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VicPS field trip: Sunday, April 19, 2026

Our second fieldtrip in April will be this coming Sunday, April 19th to North West Bay just south of Parksville. An email has been sent to all paid members with details of the site that are relevant to fossil hunting.

Victoria members: meet at the Helmcken Park & Ride on the Island Highway at 8:00 AM.

Up Island members: we will rendezvous with you at the Petro Canada located at the corner of North West Bay Rd and the Island Highway by 10:00 AM for a potential beverage and bio break. We will stop in Duncan only if a carpooling meetup is requested there.

For those of you inspired to join us because of this year’s Fossil Fair: if you’ve never been out fossil hunting, please wear clothing and foot wear suitable for a day outdoors, such as if you were hiking. A rock hammer or mason’s hammer, a cold chisel/concrete chisel, leather gloves (not gardening gloves) and safety glasses will be required if you are going to remove fossils from sandstone or shale. Newspaper, masking tape and a marking pen or pencil are handy to wrap up and tag fossils that come apart as you extract them. When you RSVP, if you don’t already have the field trip email, please request the writeup on the site details.

We do have extra hammers and chisels. Annual membership dues are not required on your very first field trip with us.

The beach is suitable for children and those able to walk several kilometers on relatively flat surfaces.

Please RSVP by email to vicpalaeo@gmail.com, indicating where you will rendezvous with the group. Waivers will be signed prior to embarking to comply with insurance requirements.

NOTE:  If you accept a carpooling ride with another member, please contribute your share to the cost of gas with the driver.

VicPS field trip: Sunday, April 12, 2026

Our first fieldtrip in April will be this coming Sunday, April 12th.  An email has been sent to all paid members.

Victoria members: meet at the Helmcken Park & Ride on the Island Highway at 8:00 AM.

Up Island members: we will rendezvous with you at the Northfield Road Tim Hortons by 10 AM for a potential beverage and bio break. We will stop in Duncan only if a carpooling meetup is requested there.

The site we’ll be visiting is suitable for children and those able to walk several kilometers on relatively flat surfaces. 

NOTE:  If you accept a carpooling ride with another member, please contribute your share to the cost of gas with the driver.

Please RSVP by email to vicpalaeo@gmail.com, indicating where you will rendezvous with the group. 

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 field trip: Sunday, November 16, 2025

VicPS member John Kitson is leading this field trip. John warns that this coming weekend will likely be rainy, so dress accordingly.  Field trip details have been emailed to all VicPS members. Please RSVP, indicating at which location you wish to meet.  

For first-timers, please remember to bring a rock hammer (a regular or mason’s hammer will do), cold chisel(s) and safety glasses. You will get to learn about concretions.

VicPS field trip: Sunday, October 19, 2025

Details have now been sent to members, with the advice: bring your rain gear! 

When: 8:00AM, Sunday, October 19, 2025

Travel: Victoria members meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 8AM to
arrange carpooling. ‘Up Islanders’ meet at Old Farm Market south of
Duncan at 9AM. Nanaimo folks meet us onsite.

Please RSVP to vicpalaeo@gmail.com and indicate which meeting place you’ve chosen.

VicPS field trip: Sunday, September 21, 2025

Members should check their email to find details for our fieldtrip this weekend. Please note the early start time (7:50AM) if you are leaving from Helmcken Park & Ride in Victoria. 

We will rendezvous with up island members at the Co-op at 4A Alberni Highway at 10:00AM.  We will make a special stop in Duncan if anyone wants to carpool from there. 

VIPS members welcome to join us. Please RSVP at vicpalaeo@gmail.com.

VicPS field trip: Sunday, July 20, 2025

The VicPS fieldtrip this month will be to the lovely Chemainus River.  The site requires a 15-minute walk on a gentle to moderate grade from the parking lot to the river, the ability to traverse a rocky riverbank, and it’s possible you may want to wade across the slippery rocks of the river to the other side.  It is appropriate for families, and children old enough to be around the river.  All children must be in the company of an adult. 

Expect beautiful views, wet feet and a high probability of finding specimens. Sunday is forecast to be a bit cooler than mid-week, but do bring and use sunscreen.

Details are in the email that each member should have received; contact Jerri Wilkins if you have not received the email.  Please RSVP.

    VicPS field trip: Sunday, May 18, 2025

    The VicPS fieldtrip this month will be close to Victoria: on the Saanich Peninsula. Paid members will have received details concerning the field trip as an email.

    Please follow the emailed instructions and RSVP your intention to participate.

    VicPS now has 40 members, the largest membership in the history of VicPS!  

    Local April 2025 VicPS Events

    With no speaker scheduled for the April 9th meeting, our President will report out on recent activities – we did just host a Fossil Fair! – and catch us all up, as well as introduce new members to our Society. 

    The meeting link will be sent via separate email to paid members. 

    We are in the final stages of determining which workshop will take place on April 12th, and details of the April 20th fieldtrip will be circulated a week in advance. Look to your email for further details.