Christmas came early for researchers at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
    Staff recently collected the remains of a large marine reptile estimated to be 110 to 114 million years old. The specimen was discovered during a road construction project near Fort McMurray.
    When an earth scraper exposed fossil bones, they were examined by an expert from Aeon Paleontological Consulting Ltd., who was on site.
     In accordance with Alberta’s Historical Resources Act, Flatiron Construction, the project contractor for Alberta Transportation, constructed a wooden frame and tarp structure around the fossil so the ground could be thawed for excavation.
    Dr. Donald Henderson led a Royal Tyrrell Museum crew to Fort McMurray on December 10 to examine and collect the specimen. The specimen was determined to be a nearly complete long-necked plesiosaur.
    Although the skull and one flipper are missing, the rest of the skeleton is complete, including the tail. The body measures approximately one metre wide with flippers extending about one metre to each side. It is the fourth plesiosaur found in the Fort McMurray area over the last three years.
    Plesiosaurs lived in the inland sea that covered most of Alberta during the Cretaceous Period.
    While conditions inside the structure were comfortable during the seven-day process, temperatures of -35 C with wind chill made loading the fossil onto a truck a challenge. The fossil was transported to the Royal Tyrrell Museum earlier this week and is awaiting preparation and study.   

    With construction of the new Standard Community Hall proceeding full steam ahead, residents of the village are using the opportunity to embark on a project to revive one of the community’s landmarks
    Plans are in the works to relocate the Standard Cenotaph next to the new hall in time for next Remembrance Day.
    “We’re just getting started. We’re still working on a final plan. It’s still in its infancy stages,” said Brett Gates, who is spearheading the project.
    The current Cenotaph stands in front of the Standard Arena. It has stood for decades and is showing signs of its age. The hope for the project is not just move the Centopah, but rebuild it as well.
    “The old one is getting pretty dilapidated and it needs some work. The location will be much better up there. Some of our vets built the current one originally. We’re trying to keep as much of it as we can, but I think we might only be able to salvage the plaque,” said Gates. “It’s done well over the years, but with the wear and tear, there’s quite a few cracks. We’ve patched it a couple times, but it needs to be redone.”
    The plaque on the Cenotaph doesn’t contain any specific names of those who went to war from the area, but instead honours everyone.
    The new Cenotaph would be surrounded by a sitting area, benches, and flower beds.
    The committee in charge of the project has just begun planning and fundraising. At this time, there is no finalized design. It is hoped everything will be ready in time for Standard’s Remembrance Day ceremonies next November.
    Anyone wishing to get involved in the project are encouraged to contact Gates at 403-644-3757.