Interpretative Center Celebrates Insect Weekend

Throughout the summer, the Fort Peck Interpretive Center has been hosting activities each weekend to keep visitors entertained and to keep children learning. Various activities have included learning about various types of clouds, how to read a map, the differences between frogs and toads as well as creating masterpieces to bring home.

This weekend, July 28 – 30, the Interpretative Center will focus on teaching visitors about insects with activities to help understand the bugs found in ponds and streams. Visitors will also get to learn about the metamorphosis process on how a butterfly becomes a butterfly. These activities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Next weekend, Aug. 4 – 6, the Interpretative Center will be highlighting dinosaurs. Paleontologists from the University of Washington and Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle, Wash., will be coming to discuss a variety of topics. On Aug. 5 from 1 – 5 p.m., Dr. Dave DeMar and other paleontologists will be on hand to answer questions. At 3 p.m., Dr. DeMar will present information about the vertebrate communities that existed during the Cretaceous and Paleocene periods. He will also discuss how research in the local Hell Creek and Tullock formations provide insight into the mass extinction of dinosaurs. He will share how fossils are collected and the variety of vertebrates that have been found in our area.

Each day of the weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., various activities will also occur where visitors will be able to make dinosaur sun catchers, dinosaur feet and colorful dinosaur scratch art.

The Interpretative Center is still gearing up for Dam History week, starting the week of Aug. 8. They are in need of artifacts, pictures, etc. from the Fort Peck Dam era to allow the public to view and learn from. If you have any of these items and would be willing to allow them to be temporarily displayed, contact the Fort Peck Interpretive Center at 406-562-3493 by Tuesday, Aug. 1.

As always, dam tours are available daily, and admission to the Interpretative Center and all activities are free.

For more information, call the Interpretative Center between 9 and 5 p.m. at 406-526-3493.