A fossil discovery in the Comox Valley of British Columbia in 1988 dramatically altered the understanding of paleontology in the province, inspiring both amateur and professional paleontologists and ultimately leading to new fossil management policies. The initial find, made by amateur fossil hunter Mike Trask, was identified as belonging to an elasmosaur – a marine reptile resembling the Loch Ness monster – and was the first of its kind discovered west of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
The story began in late autumn of , when Richard Hebda, then head of botany at the Royal BC Museum, visited Trask’s home following a report of a potential fossil find on the Puntledge River. Hebda, recalling a previous false alarm involving purported dinosaur ribs that turned out to be dirt bike tracks, initially approached the situation with caution. However, Trask presented a series of grey, tubular rocks – fossil vertebrae – that quickly proved to be significant.
Trask had unearthed the vertebrae while fossil hunting with his 13-year-old daughter, Heather, on the Puntledge River. At the time, Hebda was unaware of any significant vertebrate fossils having been found on Vancouver Island. He subsequently passed the bones along to Betsy Nicholls, a paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and an expert on marine reptiles. Nicholls immediately recognized the fossils as belonging to an elasmosaur, a creature that swam in the oceans during the late Cretaceous period, approximately years ago.
Recognizing the importance of a complete specimen, Trask, with the assistance of invertebrate paleontologist Rolf Ludvigson, initiated a plan to locate and excavate the remaining bones. In , the Courtenay and District Museum advertised for 20 volunteers to participate in a paleontological excavation. More than 50 volunteers responded and over three months, the team excavated approximately 100 cubic meters of earth from the site along the Puntledge River, ultimately uncovering nearly the complete specimen.
The discovery spurred significant local interest in paleontology. Trask began teaching a course on local paleontology and geology at North Island College, drawing on his lifelong passion for collecting and his background as an engineering surveyor for the Ministry of Highways. During a field trip with his students, radiologist Joe Zanbilowicz discovered additional bones, leading to the identification of a second marine reptile.
This second find prompted the formation of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society in , the first paleontological society in British Columbia. The society quickly grew to include over 160 members, both local and from other regions of the province. To facilitate information sharing, the society’s board encouraged a regional approach, leading to the establishment of similar societies in Victoria, Vancouver, and Qualicum Beach.
This network of societies ultimately led to the creation of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, an umbrella organization designed to foster collaboration between professional paleontologists, such as those at the Royal BC Museum and Jim Haggart of the Geological Survey of Canada, and amateur collectors – often referred to as citizen scientists. One of the alliance’s first initiatives was the development of a code of ethics and policies regarding fossil collecting.
A key policy championed by the alliance was the prohibition of the commercial sale of B.C. Fossils. Prior to this, commercial collectors had been removing large slabs of fossilized fish from areas like Tumbler Ridge, sometimes utilizing helicopters to transport their finds. Trask himself understood the importance of preserving fossils for scientific study, a value instilled in him by his geography and biology teachers during his youth.
Over a 20-year period, the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance advocated for a provincial fossil management framework. Their efforts culminated in the adoption of fossil management policies by the province in , which prohibit the removal and sale of fossils from B.C. Collectors are now considered “caretakers, not owners” of the fossils they find.
Since Trask’s initial discovery, hundreds of new fossil genera and species have been identified across the province. The mosasaur discovered by Zanbilowicz was described by Nicholls as Kourisodon puntledgensis, a new genus and species characterized by its unique, razor-blade-like teeth. Several Comox Valley fossil hunters have also had fossil taxa named in their honor, including Dan Bowen, after whom Cretalamoha boweni, a crab species, was named.
In , the province officially designated Trask’s elasmosaur as the provincial fossil, alongside other symbols like the Pacific dogwood and spirit bear. However, describing Trask’s elasmosaur proved challenging due to its poor preservation. It wasn’t until the discovery of a second elasmosaur specimen, by Trask’s twin brother Pat Trask, that paleontologist Robin O’Keefe was able to formally name the new genus and species.
In spring of , O’Keefe named it Traskasaura sandrae, honoring Mike, Heather, and Pat Trask. Trask passed away peacefully at home just two weeks after learning of the honor. Richard Hebda described Trask as the embodiment of the citizen scientist, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and the contributions that can be made by individuals outside of formal institutions. The legacy of Mike Trask, and the collaborative spirit fostered by the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, continues to shape paleontology in British Columbia.
