The geologists worked on a dig in Wyoming for a 66 million-year-old Nodasour. And they brought it back to Springfield. This is a rare find. There are more T-Rex skeletons than nodosaur skeletons. There are hundreds of pieces of the armored dino waiting to be unpacked and cleaned up before it can be put on display.

Missouri is known as The Cave State, probably because it has over 7,000 documented caves.

Riverbluff Cave in Springfield was discovered on Sept. 11, 2001, when a road construction crew noticed a small opening. It led into the oldest Ice Age fossil cave in North America. Riverbluff isn’t open to the public, but fossils and minerals found in it are displayed nearby at the Missouri Institute of Natural Science. Matt Forir, the geologist who first explored the cave., described his experience this way: “When you’re in a place with such a deep, rich prehistoric history, if you’re not in awe there’s something wrong with you.”

At this time of year, resolutions are swarming — lose weight, clean out the closet, save money. Losing weight and getting organized can be monumental challenges. Fortunately, free or cheap entertainment is not. Here in the Ozarks, we have a slew of great ways to enjoy our downtime for free. If you are among those who have resolved to spend less without sacrificing a good time, here are a few ideas to get you rolling.

I've never considered myself to be much of a scientist. In school I'd get frustrated with how long it took to set up the experiments. I felt bad for the frogs and rats we dissected in biology, and a lot of science requires doing math. So when I called Greene County Geologist Matt Forir last week to set up an interview for a story, I suspended my biases toward science, thinking it'd be cool to learn about the county's caves, sinkholes and fault lines from the only county-level geologist in the country. What I did not realize was that I'd be a part of a geological discovery.

Even though Missouri is not typically thought of as a place for fossils, we are not without our share. In fact, the rocks are littered with the remnants of animals that once called this place (albeit a very different version) home. Of course, Missouri is known as a place of caves, and the discovery of the Riverbluff cave system, which held remnants of animal life from the ice age, brought together a group with an interest in natural history, fossils and the Ozarks. They created the Missouri Institute of Natural History in 2003 and have been welcoming visitors and promoting education in our area ever since. Listen in as Matt Forir, the Executive Director of the institute, and I chat about his passion for fossils, the institute’s goals and the exciting world of discovery it contains.

Between Lusk and Newcastle, Wyoming A local group of Dinosaur hunters is wrapping up a trip to Wyoming today. They'll be back home this weekend with new bones for display at the Missouri Institute of Natural Science.

The Missouri Institute of Natural Science in Springfield gazes toward continuing to educate generations of future scientists, but needs funds to continue.

The museum doesn't charge admission, the staff is made up of volunteers, so to help with funding, they're turning to the community for help.