Hatter Daniel O'Laney's most recent fossil collection purchase was that of a private collection belonging to Calgarian Richard Hayes. The collection included approximately 400 pounds of petrified wood, as well as bones and bone fragments from a variety of small carnivorous dinosaurs, such as the Albertosaurus.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Hatter Daniel O’Laney is sharing his passion for paleontology and fossil collection with southern Albertans of all ages, and hopes his endeavours will spark interest in others.
Having grown up in southern Alberta, O’Laney has always been fascinated by the region’s pre-historic history and found enjoyment in collecting fossils. But only recently did he commit to growing his own personal collection, which now contains several thousand pieces.
“I’ve been collecting fossils since I was a little kid,” O’Laney told the News. “I grew up in High River, and I found my first little fossil walking through the forest. Then I moved to Brooks when I was 18 and I started finding little pieces of petrified wood in the crystals in the alleyways, and that’s when I started getting more and more into the fossils, (I had) moved to a place where they were more readily available.”
As O’Laney’s interest, knowledge and collection grew, so too did his desire to protect and preserve the fossils for future generations, as well as share them with others.
“We live in one of the areas of the highest saturation for fossils in Canada (and) we have a tremendous amount of paleontological resources here,” said O’Laney.
But despite such resources, O’Laney says there is a need for more knowledge surrounding fossils and the legalities of collecting such, which is why he is working to open his own Redcliff fossil shop and education centre.
To be located on Second Street NE, the shop will house a variety of fossils and other paleontological finds, but will also be a site for southeast Albertans of all ages to learn about the prehistoric creatures which once roamed this land.
“The purpose of our shop is to primarily share knowledge,” said O’Laney. “But also (fossil) preservation.
“We want people to be able to bring in their collections, and we want to be able to help them identify what they have, put a value on it and help them figure out how they should manage the collection as far as preservation; (or) assist them in reporting and possibly getting a disposition on their collection, if it was collected prior to July 5, 1978.”
On July 5, 1978, the Alberta government passed a law in which all fossils collected within the province are property of the government, so to assist with preservation efforts. The law however, does not apply to fossils and fossil collections collected prior to the signed date.
While the shop undergoes renovations to prepare for opening, O’Laney has been spreading his knowledge within the community through public education opportunities and markets.
O’Laney’s next upcoming event is the May 6 Spring Market, hosted at Parkside School in Redcliff, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
O’Laney will also be posting about upcoming events, as well as shop updates, on his Facebook page titled O’Laney Collectibles.
