin through time.

Get a Bison Cranium Measured

The Meeteetse Museums continues to add bison crania found within the Bighorn Basin to the data set. Due to staff restrictions, you must call the Museums ahead of time to schedule a time for staff to measure your bison cranium. It takes staff approximately 15 minutes to measure one cranium. Crania must be accompanied by as precise location information as possible.

Legalities of Collecting Bison Crania

In the United States, there are laws governing the collection of non-renewable resources. These resources cannot be replaced which means both archaeological and paleontological remains are subject to this legislation.

Archaeology

The disturbance or removal of archaeological resources on Federal lands (for example, Forest Service, BLM, National Parks) is illegal under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) of 1979. ARPA applies to both surface and sub-surface resources found on federal public lands that were collected after October 31, 1979.

Paleontology

Passed in 2009, the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act is similar to the Archaeological Resources Preservation Act, but it protects paleontological resources, like fossils. Fossils are the remains of plants and animals that once lived in the area and are preserved in sedimentary rock. Collecting the remains of organisms like vertebrates, which include mammals (like bison) and reptiles, requires a permit from the Federal Government.

Donate to the Project

Donations to help us better understand bison ecology and morphology in the Bighorn Basin are greatly appreciated. Donations can be submitted electronically through the Meeteetse Museums' website at https://meeteetsemuseums.org/donate-to-meeteetse-museums/