E-NEWSLETTER / October 2004


Members, Community, and Upcoming Events

     I'd like to begin by thanking all of our members! Your support is much appreciated and as we continue into the year, special events and discounts will be announced that will specifically benefit you. Again, it's our way of saying thanks.
     Here in Woodland Park, Colorado we have a history with the community that continues to grow. As part of that, we are planning  a "Festival of Fashion" show on November 4th that will directly benefit the "Woodland Park Police Explorers Cadet Program" and the "Woodland Park Teen Center". These organizations have long served the community and we are proud to be a part of their support.
     We have a fantastic lineup of events for the rest of the year...
     Coming up in October; "Reptile Encounter" on the 2nd and 3rd will feature a LIVE retile show at 1pm (presented by Colorado Gators - Reptilian Adventure). On the 31st, RMDRC will host a Halloween Party with fun, games, and of course, costumes.
     In November; we will be hosting Dr. Phil Currie. Dr. Currie is Internationally known as one of the leading paleontologists in the field. I encourage you to join us in welcoming him to Woodland Park (see newsletter story for additional detail.

Please visit www.rmdrc.com for full details on these events.

Sincerely,
Dave Ehlert
RMDRC Director
dave@rmdrc.com
 

  
NOVEMBER 7TH - DR. PHIL CURRIE COMING!!      

Woodland Park, Colorado: The RMDRC welcomes Dr. Phil Currie for Presentation and Book Signing

     World-renown paleontologist Dr. Phil Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology will be visiting the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center on Sunday, November 7.
     Dr. Currie is Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology and adjunct associate professor at University of Calgary. He has been widely published with 61 scientific articles, 80 popular articles, and ten books to his credit. He has given more than 200 lectures around the world and has appeared in over 600 newspaper articles, magazine articles, radio, film and television programs including National Geographic Magazine, New York Times, NBC’s Today Show, PBS’s Nova series, Canadian Geographic, Equinox, and Time magazine.
     Dr. Currie is an icon in the field of paleontology. His research is extensive with almost 30 years of field work around the world and includes (but is by no means limited to) projects on feathered dinosaurs, mass deaths of ceratopsian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, dinosaur footprints of British Columbia and Alberta,  bird origins, and Centrosaurus.
     Currie will first present a discussion entitled “Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds” at 2 p.m. at the Ute Cultural Center in Woodland Park, sponsored by the RMDRC. 
     Following his discussion, Dr. Currie will be at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center at 3 p.m. for a book signing. A selection of Dr. Currie’s books will be available for sale in the Prehistoric Paradise gift shop within the RMDRC.

Make your reservations now by calling 719-686-1820 x 112 (Deborah). Ticket prices are as follows: $10 adults, $8 (children 6-12), $5 adult members, $4 children members 6-12, children under 5 are admitted free.

Dont' miss out on this fantastic event! SEATING IS LIMITED. Come on out and join us!!

News from the Field:

     Sir William (the juvenile T.rex) is undergoing preparation after three summers of field work. We have many isolated elements from the animal. So far we have fore limb elements, are prepping a femur, skull elements, neck and dorsal vertebras, and parts of the pelvis. To date, over 50 theropod (meat-eating) dinosaur teeth have been collected from the site. This is highly unusual. The proliferation of these teeth, the lack of herbivore teeth, the teeth marks on the bones, and the broken up state of the bones suggests scavenging.


ABOVE: RMDRC Curator, Walter Stein, carefully catalogues fossils from recent field work.    

A short-necked plesiosaur was recovered this season from the Tuss Marine Bone Bed. So far, 250 bones have been discovered with more still in the field. We hope to return and complete the excavation of this marine reptile in early May or June 2005. Currently, we have pelvic elements, vertebrae, limb bones and paddle bones. A skull has not yet been found. We have not yet determined the species.
 		  
Dinosaur News:

     Keep up to date with the latest news from the RMDRC and beyond......
     In the realm of marine reptiles there's news of a paleontological discovery of an animal theorized to have had "...an almost perfect strike at prey..." with an "elegant solution" to feeding under murky water. Read more on this article here.
     Dinosaur behavior is an interesting subject for anyone interested in paleontology. An article from china, "Dinosaurs Were Doting Parents, Fossil Find Suggests", examines how dinosaur may have cared for their young. Check out the article here.
     As we now near the end of our 2004 field season, there are tons and tons of fossil jackets to open up and carefully clean for the winter months ahead. We have years of additional work, study and scientific information to catalogue just on our current inventory.
ABOVE: Marine fossils collected by the RMDRC during the 2004 field season.
 

Want to unsubscribe from the newsletter? Send a quick email to info@rmdrc.com to let us know to remove you.

Have a Question or Comment? Email us at info@rmdrc.com
© 2004  Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center