 |
magazine / ja05
 |
July/August 2005 issue |
|
|
|
Scratching at the surface
Amateur paleontologists chip in by chipping away at the dinosaur trove in Alberta's badlands
By Katherine Govier
As I drive north and east from Calgary, dawn breaks on one
of the most extraordinary landscapes in the country. The
roads entering the badlands begin to drop, angling down into the valleys. Striped turrets
of gold and red with worn flat-tops loom overhead. It is like sinking into history.
The clefts lead me toward Horsethief Canyon, Rosebud and, of course,
Dinosaur Provincial Park. When I pull into the parking lot of the Royal Tyrrell
Museum at 8:30 a.m., the keeners hoping to get a spot on the day's dinosaur dig are
the only ones there. After days of unseasonable rain, I'm hoping the ground has
dried out enough for us all to go to nearby Prehistoric Parks, a site replete with
ancient bones.
Shortly after I join the other amateur paleontologists, a museum employee
comes to the door to announce that the Day Dig is on. It will be one of the last at this site.
For more than a decade, this program has seen the public help unearth some 1,200 specimens from these badlands,
but the Tyrrell is temporarily putting it on hold to search for new dig sites it
deems more valuable for its research.
For the rest of this story, visit your local newsstand or go to our store to buy this issue.
Related stories:
• Explorer Online: Boning up on the badlands
top
|
|
|
