thumb|left|alt=A dinosaur tooth fossil held in a palenotologist's hand|A paleontologist holds a newly discovered fossil dinosaur tooth on the Colville River. Annual erosion of the crumbling Colville River bluffs causes fossils to spill onto the riverbanks every year. A scientific government-issued permit is required for fossil collection.In 1961, Shell Oil geologist Robert Liscolm discovered dinosaur fossils at multiple locations while surveying the Colville River. However, his discoveries were met with incredulity and suspicion in the paleontology community due to the site's extreme northern location, and Liscolm died the following year in a rock slide while continuing his surveying of the Colville. In the mid- to late-1980s, Liscolm's notes were rediscovered and paleontologists returned to Liscolm's sites only to find many more dinosaur fossils and tracks.Ainsworth, Diane, "Berkeley-led team of teachers digs for Alaskan dinosaur fossils", UC Berkeley Campus News, July 11, 2002, http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2002/07/11_fossil.html Today, the Colville River bluffs are widely recognized as one of the fossil-rich regions in the Arctic, with enormous quantities of Cretaceous dinosaur fossils. Specimens collected on the Colville include theropods, ankylosaurs, albertosaurus, pachyrhinosaurus, gorgosaurus, and hadrosaurs.Schmidt, Chris, "Filming Dinosaurs in Alaska", NOVA, October 7, 2008, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/filming-dinosaurs-in-alaska.html
