Menu Close

Category: Events

Thunder Beasts, Hellbenders and Tiny Horses: A Safari Through the Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan

Members of VicPS have been graciously invited to a meeting hosted by the Alberta Palaeontological Society. Please read the invitation below, and register by May 12th if you’d like to attend and are prepared to pay the $10 charge. Note that annual membership in the APS is $20 for an individual and $25 for a family, something to consider should you wish to make a habit of attending their presentations.

The May 14, 2021 Alberta Palaeontological Society meeting will feature a keynote presentation followed by the Annual General Meeting.  APS members are encouraged to stay on-line for the AGM following the keynote presentation so that we can achieve quorum and proceed with the meeting.

The May 14 keynote presenter will be Dr. Emily Bamforth, Royal Saskatchewan Museum, T. rex Discovery Centre, Eastend, Saskatchewan.  The title of her presentation is “Thunder Beasts, Hellbenders and Tiny Horses:  A Safari Through the Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan.”   Her abstract and biography can be viewed by opening the attachment in this email or viewing the information on either the APS or CSPG website.

We will be having online monthly presentations until further notice.  Our cosponsor, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG), has graciously agreed to assist us with managing E-Technical talks using GoToWebinar.  If you are a CSPG or APS member, there will be no charge for electronically attending the presentations.  If you are not a member of one of these organizations, there will be a $10 charge per presentation to help with registration expenses.

To register for the online presentation, click on this link:  https://cspg.org/CSPGIMIS20/Events/Tech_Divisions/PalaeontologyDT/Palaeontology.aspx

Alternatively, you can go to the CSPG website and click on Events, Division Talks, and Palaeontology.  You will see a tab labelled “View Abstract”, where you can view information about the May 14 presentation.  To register, read carefully and follow the instructions.  If you have not created an account for one of the previous presentations then the first step is to create an account. This account will be used for all the presentations.  When it asks you about the organization you belong to, enter APS.  Once you have created an account, you can register for this month’s session.  The closing date for registering in this month’s session is Wednesday, May 12 at 12:00 pm (noon) Mountain Time.  Once you have registered for the May session, you will need to complete the payment requirements. If you are an APS or CSPG member there is no charge. If you are not a member of either organization, you will be asked to make a payment of $10 using one of the payment options provided. When you have completed the registration, you will be sent an email that provides your CSPG Order Confirmation/Receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your registration has not been successful. Finally, one or two days before the session begins, you will be sent an email from GOTOWebinar providing an E-talk link for joining the presentations. At 7:30 on May 14, you will click on this link to join the session.

Dr. Bamforth will provide her topic using PowerPoint.  Participants will have the opportunity to submit written questions to her during the presentation.  Dr. Bamforth will address the questions at the end of the talk.

Under the Influence at Dinosaur Park – A Free Artist Talk with Heidi Bergstrom

WhenMar 14, 2021 02:00 PM PST
WhereZoom call – register here

The Victoria Palaeontology Society with Studio H Canada International Artist Residency and Xchanges Artists’ Gallery and Studios present a Free Artist Talk with Heidi Bergstrom.

Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta is one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage sites in Canada, and the largest late Cretaceous (75 million years ago) find in the world (so far). They say, “if you drop your hat and don’t find a fossil, then you’re not in Dinosaur Park”. The bioreserve is the source of bones and fossils for the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, some 170 kms north west of the park, but bones from this area have been collected since the late 19th century and can be found in several major museums in the USA.

While the park provides great interest for dinosaur and fossil hunters, palaeontologists, and all kinds of scientific and geologic researchers, some contemporary artists are also fascinated by this place. Heidi Bergstrom is one of those artists who, after discovering the Drumheller region in the early 1980’s has been deeply influenced by this land and its history in her art since then.

In this talk, Heidi will share her knowledge of the park, her creative work and plans for artistic and cultural research in the park.

Please note: this event will be streamed on Facebook live and recorded for future sharing and viewing on social media such as YouTube and websites.

A Zoom account is not required to attend the talk.

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.

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

Fossil Fair March 23-24

Key things to know about the 23rd Fossil Fair:

For all you school age palaeontologists out there, the Fossil Fair will occur during your Spring Break.

The Fossil Fair will display a rich and diverse variety of ancient fossil animals and plants from the Cambrian (550 million years ago) to the end of the last Ice Age (10,000 years ago). Fossils will be displayed from Vancouver Island, other parts of British Columbia and other areas. The fossils include dinosaur bones, ammonites, trilobites, corals, mollusks, insects, giant palm leaves and microscopic fossils.

Of interest will be a display of 42 million year old fossil snails from the Crescent Terraine which are partially crystalized. Information will also be available on the results of voting for a provincial fossil recently released by the provincial government.

The display cases and story boards from the VicPS Educational Kit which is used by the society in presentations to school groups, youth camps and other organizations will also be displayed. This will be of interest to school teachers and other educators.

The Fossil Fair is an educational experience for all age groups. The public is invited to bring in fossils for identification. Specific activities for children include a fossil scavenger hunt with prizes, fossil colouring, rubbings stampings, and looking through microscopes.

The Victoria Palaeontology Society cooperates with professional palaeontologists undertaking research on fossils collected by Society members. Information will be provided on some of the scientific contributions made by members, including the discovery and naming of new species. All scientifically important fossils are donated to the Royal British Columbia Museum.

The Society is a member of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, an umbrella organization representing the interests of a number of paleontological organizations in the province.

Admission is by donation.

23rd Fossil Fair, March 23-24

Key things to know about the 23rd Fossil Fair:

  • takes place March 23-24, 2019
  • at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Road, Victoria
  • from 10 am to 3 pm each day
  • admission by donation.

For all you school age palaeontologists out there, the Fossil Fair will occur during your Spring Break.