Dinosaur Breakout by Judith Silverthorne Page A

“I’ve drawn up the maps for the hiking trails and we’ve all gone down them a few times.”
    “Yeah, we put discreet markers in places so no one gets lost.” Daniel tried hard not to look over at Jed, but everyone knew who he was talking about anyway, and they all laughed again.
    Lucy continued, “I also have the info sheets for the fossil hunters ready to be photocopied.”
    “Did you make sure the information about it being illegal to take fossils away from the site is in big letters, like Mr. Tokaryk told us to do?” Daniel asked.
    Lucy nodded and passed him the sheet.
    “Great!” said Pederson. “And I’ve got the dig sites prepared and roped off, and all the tools ready. Good teamwork everyone!”
    They congratulated themselves and the chattering escalated again, until Pederson called them back to attention.
    “As you know, the mayor of Climax is bending over backwards to help us, which in turn helps the community by bringing tourists here.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “She’d like to see us linked more strongly to the Eastend ventures, including with the rsm. Especially as we’re already working with them on the Edmontosaurus find.”
    Everyone nodded and he continued. “We’re really starting to attract the tourists to the town now, with the museum up and running. And from the sounds of it, we have quite a number of reservations for camping and day digs out here.” He looked at Daniel’s mom, who had the reservation book open on the table.
    She nodded. “And we’re sure to have many who will just drop in without prior notice, which is great too.”
    Doug said, “Yes, and word has been getting around, so we want to make sure whatever we do here works well. I think we’ve got a good thing going.”
    “Guess we’ll find out this weekend,” Dad said with a wry grin.
    “Well, we certainly have a great start,” Pederson continued. “When I met with the people at the T.rex Discovery Centre today, they were quite enthusiastic about us becoming partners.”
    “Yahoo!” Daniel and Jed clapped. “All right!”
    “Hold on,” Pederson calmed them. “These were just initial talks, and of course we’ll have to have many meetings and discussions with their authorities, and with the town council, and so on. As far as they can see, partnering with us will enhance what they are doing as well and it will benefit us all to bring as many people to the area as possible.”
    “What about the red tape? How many papers are we going to have to sign?” asked Mom.
    “Yes, and are they going to have special rules and regulations we’re going to have to follow?” Doug asked.
    Pederson answered. “Probably all of the above. And of course, we may need to think about extra insurance and other legal costs.”
    “But it’s doable, isn’t it?” Daniel asked with sudden concern.
    “I’m sure it is, but it can be tedious as all get-out when you start doing the paperwork for government-run operations!”
    “Isn’t that the truth!” Jed’s mom sighed.
    “Okay, people, now the hard work of this evening begins. Ed, let’s go over your figures first.” Pederson pointed to Dad as he shared the graphs with the others. Mom and Greta Lindstrom moved closer to the men at the other end of the table.
    Daniel and Jed looked at one another and eased out of their chairs. They weren’t interested in the money details. No one seemed to notice them leave. Lucy followed close behind them. Sometimes she annoyed them, but tonight they let her join them as they headed outdoors. They passed by Leanne and Lindsay playing with Cheryl and Dactyl on the back step. Dactyl ignored them. He was getting great attention from all the girls.
    The others all seemed to gravitate towards the yard where the kitchen and snack bar were set up. An old tire swing hung from a big tree nearby. Lucy sat twisting on it, while Daniel and Jed sat on some stumps near the firepit a few feet away, chatting idly about the day.
    “Those Nelwins