WGTD Public Radio has a story about Carthage College’s paleontology program.   Prof Thomas Carr, who has spoken to ESCONI a few times in the past, put our a statement that funding is needed to keep their program viable.  The museum at Carthage College in Kenosha is amazing.  Their Paleontology Lab website shows who they are and what they do.

Nov. 4, 2023 10:50a

(WGTD)—A donor is being sought to keep alive Carthage College’s robust paleontology program. 

The director of the program, Prof. Thomas Carr, put out a statement earlier this week indicating that grant funding for a lab and field technician will end next year. Carthage has said it won’t absorb the costs of funding the position in its budget.  

While a Carthage spokesperson–in a statement to WGTD–disputed the impact of the potential loss, Carr says the lack of a ‘preparator’ would “sink” the program. He says that’s because field work and lab time are essential elements of a student’s training. 

The program currently has about a dozen students. 

Carr says the loss would also affect the City of Kenosha’s Dinosaur Discovery Museum. The city contracts with Carthage to run a lab in the museum, according to Carr. 

Carthage says it’s still actively pursuing grant funding for the preparator position. Carr says securing such funding is more difficult than before because foundations are increasingly reluctant to cover the costs of salaried positions.