than 250 volunteers and 40 project scientists removed approximately 8000 cubic meters of sediment. Thousands of fossils were collected along with stratigraphic, geochronologic, palynologic, paleoentomologic, and paleobotanic data that was subsequently used to reconstruct the paleoecosystem at ancient Lake Ziegler. Snowmastodon Project A $10.5 million dam for the reservoir was scheduled to be completed by mid-October 2011, with the site was expected to be underwater by November 2011. For that reason, any paleontological excavation had to be done quickly. The excavations were led by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, together with the U.S. Geological Survey and scientists from at least 19 institutions. The Snowmastodon Project, as the efforts had been dubbed, cost approximately $1 million, including public outreach programs. Half of the costs were covered by grants and gifts to the museum, while the rest came from donations. The first scientific excavation officially began on November 2, 2010. It involved 67 workers from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and lasted 12 days. Preliminary efforts concluded on November 14, 2010, when the arrival of winter prevented any further excavation. The site and fossils left in situ were protected with frost-free barrier and the recovered fossils taken to the conservation laboratory of the DMNS. More than 600 bones and 130 plant, rock, and invertebrate samples were recovered, including the first mastodon skull ever recovered in Colorado (unearthed a mere day after the beginning of the excavation) and the first remains of a Jefferson's ground sloth to be found in the state. Other megafauna recovered included giant bison, two deer-like animals, and more mammoths. Excavations resumed during spring of 2011, from May 15 to July 4, with the support and permission of SWSD and the State of Colorado. By the end of July, the total number of bones recovered was around 36,000, from at least 52 different Ice Age vertebrate animals. Approximately 3,000 of them are believed to come from mastodons of both sexes and of varying ages, from infants to full adults. Other new animals recovered included an Ice Age camel, a horse, and various smaller vertebrates. A small excavation crew from the museum remained at the site, in the event further discoveries were made in the course of the dam construction. The speed at which the fossils were recovered (more or less seven weeks) is remarkable for a scientific dig of this size. Kirk R. Johnson, leader