Advocating for Museums: St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site

Advocacy is a challenge for me; it’s a lot of time and effort to build relationships that may or may not help my museum. It’s often not top of mind except during the general legislative session and the Cultural Industry Advocacy Day at the Utah State Capitol. Locally, I work more closely with city staff than city council members. This year has been a whirlwind of time spent in front of legislators. It began in mid-February 2023 when I learned that our city wanted to amend legislation regulating paleontological resources. I was asked by the City of St. George to testify in front of the House’s Political Subdivision, and later in front of the Senate Committee. It was a rather intense experience as I learned about political dynamics in the state, read and reread the regulations, and what the changes would mean for my museum.  

Fast forward to summer when I was contacted by Beth Mitchell from the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) requesting we partner with them to host a breakfast for the legislators during their interim session held in St. George in September 2023. I jumped at the opportunity to work with such knowledgeable colleagues and agreed immediately. 

Beth put in the long hours contacting the correct people, setting up catering, and updating us all on the logistics of the day. My major takeaway was remaining flexible as things changed several times as planning commenced. Thank goodness I had Beth to help guide me through the twists and turns! 

On the day of the event, we all arrived at the venue bright and early to share our collection objects with the legislators and their aides. My team and I showed off several fossils and talked about the work we do. As the legislators settled into their meetings, we went around to each group, introduced ourselves, and thanked them for their support of museums. In a flash, the event was done, and we were cleaning up. 

What a great opportunity it was to meet again with legislators, show them how much we care about our museums and the work we do, and work with colleagues to get it done. To continue this momentum, my museum is hosting a ribbon cutting and open house for our newest exhibit. It’s been a while since we did one of these and we are inviting our local legislators, county and city arts commissioners, city council, major, and anyone else we can think of!

I look forward to learning more ways to advocate for my museum and the work we all do.

President of UMA (2020-2024)
Executive Director – St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site
St. George, UT 84790
exec.director@utahdinosaurs.org 

Do you have an advocacy story to share? Please submit it here.