Drumheller’s top cop was honoured on the occasion of the Queen of England marking 60 years since her coronation.
 Staff Sergeant Art Hopkins was among 300 employees of the RCMP who were honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. The ceremony was held at Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton on Wednesday September 12. His Honour, Colonel (retired), The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta presented the Diamond Jubilee medals.
    Staff Sergeant Hopkins was proud to receive the medal.
    “It has a little shine for me,” said Hopkins, explaining that more than a personal reward, it is an award to document his history and service as an officer, if not for him, but for future generations of his family.

Staff Sergeant Art Hopkins, left, is presented with the
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal by the
Honourable Donald S. Ethell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
Photo courtesy Mandy Kostiuk, RCMP K Divison

    Hopkins has been a member of the RCMP for more than 33 years and has served most of his career in Alberta and Saskatchewan. He worked as a municipal and as a rural officer as well as on traffic.  He also worked in criminal intelligence where he had specialized duties. Hopkins served as a senior diving instructor for the RCMP for a number of years and was dive supervisor for Saskatchewan.
    “I used to teach diving to police officers on the east coast and the west coast annually,” said Hopkins.
    “I am kind of an exception. There are guys who have been in Calgary, or Red Deer or Edmonton for most of their career.”
     He has spent the last five years in Drumheller.
    According to a press release, employees had to be nominated to receive a medal, which is to recognize a significant achievement, or distinguished service to fellow citizens, the community, or to Canada, both at home and abroad.
    The recipients included Regular and Civilian Members, Public Service employees, and Auxiliary Members who volunteer their time to serve the citizens of Alberta.
    “I am proud of the members and employees of the RCMP who received this most prestigious recognition from His Honour, the Lt. Governor on behalf of our honourary Commissioner, her majesty the Queen” said C/Supt. Marlin Degrand.  “Every day I see examples of the dedication, sacrifice and professionalism of our employees in Alberta.  I am pleased to see this recognition of some of the many exemplary and deserving people within the RCMP who contribute, day in and day out, to the betterment of their communities and the safety and security of their fellow citizens.”

    Sadly, visitors to the Royal Tyrrell Museum this past year haven’t been able to enjoy one of the coolest areas in the museum; the lush, jungle-like Cretaceous Garden.
    However, plans are in place to have the garden wow crowds in the spring of 2013.
    “We’ve determined next year will be the grand reopening for our Cretaceous Garden. We’re working hard to get it ready and looking good in the spring,” said Leanna Mohan, marketing and communications coordinator at the Tyrrell Museum.
    The renovation began out of a desire to increase the accessibility and interpretive potential of the garden. The garden houses plant species similar to what was in Drumheller during the late Cretaceous period (roughly 70 million years ago), giving guests a glimpse into prehistory.
    “It’s staying as it was before, so the Cretaceous. There’s a certain criteria of plants that fall in that. Some of the things in there previously were left over from when it was still a tropical garden, so there were things that weren’t specific to the Cretaceous that probably shouldn’t have been in there. None of that stuff will be returning,” said Dawn Christian, horticulturist with the Tyrrell Museum.
    Some of the plants that lived here 70 million years ago included gingkos, a plethora of ferns, and palm trees.
    The garden has been closed since the fall of 2011. At that time students from Olds College assisted museum staff in removing the plants and relocating them to Olds College where they were cared for until the Tyrrell garden was ready.
    With a clean slate in regards to the plants, it is hoped the renovations will provide an opportunity to take advantage of the whole year. Previously, most of the garden would go dormant when winter set in. The new mix of plants will hopefully provide visitors something to see all year round.
    “We hope to have things flower in spring, summer, and into the fall. We’ll have some evergreens and some deciduous trees. We’re also looking at plants that have interesting berries or fall colours. We’re trying to extend the seasonality of the Cretaceous Garden,” said Christian.
    “It will still go dormant, but there are some plants that like those temperatures and will still flower and produce interesting things.”
    After the plants were removed, most of the soil was removed and some of the concrete foundation of the garden was remodelled, requiring a lot of work with jackhammers.
    In addition to new plants, and many of the old plants returning, the garden will boast a walkway over the garden, complete with interpretive signs. Visitors will walk over the garden, rather than through it as before.
    The museum will also add different specimens, including a dinosaur footprint found by the museum preparation lab supervisor, Jim McCabe.
    “Now everything is ready to go so the plants can survive for another 25 years,” said Mohan. “We’re hoping to start placing the plants in the next month.”
    Over the winter, the garden will remain closed as the finishing touches are put on the garden. The time will also allow the plants to get rooted and looking their best for the public once spring rolls around.
    “We’ll be putting things back in at the end of the month, but a lot of it will be arriving dormant. We won’t see leaves starting to come back until the spring,” said Christian.
    “It’ll take some time to get it done, but it’ll look great,” promised Mohan.