NDOT’s Role in Protecting Nebraska's Heritage

Nebraska’s plains and rolling hills have not always looked the way they do today. Millions of years ago, prehistoric animals roamed these lands, leaving fossils that tell the story of a very different Nebraska. Paleontology, the study of fossils and ancient life, helps us understand these prehistoric creatures and the environments they lived in. Long after, Native American communities, fur traders, and early settlers made their mark, leaving artifacts and structures that archaeology—the study of human history through material remains—now uncovers to piece together the state’s rich human past.

As one of the major earthmovers in the state, NDOT is frequently among the first to uncover evidence of historic or prehistoric significance. Through careful planning, communication, and cooperation, NDOT plays a unique role in preserving both Nebraska’s prehistoric fossils and historic cultural sites, ensuring highway construction uncovers knowledge rather than destroys it.

Through NDOT’s broader Highway Cultural Resources Program, the agency coordinates historical preservation efforts for both paleontology and archaeology. The Highway Paleontology Program (established in 1960), in collaboration with the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), protects fossils, while archaeological preservation is managed through Nebraska's Highway Archaeology Program (NHAP), established in 1959 and part of the Nebraska State Historical Society's (NSHS) State Archeology Office (SAO). These programs set the standard for highway-related scientific discovery and preservation—ensuring that Nebraska’s infrastructure development also contributes to our understanding of both ancient life and human history.

NOTE: If you find a fossil or artifact, leave it in place and notify one of the experts listed below as soon as possible. Fossilized material is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of a once-living thing from a past geological age. These fossils can be altered or unaltered, such as bones, teeth, and shells, or indirect traces like footprints, burrows, and fossilized dung (coprolites). These discoveries are protected on state land, and collecting them without permission is prohibited by law.

Archaeology vs. Paleontology

Paleontology: Ancient life — before humans.
What it studies:

- Fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms that lived millions of years ago.

- Paleontologists learn about dinosaurs, prehistoric forests, and extinct species.

Fossils = Paleontology
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of ancient plants and animals—often turned to stone over millions of years. Think bones, teeth, shells, leaf imprints, or even footprints. Paleontologists study fossils to understand how life, climates, and landscapes evolved long before humans appeared.

Archaeology: Human history and culture.
What it studies:

- Artifacts (objects made or used by people), such as tools, pottery, buildings, or jewelry.

- Archaeologists study how people lived, worked, and interacted in the past.

Artifacts = Archaeology
Artifacts are objects made or used by humans, like tools, pottery, structures, or food remains. They’re usually thousands (not millions) of years old. Archaeologists study artifacts to uncover how people lived, worked, and built communities in the past.