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Author: Tom

July 17th field trip

When: Sunday, July 17th, 2022, 7 am departure

Travel: We are going a little further afield on this trip, so set your alarm clock! Meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 7 am to arrange carpooling. Or meet us outside the Courtenay Museum at 10 am.

Exposure: Please see the email sent to paid VicPS members for details.

Exposure: Please see the email sent to paid VicPS members for details.

Access: This site is not as easily accessible as other sites; some hiking and scaling of the riverbank is required and current water height in that section of the river is unverified. Good mobility, alertness and care required.

Equipment: Proper footwear for hiking and riverside collecting. Basic hammer and chisel (like equipment used on shales at Mt. Tzouhalem and Chemainus River). Bring the usual daytrip essentials: hat, sunscreen, insect spray, jacket, lunch, water and an endless supply of curiosity!

Please RSVP to Jerri Wilkins if you plan to participate

June 26 – VicPS Field Trip

Mark your field trip calendars!

When: Sunday, June 26, 2022
Travel: Meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 9 am to arrange carpooling.

Paid members will have received the field trip destination description via email. Any others may plead your case to VicPS President Jerri Wilkins.

Access/Equipment: Site suitable for collectors of all ages and activity levels, although productivity of the site varies due to its protected nature. Parking is within a few meters of the start of a fifteen-minute walk on mostly flat ground to the site. This is an intertidal site, so expect slippery rocks. Fossils are found in the rock and in concretions, so small chisels and even a sturdy jackknife for the mudstones and a good hammer or sledge, chisel, and protective eyewear are required for the harder rock. Bring jacket hat, sunscreen, water and a lunch.

Next Vancouver Paleontological Society Meeting: May 18 (Wednesday) at 7 pm 

The next VanPS meeting is May 18 (Wednesday) at 7 pm, on Zoom, and you are invited to attend and participate.

Title: Talking Rocks: Paleontology Meets Sociology in the Anthropocene

Abstract: In this talk, Dr. Rebecca Yoshizawa will share perspectives as a sociological interloper entering the world of paleontology. From a gruelling trek to the Burgess Shale, to finding a fossil in her backyard, exploring paleontology’s thorny involvement in colonialism, and analyzing the promise of paleontology for saving the world, Dr. Yoshizawa reflects on the personal and the political when it comes to paleontology.

Bio: Dr. Rebecca Yoshizawa is an instructor in Sociology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She teaches the sociology of science, gender, health, technology, nonhumans, and families. Her research has concerned reproductive sciences and politics as well as developmental origins biology, with publications in Body & Society, Social Theory and Health, Feminist Theory, and the scientific journal Placenta. Her current research focuses on paleontology and its role in contentious conversations about deep time, place, and the Anthropocene. 

VicPS members, please look to your email inbox for a missive that includes the Zoom info.

April 24 – VicPS Field Trip

Sunday, April 24: mark your field trip calendars! Originally scheduled for November, this fieldtrip was postponed due to the atmospheric river, so let’s hope for better luck this month.

Note the earlier meet-up and departure time of 8 am at the Helmcken Road Park & Ride. The target site is north of The Malahat and we need extra to/from driving time.

Paid members will have received the field trip destination description via email. Any others may plead your case to VicPS President Jerri Wilkins.

VicPS Fossil Fair in the news

News coverage of the succesful Fossil Fair held by VicPS at Swan Lake can be found at the Saanich News website here. Congrats to all the volunteers and VicPS members who contributed their time and effort to this educational and fun event!

Image, caption courtesy of Saanich News

Our local Times-Colonist carried advance notice of the event, and followed up after the event with a photo of VicPS member and fossil expert Tom Cockburn at the Fossil Fair.

Fossil Fair reminder: March 26, Swan Lake Nature House

February 20 field trip

When: Sunday, February 20, 2022

Travel: 9am, meet at Helmcken Park & Ride. Arrive at Java World in Duncan by 10am to meet participants from the Duncan area, then proceed to our destination. Return to Park & Ride between 3-4 pm. Return times are approximate, subject to Malahat traffic.

Exposure: Paid VicPS members will have received details in their email as to where we’re headed and what fossil specimens to expect.

Equipment: A good hammer, chisel, and protective eyewear are recommended, as is a glue/water solution to stabilize fragile pieces and newsprint or paper towel for wrapping. Wear sturdy shoes, dress for all weather (rain, wind) and bring drinking water and snacks.

RSVP: Jerri Wilkins, Field Trip Lead, via the via the VicPS Facebook page or via email.

VicPS meeting Wednesday Feb. 9, 7:30 pm

Please join VicPS at our monthly meeting on February 9th at 7:30pm for the following:

The Cretaceous Nanaimo Group, B.C.: A Complicated Depositional History on an Active Margin, presented by Shahin E. Dashtgard, Applied Research in Ichnology and Sedimentology (ARISE) Group, Dpt. of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.

This presentation is open to all BC Palaeontology Society Members and guests. The meeting will be recorded for future reference. Paid members of VicPS and BCPS will have received the Zoom meeting connection details by email.

To request the Zoom details again, please contact VicPS President Jerri Wilkins.