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Category: Meetings

VicPS meeting: Tuesday, May 19, 2026

The VicPS May monthly meeting will be held on the evening of Tuesday, May 19. Our Zoom meetings are open to the public; please share this info and link with your friends:

Speaker:  Edward Davies, Branta Biostratigraphy Ltd.

Photo Credit:  Ed Davies with old bison bones found at the excavation site for a new Nigel House near Saanich Municipal Hall, November 2022. Photo by ADRIAN LAM /TIMES COLONIST.

Topic: Fossil Assessments and Recoveries During 15 Years of Consulting on Major BC Development Projects

Time: May 19, 2026, 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81587554448?pwd=X25mPhaumv163NT1nstmyOV6xGwr0S.1

Meeting ID: 815 8755 4448 Passcode: 325872

Since 2009, Branta Biostratigraphy has been engaged in the paleontological assessments of numerous industrial development projects across British Columbia, including electrical dam and transmission lines, pipelines, aggregate, gold and copper mines and urban development.

Through it all, numerous fossil sites have been discovered and investigated, and where appropriate, an extraordinary number of fossils have been recovered.  All of these have been documented and located as precisely as possible and subsequently deposited at the RBCM.

One of the most interesting aspects of this is the diversity of forms encountered over a broad range of ages and terrains. From Ordovician to Triassic, Jurassic through the Cretaceous, Eocene, Pleistocene and Holocene. Marine invertebrate faunas including giant clams, large and small ammonites of all life stages, trace fossils, insects often displayed in beautiful fossil-scapes.  Also, vertebrates including whole fish skeletons, dinosaur traces, marine reptile bones, bird bones, mammal bones including muskrat, mammoth, deer, bison, elk, and ground sloth.  

Exquisite plant fossils were especially prominent in new Eocene and Pleistocene deposits, with a variety of leaves, flowers and seeds, opalized tree trunks and in situ stumps sometimes thought of as our “glass forests’.  The variety and beauty of fossils to be found in BC seems to have only scratched the surface.

We look forward to Edward’s at this meeting.

May 2026 Activities

May is planned to be quite busy for VicPS activities. Please update your calendar for the events that fit your schedule and interests, or add the vicpalaeo@gmail.com calendar to yours from here.

Please note the change in date of our monthly meeting moved to Tuesday, May 19 from May 13 to accommodate our speaker.

Also note that BC Wildfire Service is predicting a dry and active season, which may impact access to some of our sites.  At the time of this post, there are already (thankfully under control) wildfires near Bowser and Ladysmith. We will monitor conditions as event dates approach.

May 3

On a fieldtrip to Cowichan Head (Island View Beach), we examined what the winter managed to wash from the cliffs. Fieldtrip leader was Jerri Wilkins. 

Dashwood Drift underlying the Capilano sediments.

Sunday, May 17

Off to the Sooke area to take advantage of a negative tide. 7:30 AM start. Fieldtrip leader, John Kitson.

Tuesday, May 19

Monthly meeting, where we welcome our host, Edward Davies, Branta Biostratigraphy Ltd., to share the types of materials emerging through fossil recovery in various regionals of BC. 7:30 PM start.

Sunday, May 31

Fieldtrip up island to a site that is accessible via logging roads and fire gates, so there is always a chance of interruption from this year’s early fire season. If all goes well, it’s a 9 AM start. Fieldtrip leader, John Kitson.

Notable Fossil Find

Congratulations to John Kitson for the ammonoid found at the Nanaimo motocross site during the April 12 fieldtrip.  It may be a juvenile Eutrephoceras, which are uncommon anywhere in the Nanaimo Group. The well-preserved specimen is currently with Dr. Jim Haggart, Geological Survey of Canada, for examination.

We look forward to seeing you in May.

VicPS AGM: Wednesday, Feb. 4 @ 7 pm PST

Membership in the Victoria Palaeontology Society secures your vote at the Annual General Meeting next Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7 pm PST. As of today, we have 37 members, four of whom are new.

Why Dinosaurs?

A reminder that ‘Why Dinosaurs?’, a 1h 17m documentary with contributions from our very own Marji Johns and Gary Kaiser, is now available worldwide on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfSIU2c9GRU. This is an award-winning, labour-of-love documentary made by a father and son obsessed with dinosaurs, who roam the scientific world simply to satiate their curiosity – which makes it a very engaging show!  Gary and Marji are interviewed near the end. 

February Fieldtrip

A reminder that the first fieldtrip of the year is Sunday, February 8.  As usual, details and logistics will be circulated a week or so in advance and your RSVP will be sought as we arrange carpooling from the Helmcken Park & Ride on the Island Highway in Victoria, or alternative spots for those living north of the Malahat. Watch for the email.

February Meeting

Members will have received an email with materials relevant to the meeting on Wednesday evening, Feb 4, at 7:00pm PST. It will be IN PERSON and VIRTUAL.  Note the early start time of 7:00pm PST.  This is to ensure we have ample time for the presentation and the AGM.  

As usual, the first part of the meeting (7:00-8:00pm) will be a pictorial ‘2025 Year in Review’ covering fieldtrips, discoveries, events and public displays, with time for questions and dialogue. For those of you who attended the September meeting, it will be a bit of a repeat, with info from the final four months of the year added.  For new members, this will provide a very comprehensive overview of who we are and what we do. All BCPA members are welcome to join this part of the meeting.

The second part of the meeting (8:15-9:00pm) will be our official Annual General Meeting.  This is for members only, and BCPA executive members are welcome to observe.  All current board members have indicated their willingness to continue for another year and no new names have been put forward to date. If you’re new to the Society, the AGM will make it clear how your $30 annual dues and vote contribute to the advancement of paleontology in BC.

Meeting Access:

Look to your email for the meeting connection information. See you then!

VicPS Chair’s Message to Start 2026

Happy New Year Everyone!

Welcome to 2026!  Attached is the VicPS schedule of events for 2026.  

FIELDTRIPS:

This year, we’re doubling up on fieldtrips, with twice as many on the roster compared to last year. Thanks to John Kitson for committing to these extra trips.

For those new to VicPS, fieldtrips are on Sundays (less traffic) and the time indicates when we leave/return to the Helmcken Park & Ride on the Island Highway.  For those without vehicles, we arrange carpooling from the park & ride, which is accessible via transit.

Fieldtrip locations are chosen based on tides and river levels, with beach visits generally April thru July and river sites generally June thru Sept. Higher elevation sites are reserved for months when weather and tides are not favourable. We usually take a hiatus from fieldtrips in Dec/Jan. 

Fieldtrip dates, times and locations are subject to change based on weather and times; logistics, along with site details, are confirmed via email in advance of each trip. Fieldtrip invitations & details are sent only to those who have renewed their annual dues by the January 31st deadline (details below).

MONTHLY MEETINGS:

Monthly meetings are generally the second Tuesday of the month, with hiatus in the summer during peak fieldtrip season. Monthly meetings are subject to cancellation if we do not have a speaker or a topic of interest to discuss. 

Last year we had a wonderful run of workshops, thanks to leaders Marji Johns and Thor Henrich, and those continue to be a possibility if other leaders step forward.

PUBLIC DISPLAYS:

The annual Fossil Fair to display our fossil collections for the public will take place at Tillicum Mall for the second year in a row. More details on that leading up to March break, but please consider booking a table and displaying your material to augment the fair, or volunteer to run an activity.  We have microscopes for a cool microfossil display but haven’t been able to do that in a few years, so the more volunteers we have, the more creative things we can do to show the public the cool history below BC!

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES:

It really helps with administration when dues are paid by the JANUARY 31st deadline, as our Society is required to remit a portion of dues to the BC Paleontological Alliance in early February.  I thank you in advance, and note that dues can be paid by e-transfer to victoria.palaeontology.society@gmail.com, or by cheque to: 

Treasurer
Victoria Palaeontology Society
4034 Hessington Place
Victoria, BC, V8N 5C6

On February 15th, names of those who have not renewed membership for 2026 will be removed from the distribution list, and access to the resources in the member’s area of the BCPA website will cease.  A few reminders will be sent throughout the month, for your convenience.

We look forward to what the earth will reveal to us in 2026!

(VicPS Chair) Jerri Wilkins

VicPS meeting: Thursday, Nov. 27, 7 pm

Monthly Meeting Topic: ‘Finding Footprints:  They Are Out There!’

Please note that the monthly meeting that had been scheduled for November 12 has been moved to November 27 to accommodate our speaker’s schedule. This meeting will be online only. VicPS members will receive connect instructions by email.

Footprints of dinosaurs and other ancient creatures are being discovered elsewhere in BC, so why not at our usual sites here on the Island?  What do we look for, and how do we know these traces when we find them? 

Please join us online Thursday, November 27 when special guest Elaude Koenig MSc Student, UVic School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, will help us to begin our journey to understand, appreciate (and maybe even find!) these traces of ancient life. Every journey begins with a single step; we look forward to Elaude helping us take ours! 

An example of tracks that are “out there”, as captured by a Facebook user here https://www.facebook.com/groups/745744520563481/posts/1306392691165325/ in September of 2025.

Going forward, VicPS plans to return to in-person meetings resuming in January (as we usually do not have a December meeting).

Dr. Melina Jobbins speaks on Placoderm Fishes, Nov. 26, 7 pm

The Vancouver Paleontological Society has invited us to attend a virtual presentation by Dr. Melina Jobbins, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Palaeobology at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Jobbins, originally from France, has spent her academic career in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Canada.
Her research focuses on the Placoderm Fishes, some of our oldest bony ancestors. These ancient fish provide insights into our understanding of the origins of jaws, teeth, bone and other vertebrate structures.

Further details are available on the Vancouver Paleontological Society’s website.

Topic: Dr. Melina Jobbins speaks on Placoderm Fishes
When: Nov 26, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
Https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84187022894?pwd=cfhafVtL6CVIkh6ZIxxKjZ1OsL4hRB.1
Meeting ID: 841 8702 2894
Passcode: 776834

VicPS meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 8, 7:30 – 9 pm

At this next meeting, our VicPS vice-chair Sandy M. S. McLachlan will speak to his paper “Additions and revisions to the inflated Pachydiscidae from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) strata of Denman and Hornby islands, British Columbia, Canada; taxonomic implications and insights into mode of life.”

Sandy’s pachydiscid study, published in Journal of Paleontology, 1–2,  is open access and can be read at: https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2025.10105.  An introductory guide to ammonite terminology (in final draft) will be shared prior to the Oct. 8th presentation to assist newer members with scientific terminology.

This paper, which is a study of a group of conservative ammonites from the Late Cretaceous that lived approximately 90–66 million years ago, allows for greater refinement of age placement and paleoecological interpretations. Over 100 specimens were examined from the Nanaimo Group rocks among the Gulf Islands of southern British Columbia in the eastern North Pacific. A reappraisal of this group addresses the range of variation within several forms, proposes a consistent framework of diagnostic characters, and sees the erection of a new species with description of the full development from juvenile to adult. Exclusive death assemblages of the new species support the inference of a gregarious mode of early life.

The meeting is in-person and on-line.

Physical Address: 

Branta Biostratigraphy Ltd. (office of Ed Davies, Paleontologist and VicPS member)

2680 Seaview Road, Victoria, BC.

Park in the driveway, or on street if driveway is full.

Online Access (open to the public): 

Zoom (7:30PM PDT)

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88390132369?pwd=0SxRq94aGGWp7mlxxZdhvq9PwwGxac.1

Meeting ID: 883 9013 2369

Passcode: 413249

September 10 Meeting Highlights

Some notes from the Sept 10th VicPS meeting held at the office of Edward Davies, Branta Biostratigraphy Ltd.

This unusual find from the motocross site in Nanaimo is about the size, shape, and texture of a fish jaw (unconfirmed). Congratulations to the member who found this unusual specimen!

Another noteworthy find from that location is the crab Bicornis-ranina bocki, named in 2008 by Torrey Nyborg and John Fam (in honour of Nanaimo collector Peter Bock). Previously described from Northwest Bay locality and Inland Island Highway roadcut near Courtenay, this is perhaps the third known example from the motocross site in Nanaimo, which is older in age than the exposures at Northwest Bay. Again, congratulations to the member who found this well-preserved specimen.

Speaking of crabs, congratulations to Caleb Cliffold-Hoyle, who found this raninid specimen (below) at Northwest Bay. The specimen is thought to be a Joerinina (platys?). We will know for sure soon; this specimen is currently under study by Torrey Nyborg and John Fam and will contribute to a pending paper.  It’s wonderful when our discoveries have an immediate and direct impact on science and research!

Be on the look-out for scallop shells about a size of a fingernail. The one pictured here was found at Chemainus River in 2023 during the 14th BCPA Symposium fieldtrip. BCPA member Raymond Graham is seeking photos and locality information for these specimens, which are similar to ones found in Northern California described as belonging to Propeamussium (Parvamusseum)spp.by Sundberg in 1989. If you are not familiar with Raymond, reach out to me, and I’ll put you in touch with him. 

Some topics suggested for upcoming meetings include geology of different regions on the Island, biostratigraphic use of fossils, evolution of paleontology, and mollusc terminology. VicPS member Sandy McLachlan will give a talk in October about inflated ammonites from the upper Nanaimo Group rocks. Stay tuned for more information.

    VicPS Quarterly Executive Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

    At this VicPS Quarterly Executive Meeting, your Society executive do the EXCITING work required to operate VicPS: manage the money, decide where to focus our energies for the coming year in ways they support the Society mandate, etc.

    For full transparency, these meetings are open to any Society member who wants to attend and observe.  A reminder notice will be sent in advance, and notes are shared with members following the meeting.

    APS presentation: Friday, Sept. 19, 6:30 PST

    On Friday, September 19th, at 7:30PM (Mountain Standard Time) or 6:30 PM PST, the Alberta Palaeontology Society has invited us to their presentation by Dr. Jessica Theodor entitled:  ‘New Species found at the John Day Fossil Beds’.    

    John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in eastern Oregon preserves an amazing and colourful sequence of interbedded volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, with dramatic stratigraphy including flood basalts. The fossils preserved there range from the middle Eocene rainforest faunas and floras of the Clarno Formation Nut Beds (44 Ma) and the Hancock Mammal Quarry (40 Ma), the Bridge Creek Flora (33 Ma) and the Turtle Cove Unit of the John Day Formation (29 Ma), the Mascall Assemblage (15 Ma) and the Rattlesnake Assemblage (7 Ma).

    Recent work in the Turtle Cove Unit has yielded remains of two enigmatic insectivorous mammals, Cryptoryctes and Micropternodus.

    https://albertapaleo.org/events

    ZOOM LINK:

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84197949921?pwd=IGD8LCDlri68xD6dWqr0TbK30BDXlV.1

    Meeting ID: 841 9794 9921
    Passcode: 507378
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