Thursday, June 3, 2010

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Marlo Baydala

Twelve, the magical age of discovery coincided with my first trip to the badlands! I've been looking for dinosaurs ever since. As a professional Geophysicist, I search for oil and gas, analogous to my amateur interest in searching for dinosaur fossils. My wife, Sally, and our children, Jasper, Louis and Martina have all explored the badlands with me.

My daughter and I joined the Dinotour in 2006 which is run by the Dinosaur Research Institute (DRI) and subsequently I was asked to join the Board of the DRI. As a result I have learned about the sophisticated level of research being done by scientists and to appreciate their dedication.

I read Sternberg's account of Hunting Dinosaurs twenty years ago so when Darren Tanke proposed the scow project, I supported it as a Board member and with a personal contribution. I am joining the scow trip for a portion through Dinosaur Provincial Park; my goal is to help rediscover the lost "Styracosaurus" bonebed. Sternberg's role in Albertan history is largely unknown and I think it is important to recreate the scow trip to highlight both the scientific and cultural contributions he made.

[Darren adds an editorial note here that the lost Styracosaurus bonebed was a site worked by CH Sternberg and his son Levi in 1916. The material was sent to London, England where it was not really appreciated or understood, being rather fragmentary. Recently the fossils were reprepared as there were some aspects of the material hinting it was not Styracosaurus. This was indeed the case. It turns out not to be Styracosaurus, but actually a new genus of horned dinosaur! So relocating this site will be a high priority, as the London material is currently under study and there are many aspects of its skull anatomy still unknown].

No comments:

Post a Comment