KENNEWICK, Wash. – Get out your dusters and sifters, because McBones is looking for volunteers!
McBones Research Center has been exploring the Tri-Cities’ paleontological history for fifteen years.
Volunteers start with a tour and receive training for various tasks. Many volunteers start with sifting but move to more specialized tasks the longer they work with the research center.
“We’re all volunteers here, so there is one professional that leads us, and we provide the labor,” said Neil Mara, a volunteer for over 10 years.
He highlighted the importance of citizen scientists, saying, “For a project like this would require a lot of work from a lot of people, and if it were being done any other way, it would require a lot of money, but because we’re able to do this with volunteers, we’re able to add to the scientific pool of data us personally instead of some researcher in a university or a lab setting.”
Mara expressed that contributing to science as a citizen scientist is meaningful.
“It does require some dedication and some training, but you do make a meaningful contribution to science, and I think that is just the coolest thing ever,” he added.
For more information, click here to find McBones’ contact page and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
