Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

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The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, formerly known as the Morden and District Museum, is located in Morden, Manitoba in the Morden Recreational Complex on the lower level. The museum currently houses the largest fossil collection of marine vertebrates in Canada.

Most of the fossils are results of digs in the Manitoba Escarpment area of the Pembina Hills in the Red River Valley.

The Museum offers school programs, guided tours, summer day camp, paleo tours, fossil dig programs and a hiking tour is under development. The museum has a large database of research information appertaining to the fossil collection which is all appertaining to the late cretaceous period.

The prized specimen is a 43 foot long mosasaur fossil, the second largest in North America. Fossil dig programs continue each summer from May to September along the Manitoba Escarpment which is very fossil rich. A short necked plesiosaur specimen 26 feet long was excavated in 2004/5, the curator Anita Janzic has written a paper on the stomach contents of the plesiosaur.

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre proposes to build a new 'state of the art' museum just west of the town of Morden, Manitoba with a net zero energy theme. The plans include a new field station on the Manitoba Escarpment. The project is slated for completion by 2013.

Details of the entire fossil collection will be digitised and uploaded onto the website in a groundbreaking move to provide access to the fossil collection to paleontology researchers and students worldwide; completion of this project is during 2008. Other projects include a series of 4 education kits for k - 12, which will bring the museum content and subject matter into the Manitoba school curriculum.

To bring some lighthearted fun but still educational themes to the museum, Lulu and the Tomcat the popular musical duo are writing, performing and recording a series of fossil related songs which will be compiled into a CD called 'Fossil Rock'.

The renowned film producer, David Rabinovitch of Fleetwood Films is currently producing a 4 minute introductory film; a 20 minute educational film and a major drama documentary film which includes telling the story of how 'Bruce' the huge mosasaur was found on the Manitoba Escarpment, was then excavated and brought down into Morden Town; and this started the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre back in 1971.