A brief history of the Vancouver Paleontological Society
In the early 1990s, a group of people interested in paleontology and fossil collecting gathered to discuss forming a paleontological society for like-minded individuals. One of those people was Bruce Archibald (present curator of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum) who was instrumental in getting the ball rolling. The first official meeting was held on January 31, 1994, at the M.Y. Williams Geology Museum (now the Pacific Museum of the Earth) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The fledgling society had its name, the Vancouver Paleontological Society (VanPS), officially approved in April 1994 and became a registered society.
The society’s mandate was and continues to be:
- to bring together amateur and professional paleontologists who share a common interest in fossils
- to promote public awareness of our fossil heritage, especially British Columbia’s rich fossil record
- to promote safe and responsible fossil collecting
- to provide educational information about ancient life through field trips, presentations, and displays
VanPS Speaker Series
Over the years, the VanPS has invited many guest speakers to give presentations on various paleontology related topics. Our first guest speaker in 1994 was Canadian paleontologist Rolf Ludvigsen. Rolf was instrumental in establishing the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, of which the VanPS is a member society. Rolf was editor of the book “Life in Stone: A Natural History of British Columbia’s Fossils” and co-author of “West Coast Fossils: A Guide to the Ancient Life of Vancouver Island”. The VanPS continues to invite professional paleontologists, members of the VanPS, geologists, and amateur paleontologists (citizen scientists) from British Columbia, elsewhere in Canada, and other countries around the world to carry on this important tradition. These presentations are live streamed to reach a wider audience around the world
VanPS Field Trips
Field trips are an important part of what the VanPS does. Our first field trip was to an Eocene (45 to 50 million years old) site of the Chuckanut Formation near Bellingham in Washington State. Field trips are an opportunity for members (both new and seasoned collectors) to experience the thrill of unearthing fossils from a wide time range at localities around British Columbia and Washington State. We continue to schedule a number of field trips every year to places like Ashcroft (Triassic/Jurassic), Cranbrook (Cambrian), Kitsilano Beach (Paleocene), Harrison Lake (Jurassic/Cretaceous), and Princeton (Eocene), among others. We have also organized field trips to the Geological Survey of Canada, Beaty Museum of Biodiversity, Western Washington University, Burke Museum, and the Cranbrook Museum.
British Columbia Paleontological Symposium
The VanPS, as part of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA), hosted the 2nd British Columbia Paleontological Symposium in May, 1997. The symposium included numerous presentations, poster displays, and a field trip to the Eocene lake beds at Coalmont Bluff (Thomas Ranch) near Princeton, BC. Since then, the society has alternated with the other paleontological societies in the province to host the BCPA symposium, which usually takes place every two years. The VanPS also hosted the 13th BCPA symposium in 2021 and will host the 16th BCPA Symposium in 2027. For more information about the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, please go to https://bcpaleontology.ca/
Educational Displays
In 1999 and 2000, the VanPS was asked to do fossil displays at Science World and the Richmond Nature Park. This led the VanPS to the educational component of our goals, to promote public awareness of our fossil heritage and provide educational information about ancient life. Today, the club continues public education with fossil displays at the annual BC Rock and Gem show in Chilliwack held each spring.
Membership
The VanPS has had many members over the past three decades and our membership has gone through a number of ups and downs. However, recent years have seen a significant growth in membership with the majority of members coming from all over British Columbia, Washington State and Oregon. This is mainly due to having field trips and collaborations with other collectors, citizen scientists, and academic researchers.