UGS partners with Natural History Museum on dinosaur license plates as new revenue stream

The Utah Geological Survey announced Jan. 21 a collaboration with the Natural History Museum to issue a series of dinosaur-themed license plates as a fundraising and outreach effort. UGS staff said the plates would split any revenue 50/50 with the museum and that design and administrative rules set by the state constrain artwork and naming.

Ben Erickson said the goal is to produce a small suite of plates and to promote them at an upcoming DynoFest event, where members of the public will be invited to vote on plate designs. "We're going to let the public vote," Erickson said. The agency will coordinate with the museum on design and pre-order requirements and will do press around the plate release.

The board was told that a 2025 law capped the amount agencies may collect from specialty license-plate revenue at $300,000 per agency; UGS staff said the cap makes a single plate a meaningful source of revenue for the agency. Staff also noted agency rules limit plate layout and one organization's name must appear on the plate.

Next steps
UGS will finalize design options with the Natural History Museum, determine whether public voting will be electronic or in-person at DynoFest and release promotional and procurement details once design guidelines and logistics are set.