The Comox Valley fossil discovery of 1988: A turning point for paleontology in British Columbia
In the autumn of 1988, a chance encounter between an amateur fossil hunter, Mike Trask, and a botanist, Richard Hebda, at the Royal BC Museum, would forever alter the course of paleontology in British Columbia. Hebda, intrigued by a peculiar find on the Puntledge River, discovered a string of fossil vertebrae, a large animal's remains, with Trask. This discovery, the first of its kind west of the Canadian Rockies, sparked a passion for paleontology among the local community, leading to the establishment of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society and the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance.
The Comox Valley-based discovery, an elasmosaur, a marine reptile from the late Cretaceous period, was a significant find. It inspired a wave of amateur paleontologists, who made hundreds of new discoveries, and led to the creation of the first paleontological society in the province. The alliance between professional paleontologists and citizen scientists, fostered by Trask's enthusiasm, has since transformed British Columbia into a hub of paleontological research.
The impact of Trask's discovery extended beyond the scientific community. It led to the implementation of a provincial fossil management framework, prohibiting the commercial sale of fossils and ensuring their preservation for scientific study. This framework has resulted in the naming of numerous species after Comox Valley fossil hunters, including the species Cretalamoha boweni, named after Dan Bowen, and the naming of Trask's elasmosaur as the provincial fossil in 2023.
Mike Trask's legacy as a citizen scientist, his curiosity, and his contributions to the field of paleontology in British Columbia will be remembered and celebrated. His discovery, along with the efforts of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, has brought British Columbia to the forefront of paleontological research, with new species and genera being discovered and named, enriching our understanding of the past.
