Stakeholders push to protect
meteorite crash site
Updated: Tue Oct. 28 2008 16:29:16
Amanda Ferguson, ctvedmonton.ca
A man holds a piece of
rock found at a meteorite
crash site in Woodland
County.
The mayor of a sprawling Alberta
community is pushing to have a
1,000-year-old crater, confirmed as the
site of a rare meteorite impact, turned into
a protected zone.
Woodlands County mayor Jim Rennie said
once news spreads of the rare designation
of their local crater, many people will flock to the community to get a
piece of it.
"Once people know about this, people will want to see it," he said.
"How we can do that and still preserve the site and the beautiful nature
that we have out here? That will be
something we need to work on together."
The crater is one of only 12 sites of its
kind in the world. The site is currently
labelled as a provincial historic resource.
Anyone who disturbs the area could face
a $5,000 fine or a year in jail.
Yet the county wants more done to
protect those from simply just walking
onto the site. No signs or fences
currently guard the crater.
Jim Rennie, mayor of
Woodland County, said
he'd like to see the site
protected further.
"Once people know about this, people will
want to see it," Rennie said.
Researchers started looking at the site as a possible meteorite crater
last year.
It is being viewed as an ideal place for scientists to learn more about
meteorites and their effect on the earth's surface.
Chirs Herd, an University of Alberta scientist, said he initially
questioned whether the hole was created by something out of this
world.
"We still joke about how skeptical I was on the phone," he said. "You
typically get hundreds of inquiries before the real deal shows up at your
door."
A handful of local politicians toured the crater Monday evening.
Whitecourt-St. Anne MLA George Vanderberg said he'd like to see the
local residents benefit from this rare occurrence.
"We want our children locally to learn about, what's the make-up or a
meteorite, how did it hit here, what would've been the impact at the
time if you were in the area," he said.
Scientists believe the meteorite came form the asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter.
Local scientists are still doing tests on fragments to learn about the
makeup of the rock.
With a report from CTV Edmonton's Bill Fortier
© 2008
All Rights Reserved.