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Alberta Palaeontological Society meeting, Friday, Feb. 16, 6:30 pm PST

Please look for the virtual meeting connection details in the email to all VicPS members.

The Alberta Palaeontological Society has invited us to their next meeting.

We have two keynote presenters this month, the first is S. Amber Whitebone, MSc, PhD Candidate, University of New England. The title of her presentation is “Bone Cells to Big Dinos: Using Liquid Crystal Polarimetry as a New Tool to Learn about Fossil Vertebrates”. I have attached her abstract and biography. [below]

Our second presenter is Dr. Nicolás E. Campione MSc PhD, University of New England. The title of his presentation is “They come from the land down under: Australian Mesozoic dinosaurs”. [see abstract below]

Depending on the volume of questions that we get for each speaker, the meeting may run 15 minutes longer than usual. 

APS-2024-SA-Whitebone-AbstractDownload
Dr-Campione-Abstract-February-2024Download

VicPS field trip: Sunday, January 21, 2024: Possible changes due to weather

The present snowy conditions at certain places up island may cause the field trip plan to change. Please ensure you check for emailed updates about the field trip before you set off to join us on Sunday morning.

When:9 AM, Sunday, January 21st, 2024
Travel:Meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 9 AM to arrange carpooling.
Where:Paid members will please check their email for more details.
Equipment:Hammer large enough to break concretions, chisel, wrapping paper, masking tape, marker, GPS and notebook for recording details.

Bring lunch, water, snacks, dress for changes in weather and wear
shoes appropriate for gravel, rock and slopes.

VicPS November Meeting: Tuesday, Jan 16th, 2024 @ 7 pm: VIRTUAL ONLY

The January 2024 VicPS meeting will be virtual only. Zoom participation details have been sent to VicPS members in an email.

The in-person meeting at UpTown Shopping Centre has been cancelled due to a threat of snow.

The topic for the evening is Baja B.C. Revisited, a one-hour segment of video from a 26-part series on the latest research into the origin of the Nanaimo Group/Nanaimo Basin. The series was recorded and aired in 2022/23 by University of Washington professor  Nick Zentner.  The 26-part series covers 4 different hypotheses for the origin of the Nanaimo Basin, interviewing a variety of experts conducting the research.  This series became of interest afte Dr. Shahin Dashtgard’s 2022 presentation to VicPS regarding the challenges of interpreting the Nanaimo Group.

Other upcoming events may be discussed, as time and interest allow:

  • January 21st field trip
  • February 7th AGM, at which we need a new volunteer to take over the Treasurer role from our long-serving member Scott MacPhail (and thank you Scott!)

Welcome to 2024 and another year of exploring Vancouver Island.

 

New VicPS Calendar

Our website now has a page that shows the Google calendar for the vicpalaeo@gmail.com account that our president generally uses to communicate by email with members. All those events that we’re being notifed about can be found listed there. Note that field trips will continue to lack info about where we’re going; look to your email for those details as the field trip date approaches.

From the top level menu, Events->Calendar of Events should get you to https://vicpalaeo.org/events/.

AB Paleo Society Presentation: Friday, January 19, 2024 @ 6:30 pm PST

VicPS members have been graciously forwarded the Zoom meeting details to attend the AB Paleo Society presentation by Kathleen Rust, titled, “Reading the Fossil Record: how fossils from China reveal the origin and evolutionary history of the last primate in North American before the arrival of humans.” 

The presentation abstract and a short bio for Kathleen rust are presented here. Look to your email from vicpaleo@gmail.com for details as to how to attend. 

Kathleen Rust Abstract Biography January 19 2024Download

VicPS AGM: Feb 7, 2024

Please make plans to attend our annual general meeting (AGM), at which time paid members can elect the next board of directors.

What: Annual General Meeting
When: Wednesday, Feb 7, 2024, time TBD once Zoom meeting is booked
Where: Virtual Meeting via Zoom

SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR TREASURER:

Long serving member and volunteer Scott MacPhail would like to take a well-earned break from the role of Treasurer. We are looking for nominations for this role. The work of our Treasurer involves:

  • Accepting/depositing annual member dues
  • Maintaining the membership list
  • Providing an update of accounts at quarterly board meetings
  • Submitting annual paperwork as required for registered societies

If you are interested to apply your administrative skills, or learning some new ones, please put your name forward. Experience is not necessary, as Scott will guide you and continue to be available for advice.

ANNUAL DUES:

Part of the VicPS $30 annual dues go to the BCPA for services like the newsletter and maintaining the BCPA website. It’s important for us all to pay our annual dues for 2024 by January 31st so that Scott may cut a cheque to the BCPA in advance of its AGM later in February.  Please renew your annual dues by January 31st at the latest by:

e-transfer to Scott MacPhail at scott_macphail@telus.net or by mailing a cheque to:

Treasurer
Victoria Palaeontology Society
1504 Shorncliffe Road
Victoria, BC Canada
V8P 2T4

VanPS meeting Dec 13: World Tour of “Dinosaur, The Greatest Show Unearthed”

The next VanPS meeting is on Wednesday, December 13 at 6:30 pm at the Burnaby Public Library at Metrotown.

Perry Poon will present, “The Dinosaur World Tour.  The Greatest Show Unearthed” (1993 and 1995).

The Dinosaur World Tour began in Edmonton, Alberta, and the exhibit was titled, “The Greatest Show Unearthed”.

Dinosaur, Greatest Show on Earth

The exhibits were the scientific results from excavations by a group of Canadian and Chinese paleontologists from the Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, Ontario), Institute of Vertebrate and Paleoanthropology (Beijing, China), and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Drumheller, Alberta) working in the field in the Gobi Desert, Northern China; Canadian Arctic, Baffin Island; and Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta.

The key researchers were Dr. Dale Russell (Curator of Fossil Vertebrates at the Canadian Museum of Nature), Professor Dong Zhiming (Institute of Vertebrate and Paleoanthropology), Professor Zhao Xijin, and Dr. Philip Currie (Head of Dinosaur Research, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleaontology).

This presentation shows some of the dinosaurs and discoveries from China, Alberta, and the High Arctic that were seen in the exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta (1993) and Vancouver (1995).

This presentation will be a physical meeting and a Zoom meeting. Zoom participation details will be forwarded to paid VicPS members before the meeting as soon as they become available.

Alberta Palaeontology Meeting speaker: Dr. Hallie Street will present “More than Monsters: Mesozoic marine reptiles”

BCPA member organizations’ members – including VicPS – have been invited to the Alberta Palaeontology meeting on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm MST (6:30 pm Pacific Standard Time) to hear Dr. Hallie Street present “More than Monsters: Mesozoic marine reptiles”.

Subject abstract and Zoom meeting details have been sent to all VicPS members. Please contact vicpalaeo@gmail.com in case you’ve lost that email or are about to join our ranks.

image courtesy linkedin

 

VicPS November Meeting: Tuesday, Nov 14th, 7:30 pm

The November VicPS meeting will be in person and virtual; Zoom participation details have been sent to VicPS members in an email.

For those joining in person, the meeting is:

The Community Room entrance is in the Uptown Shopping Centre parking garage (easy access) on Level 1 (Green).  If you’ve ever parked under WalMart and taken the escalator up, the room is to your right at the top of the escalator. If you’re facing the Walmart entrance (about to enter the store), turn left, and at the top of the escalator, turn left. The room is directly ahead.

VicPS president Jerri Wilkins writes: The meeting topic “will be a pictorial walk through of the RBCM’s current exhibits (Sue the T. Rex and Dinos of BC).  Both exhibits sparked a lot of questions for me about what we find (and don’t find) here on the island.  I’m very curious to hear what you see, as we do a virtual walk-though.”

“We will also have A SHOW AND TELL of specimens from the recent field trip to Boomerang Lake. Thank you, Andrew Fidell, for an enjoyable experience, and the bonus side-trip to Qualicum Beach to take in a public presentation on cephalopods by Graham Beard! That bit of serendipity was absolutely fabulous! I was too engaged to take many photos, but I will talk about it!”

“As usual, anyone in the BCPA family is welcome to join our meeting.”

BCPA family members not in VicPS: send an email to request the Zoom details.