After the Senckenberg Museum became the operator of the pit (1 July, 1992), the Messel Research Department undertook new tasks: planning the operational procedures, safe-guarding the pit, fire prevention, supervision of the stability of the hillside locations, and the regulation of water resources. The costs of the pit are paid by the state of Hesse (50%) and the Federal Republic (50%). To manage these tasks, the Messel Research Department runs a Research Station in Messel. Senckenberg staff in association with a number of geology students excavates during the summer and prepares the fossils for scientific collections in the winter (Fig.2). A caretaker who is also responsible for the Research Station controls the pit in terms of illegal excavation, fencing, traffic control, and guided tours.