Imagine for a moment, being on a sunny California beach. You just came to the shore after splashing in the ocean or are laying down a beach towel to tan. You look over and find a piece of Alberta had followed you and was protruding from the sand.
Last week, beach combers gazed in bewilderment when they saw a replica Albertosaurus skeleton buried in the beach.
Travel Alberta and the Royal Tyrrell Museum travelled to Los Angeles (L.A.) with fossils in tow to introduce Californians to the badlands of Alberta.
“They [Travel Alberta] are really pushing dinosaurs as a reason to come to Alberta,” said Leanna Mohan, marketing coordinator of the Royal Tyrrell Museum. “They came up with the idea to get people interested in coming to Alberta.”
Mohan was joined by Tyrrell palaeontologist Francois Therrien, who spent the time teaching beach combers about the fossils and Alberta.
"It was interesting. Not a lot of people here were aware that Alberta is one of the best places to look for dinosaurs,” said Therrien. “A lot are now even considering coming to look at the dinosaurs, because they didn’t know there were so many close to them.”
People asked about the fossils, where they are from, the museum, and how to get here. Many of those who took the time to check out the spectacle didn’t even know where Alberta was. Therrien, Mohan, and Travel Alberta staff illustrated where Drumheller and the rest of the dinosaur sites, such as Dinosaur Provincial Park, are located.
The stunt also drew the attention of news outlets from L.A. and late night T.V. show Jimmy Kimmel Live, which aired last night.
The skeleton even attracted a couple school groups in L.A. Therrien taught students all about the fossils he had with him.
“We got good media coverage, so people in L.A. will get to learn more about dinosaurs,” said Therrien. “There was a huge spike in visits to the Travel Alberta website, so that’s encouraging.”
“People were thrilled to meet a palaeontologist. We brought some fossils and brochures down,” said Mohan. “It’s been a big success for sure.”
