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Author: Tom

CANCELLED: Canadian Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology 2020 Meeting

COVID-19 update: Meeting Cancelled. This June’s meeting at the RBCM has been cancelled because of Covid-19. We hope to have an update in the fall about next year’s symposium, and people should check https://csvp.ca/ or follow our CSVP’s social media channels for updates.

The 2020 meeting of the Canadian Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology will be hosted by the Royal BC Museum (RBCM), located in downtown Victoria, BC. This event will take place June 6-8, 2020. Please see this circular for details about the event.

Please note that student registration costs have been reduced since the first circular was published.

Oral presentations will be held in the museum’s Newcombe Conference Hall, with poster sessions and breaks in the newly renovated Learning Centre.

Registration deadline is March 15, 2020. You must be registered to submit a presentation or a poster abstract. Full details are in the circular linked above.

AGM March 18: Cancelled Due to COVID-19

UPDATE: Like the Fossil Fair, our AGM and monthly meeting has now been cancelled due to the COVID-19 precautions. No plan to reschedule the meeting until things improve health-wise. The AGM may be held online or via email to meet Society Act rules; more news when we know for certain.

There is no field trip scheduled for March. Stay healthy and practice “social distancing”!

Our Fossil Fair has been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19.

Our AGM is scheduled for March 18 and it is important that we have a good turnout for election of officers. Our meeting numbers and the relatively large classroom in which we meet suggest we may all keep the health-maintaining recommended “social distance” from each other.

Please respond by email to Tom Cockburn regarding whether or not you will attend the meeting.

Following our AGM, our speaker is Grant Keddie, Archaeology Curator, RBCM.  Grant’s topic is to be announced.

Fossil Fair 2020 latest victim of COVID-19

In keeping with the BC government’s COVID-19 directive of no events in the province with over 250 people, our 24th fossil fair is being cancelled, or possibly postponed, until later notice.   

Swan Lake is in the process of posting notices in the Nature House, and updating their website and Facebook page.  Given the BC government’s province-wide directive, there was really no choice in this matter.  We will try to re-schedule at a later date if the situation changes for the positive.

Nominations for Rene Savenye Award

Perry Poon of the Vancouver Palaeontological Society has asked that consideration be given for presenting the Rene Savenye Award at the July 10-13, 2020, 13th BC Paleontological Symposium at UBC in Vancouver. 

Here are the guidelines, approved by the Board in 2003, outlining the purpose, criteria and process for the Award.  To nominate a person for the award, follow the procedure on the guidelines and send the nomination to Graham Beard no later than March 31, 2020.  This will allow the committee time to review the nominations and, if appropriate, select an award winner.  If an award winner is chosen, the award (usually a big secret) will be announced at the symposium.

Graham Beard of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Museum Society (VIPMS) serves as Chair of the award committee. Graham will establish who is on the award committee.  In the past, the award committee has included some previous award winners, and Jim Haggart has been involved as an advisor due to his past involvement in the award.  The people on the award committee should be perceived as neutral and not as advocates for a particular nominee.

There have been only five previous winners of the Savenye Award – see the BCPA website for details.

BCPA Newsletter: Now Digital Only

BC Palaeontological Alliance newsletter editor Tammy Pigeon tells us we may receive the BCPA newsletter by email in future, but not as hardcopy. You may submit articles for the newsletter directly to Tammy by email. Tammy has been sent the VicPS membership info as at the end of 2019. Please view the graphic below for publishing dates and lead times.

VIPS Thin Section workshop at NIC: January 11, 2020

The Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society are holding the VIPS and North Island College thin section workshop on Saturday, January 11th. This link gives you an idea of the process and tools involved.

Randal Mindell, research scientist and paleo-botanist will lead the thin section workshop. Lucas Evans, the NIC lab technician, will provide the facilities and be our host. The NIC lab will accommodate up to 15 people, so prior registration is advised.

The workshop will start at 10:00 am and go until 3:30 pm with a lunch break. Bring your best fossil wood specimen.

Here is the day’s schedule: 

  1. Randal will do a Power Point presentation covering the general procedure of the thin section process.
  2. You will use the specimen of fossil wood you brought and cut it with the rock saw to create the clean surface for the thin section.
  3. Once the fossil is cut and the new surface exposed, Randal will assist in the preparation and the grinding or polishing process.
  4. Preparation of the thin section with the acetate peel will be completed and ready for viewing under the microscope.
  5. Viewing of the actual fossil wood cells of the should be amazing.
  6. Determining the genus of the fossil wood by review and comparison to the record may be possible.
  • Where: – North Island College- 2300 Ryan Road Courtenay, Raven building, near the front entrance, upstairs in the NIC Lab .
  • When: – 10:00-3:30? Saturday January 11th, 2020 ( Bring a lunch or go to the NIC cafeteria)
  • Workshop Cost: – $20   (all materials supplied)
  • Contact Betty Franklin for registration using cheque or e-transfer at beetlejean@gmail.com

Nov. 17 Field Trip

Jerri Wilkins will lead a field trip along some backwoods logging roads, so more driving than collecting anticipated. Clothing appropriate to backwoods is a must, as is food and water. This is a return to the site visited Oct. 20. Look to your email for a Vicps communication that specifies the targeted area.

Meet at Helmcken Park and Ride at 9am. Detailed directions and maps to be shared at that time.

Please confirm in advance if you plan to join the field trip. Message Jerri Wilkins via the VicPS Facebook page or via email at jlwilkins2@hotmail.com.