The February 9 session of the 2017 Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Speaker Series is a presentation by Dr. Jon Noad of Sedimental Services, entitled “Almost Like Being There: New Approaches to Deciphering Animal Behaviour from Trace Fossils.”
The study of ichnology, or trace fossils, is a fascinating field of geology that provides a window into the behaviour of ancient animals. While body fossils help us to understand the morphology of an animal, trace fossils (whether they are footprints, bite marks, or nests) provide evidence that allows us to make inferences about how they lived their lives. Ichnology’s modern counterpart, neoichnology, the study of extant (living) animal traces, demonstrates what types of traces may be preserved, as well as letting us watch how those traces are created.
Dr. Noad’s presentation will cover examples of trace fossils ranging from termite nests to shrimp burrows, bird feeding traces to fish fin marks, and even traces that are interpreted to be from dinosaur urination. It will encompass a wide variety of both invertebrates and vertebrates, from worms to dinosaurs to mammals. Once you see the amazing diversity of traces, each of which captures a unique aspect of animal activity, you will never look at a mark on the ground in quite the same way.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Speaker Series talks are free and open to the public. They are held every Thursday until April 27 at 11:00 a.m. in the Museum auditorium. Speaker Series talks are also available on the Museum’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/RoyalTyrrellMuseum.

The eighty seventh annual Drumheller Music Festival is set for the week of March 20 - 30.
    Lynn Edwards, festival organizer, told inSide Drumheller, “This is the eighty seventh year Drumheller has had the music festival. There are little ones up to adults competing. We have had as young as 3 years old compete and as old as a 78-year-old musician play the piano before.”
    According to Edwards, people  come from as far as Okotoks and Brooks to compete. Piano, choir, band, speech, dance, and musical drama are just some of the disciplines that will be featured at this year’s festival. All sessions will be held at the Kaleidoscope Theatre with the exception of piano. Piano will be held at the BCF.
    Edwards told inSide Drumheller that professional adjudicators come from Calgary and Edmonton to judge first, second, and third place for each individual discipline.
    The final concert is slated for 7:00 PM on Friday March 31. The concert will include top performances as well as the award ceremony. Scholarships, anywhere from $25 - $250, will also be handed out to those who qualify.
    Edwards said, “It’s not necessarily the winners who perform in the final concert but the most entertaining and everyone is welcome to come and watch. Programs will be available at Riverside Value Drug Mart and Wade’s Jewellery.”