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This week's Speaker Series presentation: Changing landscapes in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan

WinMcLaughlin

For the February 14 session of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology’s 2019 Speaker Series, Dr. Win McLaughlin (Oberlin College, Ohio) will present “Changing Landscapes, Climate, and Life in the Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan.”

The high Tien Shan mountains that dominate Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia are some of the youngest mountains on Earth. Their extremely rapid uplift continues today, affecting humans with a high earthquake hazard. This ‘mountain-building’ has drastically impacted life and ecosystems over the past 10 million years. As recently as five million years ago, the Tien Shan mountains were semi-forested landscapes full of fantastic beasts such as tusked rhinos, spike-headed giraffes, and grizzly-bear-sized hyenas.

Dr. McLaughlin will discuss how ecosystems rapidly and drastically change, driving the evolution of modern cold-adapted organisms and ecological communities, as illustrated by the Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Speaker Series talks are free and open to the public. Presentations are given in the museum auditorium every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. until April 25. Speaker Series talks are also available on the Museum’s YouTube channel at: youtube.com/c/RoyalTyrrellMuseumofPalaeontology.

Livestock trailer rolls over near Hanna, two animals euthanized

Hanna RCMP, Hanna / Special Areas Fire, and Hanna EMS responded to a call of a semi tractor-trailer rollover hauling cattle on Highway 36 north of Township Road 340 in the early afternoon on Monday.

The investigation determined that while going around a curve on Highway 36 the load of cattle shifted and caused the semi to lose control and roll over onto the passenger side. The semi unit came to a stop in the ditch after skidding for approximately 60 meters.

The driver, who had non-life threatening injuries, was transported to the Hanna Hospital by EMS.

The Hanna Fire Department utilized their livestock containment system to prevent the cattle from roaming free along the highway.

Of the 42 head of cattle on the trailer, 2 were euthanised at the scene by the RCMP.

Emergency crews are still at the scene so motorists are asked to use caution if travelling through the area.

No charges are being laid in this investigation.

Jay Dekeyser wins gold at Special Olympics

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A Drumheller man added another medal to his collection over the weekend after finishing first in alpine skiing at the provincial Special Olympics.

Long time competitive skier Jay Dekeyser earned gold at the event Sunday at Canada Olympic Park.

He won the only event he competed in after the Saturday events he was scheduled for were cancelled due to the cold.

“It was cold, felt like -38 degrees.”

When asked what his secret was he said “he did a good job of my gates.”

“I saw lots of friends. I trained hard with (coach) Martin (McSween) in the gym at the BCF,” he said.

“We were really excited that he won,” said his mother Penny Dekeyser. “Him and Martin and the rest of the team, Mitchell (Pennington) and Quinn (Delisle), have been working really hard dry-land training all year and they’ve journeyed to Nakiska a few times to ski there. He was pretty pumped.”

Drumheller residents Michael Cairns, Clayton Hamilton, Ken Smith, Dan Tabor, and Gary Mitchell also competed in five-pin bowling.

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