Meet our guides
Walter W. Stein
Walter has been exploring for, excavating, preparing, researching and writing about dinosaurs and other vertebrate fossils since 1996. He has a BS degree in Geology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He is the former Curator and co-designer of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, the former President of the Bighorn Basin Foundation, the former Collections Manager for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, and Field Collections Manager for Triebold Paleontology. Walter served with distinction on the board of Directors of the Tri-State Museum, then later as Interim-Director of the Museum. He has been a member of the Association of Applied Paleontologic Sciences (AAPS) for over 20 years and is the former Chairman of their online “Journal of Paleontological Sciences”. He has also been a member of the Southwest Florida Fossil Society for over a decade and has recently been named to their board of directors.
Walter has worked on (and/or discovered) well over 30 important dinosaur skeletons including a new species of giant North American Oviraptor (head preparator/excavator) and a potentially new species of Tyrannosaur (discoverer). He has also worked on numerous other vertebrate finds including, the largest mosasaur ever found in Texas, the first ever plesiosaur bone bed from Montana and a very rare, short-necked plesiosaur (one of two of its species) from South Dakota. In between, the big discoveries, Walter has written multiple scientific papers and two books on the study of paleontology; “So You Want to Dig Dinosaurs” (2001) and another called, “The Top 256 Rules of Paleontology” (April, 2009).
Heather O’Neil Stein
Heather O'Neil Stein was born in Michigan in 1970. At the age of 14 she began studying the martial arts which would become a lifelong endeavor and passion. She rapidly earned black belts in three separate styles of karate. In her middle 20's she graduated from a school of natural health and pursued a career as a massage therapist as a deep tissue specialist for 25 years. While working at some of the top spas in the country she provided therapy for celebrities and professional athletes. In the year 2000 she met Walter which reignited her childhood passion for paleontology and anthropology.
Today, after nearly two decades of paleontological preparation experience, she is one of the top paleo-tech preparators in the company using her artistic skills to help restore fragmentary bones.
David Howe
As a child, David wanted to be a Triceratops when he grew up. Forty years later, and after realizing he lacked the required genetic predisposition for growing three horns on his face, he decided to search for dinosaur remains as an alternative. His appreciation of paleontology would lead him to first contacting PaleoAdventures.
When David isn’t in South Dakota with PaleoAdventures, he’s at home in the Chicagoland area managing his family business, T-Rexplorers, LLC, with his wife and 2 children. David’s company is designed to inspire children to find their passion and to encourage children to discover an interest in the natural sciences. T-Rexplorers conducts hands-on dinosaur/paleontology programs for libraries, schools and many other institutions. T-Rexplorers also has a newly finished Dinosaur Lab for fossil preparation.
David enjoys hiking, fishing and spending time with his family and his four dogs. David is an avid drone pilot, having logged 150 hours of flight time. David is also an expert napper.
David shares the passion of ethical paleontological collection and distribution with Walter, Heather and the team of Field Researchers at PaleoAdventures.
William Stein
William is Walters oldest son, and has been a guide with PaleoAventures for many years now. Growing up in the field with his dad, William developed a love for fossils at an early age. Over the years, he’s learned the ins and outs of excavation, fossil preparation, and field safety, bringing both skill and enthusiasm to every dig. William supports excavations, helps to lead dig tours, and ensures every participant gains hands-on experience and understanding.
Becca Ortiz
Becca is the current owner of our main ranch and has grown up with dinosaurs her whole life. She was raised at Deers Ears ranch and grew up looking for fossils with her mom Mary Ann, her dad Leonard and her brother Mike. Her mother, Mary Ann, found the tooth draw quarry in the early 1980’s and inspired the family to explore, dig and collect. From then on Becca began to learn all she could on fossil identification and preservation. As her knowledge grew she shared that information with others and the family began to enjoy hunting for fossils together. Becca has continued to learn from many others who have a love for dinosaurs and fossil hunting. She enjoys sharing her memories of the ranch and fossil collecting with others from all over the world who come to enjoy the Tooth Draw Quarry.
Becca and her husband Tony run the cattle ranch now, along with many other entrepreneurial businesses in the Black Hills.
Jennifer Viele
Jen Viele lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband Kert and two children Jordan and Marcus. Jen is a first grade teacher with 20 years of experience. She was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012 and the Garrard County Teacher of the Year Award in 2016. Jen created a fossil club at her school that provides students an opportunity to learn about Earth’s fossil history, while getting up close and personal with authentic fossils. Her love of fossils began at an early age and she continues to collect and study fossils from various formations and eras. Jen began her journey with Paleoadventures in 2016 as a guest and then as a volunteer. She started working as a guide in 2020.