Adolfo Cuetara's excitement is palpable as he describes a new effort the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) is undertaking this year.
In 2023, Thornhill area farmer, David Lumgair, donated an 18-acre parcel of land to the museum, and Cuetara says staff have been hard at work cleaning it up and marking what they thing will be good spots to start digging.
"In his farm is where Bruce, our biggest Mosasaur, was found exactly now fifty years ago. And other spectacular specimens were found on this farm, like the shark that is now under research and Susie, the other Mosasaur."
The donated strip of land is located next to where Bruce was discovered during mining activities. It is, however, untouched land and Cuetara has high expectations for what they'll find there. In anticipation of some notable discoveries, Cuetara and his team are already applying for grants to build a field house there that would help facilitate future dig tours.
"It's very accessible. So, this place will allow us to bring school buses, for example, for school trips," he said.
In an email statement to PembinaValleyOnline, David Lumgair said, "I really do want to encourage curiosities in people so as they can develop a vision to recognize the need to care for the environment for future life." His hope, he added, is to spark curiosity and thinking about our part in finding that healthy future for life on Earth.
With files from Robyn Wiebe