For over a decade I served as the Park Manager at Field Station: Dinosaurs, welcoming families, teaching kids and racking up smiles. It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of something that touched so many lives. As Marcus Lemonis said, Guy Gsell “is doing God’s work” and I was proud every day of the job we did, the lessons we taught and lives we impacted. Guy is not good at asking for help, but the Field Station is in serious trouble, and he needs our help now.

We need to rescue the dinosaurs!

As you might have seen, the park closed last month after fourteen years of laughter and learning and we put our dinosaurs up for sale. With great fanfare, we announced that the high bidder was a concessionaire working out of a well-known family resort in Atlantic City. We were happy that the collection was staying together and staying in New Jersey. It seemed like the perfect end and, at the same time, a new beginning. We couldn’t have been happier.

We worked closely with the buyer loading out the dinosaurs, shared videos of our T-Rex and friends on trucks as they left Leonia and, even went down to Atlantic City to celebrate the resort’s Christmas tree lighting featuring some of our favorite dinosaurs.

But there’s one big problem…

The concessionaire hasn’t made any of its contractually agreed upon payments. None.

We acted prudently and did not allow the buyer to start loading out until we received the first two payments, but five days after the money was included in our “Available Balance”, both checks were returned and the money was debited from our account. According to the bank, a Stop Payment Order had been put on the checks.

After that, the buyer promised to wire the money directly into our account. They sent us a confirmation but upon closer inspection, we discovered that the account number on the order was not ours! The buyer claims that this is all the bank’s fault, but more than a week has gone by, and they still haven’t remedied the situation. It has become clear that they have no intention of paying for our dinosaurs and we need to start the hard work of getting them back!

If you ever brought your family to the Field Station, you know the value of Guy’s educational programming and live shows. He put everything he had into the Field Station, he wrote the songs, he hosted shows, he even drove the forklift and fixed the dinosaurs. His life work is in jeopardy and it shouldn’t end like this. Guy and his dinosaurs deserve a happy ending, and the next generation of scientists should have access to the Field Station’s exhibits and educational programming.

Guy is all by himself now and he can’t afford to fight this battle without our help. He wants to reclaim his dinosaurs, find a good home for them, and pay all the bills that were supposed to be the buyer’s responsibility. He will also need lawyers, truck drivers, equipment, mechanics and scenic artists to get the dinosaurs back on their feet and ready for display. Then he wants to find a new home for the dinosaurs where they can continue the Field Station’s mission – to teach children and their families lessons about the work today using the story and the science of dinosaurs.

Any contribution, no matter how small, can make a significant difference. If you are unable to donate, please help FSD by sharing this fundraiser link with your network.

Thank you for your support and for standing with Guy and the Field Station at this difficult time.

Please help.