You can find them chasing the tides in and out, repelling down mountainsides, jumping into helicopters to head up to elevations of 9,000 feet where it freezes every night in August, and standing at the sidelines of road construction sites waiting for the equipment to stop so they can rush in and do their jobs before its too late. It’s all part of the adventure for paleontologists – both amateur and professional.
From May 18th to 21st the Comox Valley will welcome these ‘fossil hunters’ to the 7th Paleontological Symposium of BC. The symposium will be held at North Island College’s Comox Valley Campus who is co-sponsoring the event.
There is no doubt that Paleontology is alive and well in BC and in the Comox Valley with our own Elasmosaur fossil find by Mike Trask in 1988 the community has never stopped seeking finds. More fossil flora and fauna is being discovered every day and the symposium is a wonderful opportunity to get involved, informed and invigorated.
The Comox Valley was site to the very first Paleontological Symposium in BC 12 years and six symposiums ago. The event, offered every two years, attracting professional and amateur paleontologists from all over North America.
VIPS the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society is hosting this year’s symposium. The keynote speaker is Dr. Ryosuke Motani, world authority and researcher of ichthyosaurs. Fifteen speakers from BC, Alberta and Washington will be making presentations at NIC’s Stan Hagen Theatre. There will be three field trips to local fossil sites, a Paleo-Art show, a banquet dinner and workshops. All details on the four-five day event can be viewed at the VIPS website www.vips-fossils.com or by calling Dan Bowen at 250 -338-8978 or 250 897-5026.
Pictures:
1) Crab fossil, Longusorbis cuniculosis found at Shelter point
2) The Elasmosaur, Mural at the Courtenay and District Museum, painted by Rob Lundquist
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For further information contact:
Susan Toresdahl
Director College Relations
(250) 334-5271
Download High-Resolution Image for Print Media
(Windows compressed .zip)