'Jungle' Jack Hanna is on his way through Drumheller as he tours Alberta for season three of “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild.”

Hanna, who has gained worldwide notoriety for his work with wildlife, and for making David Letterman squirm with his appearances on the Late Show, is on a weeklong swing through the province. He will be in Drumheller on August 19 to shoot at Reptile World, and visit the Tyrell Museum.
    Dave Bethel of Reptile World says he has had appearances by different television crews over the years, highlighting Reptile World’s work.
    “Basically we will give them a tour of the facility and talk about who we are, what we do and what we have,” said Bethel.
    He adds Hanna will be filming a piece on rattlesnakes with a researcher at Dinosaur Provincial Park earlier in the day.
    Reptile World is primarily an educational facility, dispelling myths about reptiles, and has more than 200 species of replies and amphibians. It practices captive reproduction of endangered species and innovative husbandry techniques.
    Bethel says the exposure for Reptile Word is valuable, however at this point in time, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild” is not broadcast in Canada.
    “Any publicity is good publicity,” said Bethel.
    Bethel has been familiar with Hanna’s work for years with his appearances on television shows including Ellen and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
    Hanna is Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and was previously the host of “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures” as well as the creator and host of “Into the Wild” which will begin its second season in syndication this fall. “Into the Wild” won an Emmy for outstanding Children’s Series in 2008.
    Other stops planned along the route in Alberta include Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, the Calgary Zoo, the Kananaskis, Waterton and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
    His topics will include first nations people’s relationship with wildlife, using dogs to educate bears in human avoidance, how wildlife thrives with humans in areas such as Banff, and showcasing fossils at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

The Community Garden is coming together for next season, but it needs volunteers to make it a reality.

 ld its official ribbon cutting in May of this year. DARTS has allowed the group to use a parcel of land and the Town of Drumheller has installed water amenities on the site in preparation of the growing season.
    Trish Parker of Communities in Bloom says the garden has been a real community effort, with many groups, and agencies pitching in. They plan to have garden boxes, which members of the public can use for a growing season. They also plan to line the property with fruit trees and bushes.
    The site will have a seating area and demonstration garden for education. At the rear of the property on Newcastle Drive there will be a compost heap as well as an area for tools.  Outlaws in Rosedale have even donated a garden shed for the site, and the Drumheller Co-op is helping to transport the structure. In the plan, there is even a double sized plot for the local food Bank.
    The site has slowly begun to take shape. The Drumheller Institution has donated skids of cinder blocks to build the garden plots, and inmate labour has assembled a few on site.
    For the project to continue Parker says there is a need for volunteers to complete building the boxes and other site work. Memberships for the Badlands Community Garden Society are available. The Society meets every first Thursday of the month at the Civic Centre.
    One other very important component for the garden to come together is soil. The society is beginning a campaign to secure the funding to purchase fill for the garden. Parker says they need in the area of 50 yards of soil to fill the plots and complete the site work.
    The society is also looking for garden tools to keep at the site.
    For more information on the community garden, contact Chris Marion at cmarion@yknet.ca.