Celebrate National Fossil Day with the BLM Junior Ranger Missions!

National Fossil Day is an annual celebration held to highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. This year, National Fossil Day occurs on October 12, 2022. The Bureau of Land Management invites you to share in the celebration and explore paleontology on your public lands in a whole new way. 

For an interactive experience this National Fossil Day, play the BLM’s Junior Ranger Mission: Discover Dinosaurs. The mission takes place at a virtual dig site, guided by Agent Al, the Allosaurus. It includes nine virtual "challenges," some using augmented reality with 3D dinosaurs, to teach players about fossils and public land stewardship. Fossils tell stories about earth's history and ancient life, and the BLM plays an important role in the study and preservation of these irreplaceable paleontological resources on public lands.

Play virtual Junior Ranger Missions with the free educational game app: Agents of Discovery, the not-so-secret secret agency dedicated to learning and playing outdoors. This platform encourages kids to move, play and explore their public lands as they complete virtual “missions” and solve educational challenges through observation and discovery.   

To get started:  

1. Download the free Agents of Discovery app to your mobile device.  

2. Search the app for the virtual “BLM Junior Ranger Mission: Discover Dinosaurs” mission. 

3. Play the virtual mission from anywhere!

You can also visit a participating BLM location to play a variety of other Junior Ranger Missions. Remember to preload the missions before heading out to the BLM site to start completing your challenges. Find more BLM Junior Ranger Missions and places to play at https://www.blm.gov/learn/kids/junior-ranger-missions!