A Triceratops skull helped Weld County ‘pull back the curtain’ on government

Weld County, Colo. has its own dinosaur, and “Pops” the Triceratops recently got a makeover thanks to a collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. In 1982, the roughly 69-million-year-old Triceratops skull was unearthed on a Weld County ranch owned by Roland “Sonny” Mapelli. His family donated it to the county in 1986 on the condition that it remain on public display in a county building.

“From the very get-go, it’s very clear to the county that it was important for this family, and it was part of their donation, that this be available to the public, to the county residents, and be a point of pride,” said Jennifer Finch, Weld County’s public information officer. “… [Mapelli] really wanted people here to be able to have that connection to their history and to their past.”

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Weld County’s Pops the Triceratops Fossil Restoration Project was the 2026 NACo Achievement Award “Best in Category” winner in the Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation category

Pops the Triceratops

The skull sat in a glass case, untouched, until 2018, when Joe Sertich, the museum’s curator of dinosaurs, approached the county with a proposal: The museum wanted to study and refurbish the fossil, then return it to the county in a new display. The fossil went to the museum in 2020.

“It really got to turn into a true community event,” Finch said. “That was a lot of fun, especially for a county, because when you’re dealing with roundabouts and vaccines and data centers, the opportunity for fun sometimes isn’t as apparent, so when you can grab onto something fun — whatever it is — it’s nice to be able to do.”

A local taxidermist originally assembled the fossil in the ’80s, and its age was starting to show, Finch said.

“The glue that was holding some of the fossil together was starting to deteriorate, to discolor,” Finch said. “So, one of the things that the museum wanted to do was remove all that and then use materials that are more up to date and better.”

During the process of moving the fossil to the museum,  additional boxes of bones were found under the display case, according to Finch.

“They were pulling out what, for most people, just look like rocks,” Finch said. “And they’re like, ‘This is part of the frill. This is the other part of the jaw.’ So, they were finding many more pieces to this fossil that they were also actually able to put together for us.”

The county partnered with the museum on a series of educational “Ask Dr. Joe” videos featuring Sertich. The videos shared updates on the restoration, fun facts about the dinosaur and information about what Weld County was like when Pops was roaming around.

“Weld County’s climate was probably more like Florida back when this thing was tromping around,” Finch said. “To be able to share that definitively from people who are educated in that was a way that, as a county and as a community, we got to learn more about what used to just be the dinosaur fossil at the county building that people walked by on their way to do other business.”

The county’s engagement with the community throughout the restoration helped renew excitement over the county dinosaur, Finch said. That engagement ranged from a contest that drew submissions from around the world to a “Welcome Home” event once Pops was restored.

“This is now a generational touch point in the county,” Finch said. “You had individuals who were kids back in the ’80s who have their own kids now, and are bringing them to learn about this fossil, as well. So, I think it was real important to maintain that community connection.”

The restored skull returned to the Weld County Administration Building in Greeley in March 2023. Casts of Pops are also now showcased at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and travel to school classrooms in the county.

“It became something that the community could really rally around,” Finch said. “And I think when you have an opportunity to pull back the curtain on government — whether it’s an actual project like building a road or something that’s fun, like we happen to have a dinosaur fossil — I think when you can humanize government and invite people into the work that’s being done, that’s always very important and beneficial for everyone.”