(Malta) The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and the Phillips County Museum in Malta is pleased to announce that Dr. John Scanella, Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, and Greg Liggett, a paleontologist who works with the BLM will be a featured guest speakers during Roar and Explore Day on Saturday, July 11, 2026.
Dr. Scannella earned his Ph.D. through the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University in 2015, where his graduate research focused on the iconic horned dinosaur Triceratops. He has conducted paleontological fieldwork throughout Montana and is widely recognized for his research on dinosaur growth, evolution, and prehistoric ecosystems. As Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies, Dr. Scannella oversees one of the world’s premier dinosaur collections and continues to advance our understanding of the ancient animals that once roamed Montana.
Greg Liggett is a paleontologist with over 30 years of experience. He has served a number of roles leading natural science museums undergoing facilities and exhibit development, and taught a number of university earth science courses, all while pursuing research interests regarding fossil Ursids as well as fossils of the Cretaceous Interior Seaway and the North American Pleistocene. Greg became one of a few BLM paleontologists 14 years ago when he moved out of the university environment to accept a resource management position working out of BLM’s Montana/Dakotas office in Billings.
Visitors will have the opportunity to hear Scannella and Liggett share insights from their research, discuss discoveries made in Montana’s rich fossil beds of northern Montana. beginning at 1:45 pm in the Phillips County Museum (this is a free presentation.)
Roar & Explore Day is a community celebration featuring museum activities, family fun, special guests, live music, and fundraising events throughout the day. For more information about Roar & Explore Day, contact the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum at (406) 654-5300 or visit the museum in Malta. (full schedule is attached in flyer)
