How a Comox Valley Fossil Discovery Forever Changed British Columbia's Paleontology
In late autumn 1988, Richard Hebda, then head of botany at the Royal BC Museum, received a call about dinosaur ribs in a dry creek bed near Chemainus. But this time, it was different. Hebda was informed about an amateur fossil hunter, Mike Trask, who had discovered something extraordinary on the Puntledge River.
When Hebda met Trask, he was initially skeptical, having previously encountered a false lead involving dirtbike tracks. However, Trask's discovery would prove to be a game-changer.
In Trask's living room, Hebda examined a string of grey tubular rocks, confirming Trask's suspicions that they were fossil vertebrae from a large animal. This find was groundbreaking, as no significant vertebrates had been discovered on Vancouver Island before.
The specimen, later identified as an elasmosaur, a marine reptile from the late Cretaceous period, was the first of its kind found west of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Trask's discovery inspired a wave of amateur paleontologists, leading to hundreds of new findings and the establishment of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society, with over 100 members.
The impact of Trask's find extended beyond the Comox Valley. It sparked a collaboration between professional paleontologists and amateur collectors, resulting in the formation of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance. This alliance aimed to develop policies and regulations for fossil collecting, including a code of ethics, and to stop the commercial sale of B.C. fossils.
Trask's legacy is a testament to the power of citizen science. His discovery and subsequent efforts to protect and study fossils have contributed significantly to paleontology in B.C. The province has seen a surge in fossil discoveries, with new genera and species being named, thanks to the dedication of amateur collectors like Trask.
In 2023, the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance's decades-long initiative culminated in the designation of Trask's elasmosaur as the provincial fossil, alongside other symbols like the Pacific dogwood and spirit bear. This recognition highlights the importance of Trask's discovery and the ongoing contributions of citizen scientists to the field of paleontology.
