Paid VicPS members will have received an emailed invitation from member John Kitson regarding a field trip he will lead on Sunday, March 26. Please respond by email to John if you are planning to join the group.
Please join us March 8, 7:30PM at our regularly scheduled monthly meeting for an update on the following:
FOSSIL FAIR – TENTATIVELY Sat., March 25, 2023
Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary recently confirmed they do want to partner with us on the Fossil Fair this year on Saturday, March 25th. That’s only a few weeks away! Our ability to respond depends upon our volunteer capacity. If you’re available that weekend, please consider volunteering. VicPS President Jerri Wilkins will briefly review what’s involved so that VicPS as a group can decide if we have the capacity to proceed.
MARCH FIELD TRIP
Usually there is no March field trip due to efforts focused on the annual Fossil Fair. If the Fossil Fair doesn’t go forward, we’ll plan a field trip.
SYMPOSIUM 2023 UPDATE
Registrations and Abstracts are coming in and the Symposium is on track to be a fulsome four-day event. VicPS President Jerri Wilkins will present a behind-the-scenes peek into how the event is shaping up and will play out. This is primarily for members who are not involved in planning, to see what the planning team’s been up to, and where your talents will be needed as we get closer to June.
All paid VicPS members will have received details as to how to connect to and participate in this virtual meeting. Please contact Jerri Wilkins at our vicpalaeo gmail address for these same details, if needed.
A reminder for VicPS members that the planned November 20th field trip has been postponed until November 27th. Please see the email from Jerri Wilkins on this topic.
A reminder for VicPS members that the planned October 17th field trip has been cancelled. Please see the email from Jerri Wilkins on this topic.
When: Sunday, August 21, 2022, 9 am departure
Travel: Meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 9 am to arrange carpooling.
Exposure: Please see the email sent to paid VicPS members for details.
Exposure: Please see the email sent to paid VicPS members for details.
Equipment: Geological hammer, chisel and safety equipment (gloves, goggles, safety helmet advisable) and footwear suitable for wading. Bring water, snacks/lunch and sunscreen.
Please RSVP to Jerri Wilkins if you plan to participate
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
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.
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.
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.
Change of plan. The roads in the woods are apparently quite wet, so in the interest of safety and actually reaching our destination, we’re moving to plan B. Boomerang Lake will wait for us.
Annual membership renewal for 2022 is this month; dues must be paid up to attend fieldtrips. Please see the membership page for methods of payment.
Field Trip – Mt. Tzouhalem
When: Sunday, January 23, 2022
Travel: 9 am, meet at Helmcken Park & Ride. Arrive at Java World in Duncan by 10 am to meet participants from the Duncan area, then proceed to the mountain. Return to Park & Ride between 3 – 4 pm. Field trip and return times are approximate, subject to Malahat access and return traffic, which can be unpredictable.
Exposure: Mount Tzouhalem is a high point of land that overlooks Cowichan Bay. Much of the mountain is forested, and some of it is protected by an ecological reserve, but the northern side of the mountain, originally intended as a golf course, is slowly being developed into single family homes. High on the mountain, in undeveloped areas, fossils are found in the rock and in concretions; hiking steep inclines is required. Where subdivision construction is in progress, lower down, fossils can be collected on newly excavated flat lots and in debris piles beside newly paved streets with ample parking. The matrix is black shale, ranging from very hard to extremely friable. Preservation of shell is typically black in colour. Fossils at this locality are characteristic of the older part of the Haslam, including the typical ammonites (Haeuriceras, Eupachydiscus, and the heteromorphs Eubostrychoceras and Glyptoxoceras). A wide variety of clams and snails can also be found. Along with the more standard fare, the exposures here have yielded some rarities, such as the crinoids Uintacrinus and the spiny ammonite Urakawites, which are unknown from most other Haslam localities. In 2021 an impression of Pseudoxybeleceras was collected, which is pending donation to the Royal BC Museum. Plant material is common in some areas, mainly Metasequoia (dawn redwood); a well-preserved flowering cone collected at the site by a VicPS member, also donated to the RBCM.
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. Masking tape is useful to secure a wrapped specimen and to accept a description of where and when it was found. Wear sturdy shoes, dress for all weather (rain, wind) and bring drinking water and snacks.
RSVP: Jerri Wilkins, Field Trip Lead, via the VicPS Facebook page or via email at jlwilkins2@hotmail.com.