AMMONITE COQUINA

MORNING STROLL: COAST OF ENGLAND

FALCONRY HOODS

WEE FRIEND

URSAVUS: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Mid-way through a paddling trip in the beautiful Bowron lake Circuit, we reach the end of Babcock Lake and prepare for our next portage. Philip and I are photo bugs and I get my camera out to take advantage of the angle of the sun and the eroded rounded hilltops of the Quesnel Highlands that stand as backdrop. Looking around for material to shoot, Leanne pipes up and says she can see a moose a little ways off and that it appeared to be heading our way. Yes, heading our way quickly with a baby moose in tow. I lift my lens to immortalize the moment.... We three realized the moose are heading our way in double time because they are being chased by a grizzly at top speed.

"Grizzly!" The three of us gather together to prepare for what is racing towards us.

A full-grown moose can run up to fifty-six kilometres per hour, slightly faster than a Grizzly. They are also strong swimmers. Had she been alone, Mamma moose would likely have tried to out swim the bear. Currently, however, this is not the case. From where we stand we can see the water turned to white foam at their feet as they fly towards us.

We freeze, bear spray in hand. In seconds the three were upon us. Mamma moose, using home field advantage, runs straight for us and just reaching our boats, turned 90 degrees, bolting for the woods, baby moose fast on her heels. The Grizzly, caught up in the froth of running and thrill of the kill, doesn’t notice the deke, hits the brakes at the boats and stands up, confused.

Her eyes give her away. This was not what she had planned and the whole moose-suddenly-transformed-into-human thing is giving her pause. Her head tilts back as she gets a good smell of us. Suddenly, a crack in the woods catches her attention. Her head snaps round and she drops back on all fours, beginning her chase anew. Somewhere there is a terrified mother moose and calf hoping the distance gained is enough to keep them from being lunch. I choose to believe both moose got away with the unwitting distraction we provided, but I’m certainly grateful we did.

The Lakes are at an elevation of over 900 m (3000 ft) and both grizzly and black bear sightings are common. Both bear families descend from a common ancestor, Ursavus, a bear-dog the size of a raccoon who lived more than 20 million years ago. Seems an implausible lineage having just met one of the larger descendents.While we’d grumbled only hours earlier about how tired we were feeling, we now feel quite motivated and do the next two portages and lakes in good time.

Aside from the gripping fear that another bear encounter is imminent, we enjoy the park-like setting, careful to scan the stands of birch trees for dark shapes now posing as stumps.

Fortunately, the only wildlife we see are a few wily chipmunks, various reticent warblers and some equally shy spruce grouse.

DOUBLE KEVLAR WITH SAIL

FRESH FISH CONNOISSEURS: THE AMMONITES

HORNBY ISLAND: LAMBERT FORMATION

The fossils of Hornby Island off the coast of Vancouver Island contain some of the best preserved fossils in British Columbia. Many species of ammonites (mainly Pachydiscus), crabs, bivalves, sharks teeth, echinoids, wood and bone can be found in the Cretaceous shales and concretions of the Lambert Formation at Collishaw Point

AMMONITES OF SOKOJA, MADAGASCAR

There is delightful suturing on this lovely ammonite, Holcophylloceras mediterraneum, (Neumayr 1871) from Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) deposits near Sokoja, Madagasgar.

The shells had many chambers divided by walls called septa. The chambers were connected by a tube called a siphuncle which allowed for the control of buoyancy with the hollow inner chambers of the shell acting as air tanks to help them float.

We can see the edges of this specimen's shell where it would have continued out to the last chamber, the body chamber, where the ammonite lived. Picture a squid or octopus, now add a shell and a ton of water. That's him!

They were prolific breeders that evolved rapidly. If you could cast a fishing line into our ancient seas, it is likely that you would hook an ammonite, not a fish. They were prolific back in the day, living (and sometimes dying) in schools in oceans around the globe. We find ammonite fossils (and plenty of them) in sedimentary rock from all over the world.

In some cases, we find rock beds where we can see evidence of a new species that evolved, lived and died out in such a short time span that we can walk through time, following the course of evolution using ammonites as a window into the past.

For this reason, they make excellent index fossils. An index fossil is a species that allows us to link a particular rock formation, layered in time with a particular species or genus found there. Generally, deeper is older, so we use the sedimentary layers rock to match up to specific geologic time periods, rather the way we use tree-rings to date trees. A handy way to compare fossils and date strata across the globe.

BLUE JAYS: KWASK'WAS

If you live in North American, there is a high probability that you have seen or heard the bird song of the Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758).

Blue Jays are in the family Corvidae — along with crows, ravens, rooks, magpies and jackdaws. They belong to a lineage of birds first seen in the Miocene — 25 million years ago. 

These beautifully plumed, blue, black and white birds can be found across southern Canada down to Florida. The distinctive blue you see in their feathers is a trick of the light. Their pigment, melanin, is actually a rather dull brown. The blue you see is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather as wee barbs.

Blue jays like to dine on nuts, seeds, suet, arthropods and some small vertebrates. 

If you are attempting to lure them to your yard with a bird feeder, they prefer those mounted on trays or posts versus hanging feeders. They will eat most anything you have on offer but sunflower seeds and peanuts are their favourites. 

They have a fondness for acorns and have been credited with helping expand the range of oak trees as the ice melted after the last glacial period.  

Their Binomial name, Cyanocitta cristata means, crested, blue chattering bird. I might have amended that to something less flattering, working in a Latin word or two for shrieks and screams — voce et gemitu or ululo et quiritor. While their plumage is a visual feast, their bird chatter leaves something to be desired. 

Their cries are quite helpful if you are an animal living nearby and concerned about predators. 

In the Kwak̓wala language of the Kwakiutl or Kwakwaka'wakw, speakers of Kwak'wala, of the Pacific Northwest, a Blue Jay is known as kwa̱skwa̱s. 

The Kwak’wala word for blue is dzasa and cry is ḵ̕was'id. For interest, the word for bird song in Kwak'wala is t̕sa̱sḵwana. 

GLACIALLY CARVED FJORD: SEA TO SKY

A short 90-minute drive north of the city of Vancouver, the nation's gateway to the Pacific, is a recreational Shangri-La that attracts four season adventurers from around the globe to ski, board, hike, mountain bike, kayak and climb the local peaks.

This treasure trove wilderness playground stretches along the breathtaking Sea-to-Sky Highway affording breathtaking views of the Pacific as it follows Highway 99 north out of the sparkling gem of Vancouver from Lions Bay, through Squamish and Garibaldi and into the picturesque Whistler Valley.

As you drive out of the city, look at the mountains to the north. Grouse, Cypress and Seymour mountains provide easy access skiing for the happy winter adventurer and a beautiful backdrop to the young city of Vancouver, Canada's third-largest metropolis, year-round.

While the city sits on relatively young sandstone and mudstone, the North Shore Mountains are made from granite that formed deep within the Earth more than 100 million years ago.

Following Highway 99, you’ll hug the coastline of Howe Sound, a glacially carved fiord which extends from Horseshoe Bay (20 km northwest of Vancouver) to the hamlet of Squamish. The road is perched high above the water, blasted into the rock of the steep glacial-valley slope and has been the chosen path for First Nation hunters, early explorers, the miners of the Gold Rush and now the rush of tourism.

Carved from the granitic mountainside high above Howe Sound, this scenic pathway has been a rich recreation corridor and traditional First Nation hunting ground for many years.

Steeped in a First Nations history, bountiful wildlife and gorgeous vistas, the Whistler corridor is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful spots on the globe with something for everyone.

ALPINE HOME

GREEN EYED MONSTER SERIES

GREECE

2005 BCPA SYMPOSIUM PRINCE GEORGE

KAYAK :: CANOE :: WIDGEON ESTUARY

Interested in getting out on the water? You are welcome to join us for an easy day paddle or overnight to Widgeon Estuary. The paddling is easy. You can do the trip via kayak or canoe and can stay for the night or do it as a day trip. I'll be planning to camp near the base of the trail to the falls and will likely go for three days.

From Trail Peak:

There is nothing better than to cruise flat water with rippling reflections of big snowy mountains cascading off your bow.

The estuary of Widgeon Creek at the south end of Pitt Lake at Grant Narrows is the perfect place to enjoy this sensation.

If you like quiet peaceful waterways teaming with bird life this is the place to go for the whole estuary is a protected bird sanctuary. After making the 300m crossing of Grant Narrows, expect to see tons of waterfowl and other species from herons to harlequins that make this area their habitat. You might even see a fleeting glimpse of muskrat or beaver if you are lucky.

If Widgeon Creek is high in the spring or early summer you can paddle quite a distance up under lazy overhanging branches draped in moss and lichen. Huge lush ferns and skunk cabbage line the shoreline in the marshy areas and neat little gravel bars are gathered in the bends of the creek. When you are there you will be amazed that you can be so close to the city yet so far away.

A campsite is located near the west end of the estuary if you want to stay longer. This is probably best to do in the shoulder season when it isn't so busy. If the water is high more secluded sites are located up the river.

DINOSAUR HUNTERS: TUMBLER RIDGE

DISCOVERY: ANKYLOSAUR TRACK

LAST RAYS: DUSK ON DUNE

TYAUGHTON: HIGH ELEVATION ADVENTURE

MOVING ON UP: HIGH-ELEVATION BASE CAMP

DEEP BEAUTY: NAUTILUS

BIRTH OF VENUS

FOSSIL PLANT DETAIL

KAYAKING CLEAR WATER

HUNT FAMILY POTLATCH

TIME TRAVELLERS

Paleo People By Matthew Claxton.

Heidi Henderson is a time traveller.

The Vancouver resident is part of a small group of people who have learned to see hundreds of millions of years back into the past, and to discover the extinct creatures that once walked, swam and flew in British Columbia. Her tools are few and simple. She needs good eyes, a sturdy pair of boots, a few hammers and chisels, and patience. Henderson is an amateur paleontologist, a student of the science of extinct animals and plants. The thirtysomething pharmaceutical company employee is also the head of the Vancouver Paleontological Society, which formed in the early 1990s.

Although membership has remained small, with about 80 members in the Lower Mainland, the group meets regularly for lectures at the Vancouver Museum to hear speakers on subjects such as fossil preparation and the evolution of mammoths. But a small group within the society are dedicated fossil hunters. Almost all amateurs, they head out on weekends and vacations, travelling anywhere from just a few miles from their home to halfway across the province in search of fossil finds. Their goal is simple: to unearth B.C.'s ancient past one painstaking piece at a time.

For them, every stretch of rock tells a story. "It makes the entire world more interesting," says Henderson. "The thing that's exciting about paleontology is just solving a mystery." Henderson, like most fossil hunters, doesn't seem to have an "off" button when it comes to collecting. Almost every shelf in the living room of her Kerrisdale home is lined with fossils, or with paleontology and geology publications.

The fossils on display are merely her best finds, the ones she has already spent long hours chipping free from the stone in which they were found. Elsewhere, she has large Rubbermaid containers full of rocks. Even more are stored at her parents' home. She estimates she has collected tens of thousands of specimens. Her favourite find is a large extinct clamshell she dug out from under a boulder the size of a car.

When Henderson chipped away the stone, the clam still had the mother-of-pearl intact inside. Hefting a stone larger than a softball that she found in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Henderson points out a series of regular ridges barely visible on one side of the rock. The ridges indicate the stone contains the fossil of an ammonite, a once-common animal related to the modern nautilus, squid and octopus. Ammonites have been extinct for 65 million years, wiped out at the same time the dinosaurs died out. The fossil Henderson found started as a shell and drifted to the sea bed floor after the living animal inside died. It then became covered with silt. Over thousands of years the sea bed was compacted into stone, and the shell's natural material was slowly dissolved and replaced with minerals. Eventually, the fossil eroded out as a round stone on a B.C. beach.

Henderson's quest for fossils began with childhood curiosity. She lived near a beach when she was young and collected rocks and native trading beads. Her grandfather encouraged her collecting, giving her shells and old coins. The collecting bug never left, and eventually she became interested in fossils. She joined the VanPS shortly after it was formed, and has been the group's president on and off for several years.

Her colleagues in the group include Hilmar Krocke. He doesn't have as many specimens as Henderson, but the walls and porch of his North Vancouver home are lined with rocks and fossils. Krocke, now retired, started collecting rocks in 1992 when a rock collection he had owned as a child in Austria was unexpectedly returned to him. Before long, he had added fossils to his collecting trips. "To my way of thinking, it sort of fulfills the primal instinct within us, the hunting instinct," he says. "It's very exciting."

Fossil hunting is a chancy thing, according to Krocke. A collector can search throughout a well-known fossil field and come back with nothing. The size of a find is also random. Sometimes he has come back with a beautiful sample no larger than a quarter. "Sometimes I've brought back stuff like this," he says, spreading his arms wide to indicate the boulders he has dug up. Fossil plants form a special part of Krocke's collection. Hanging on his wall is a fossilized palm frond he painstakingly chiselled out of a road embankment on the Mount Baker Highway in Washington State. The frond was chipped away in 65 pieces, which he then glued back together. "They are extremely difficult to get out," he says.

He owns chunks of fossilized wood preserved so well that their white exteriors resemble weathered driftwood. Cut open with a rock saw, the inside of the trunks reveal bright mineral greens and yellows. In some of the wood, the preservation is so good an observer can count every ring, as if the tree had been felled yesterday. Unlike many fossil hunters, Krocke is interested in his finds more because of their aesthetic quality than their scientific value. "It's something of beauty that you can find basically laying in the dirt," he says. Neither Henderson nor Krocke is likely to find a dinosaur bone on their expeditions. Aside from a handful of teeth found on Hornby Island, no dinosaur remains have ever been found in the Vancouver area. Most fossils are sea creatures and plants.

In fact, the City of Vancouver is one of the worst locations in the region to search for fossils. Within the city limits, a few plant fossils have been found in Kitsilano, but nothing else. During the last ice age, massive glaciers scraped away much of the local rock that might have contained fossils. When the glaciers melted, they covered the Lower Mainland in layers of sand and gravel, and the Fraser River has added silt and mud on top of that. Better known fossil sites are located out of town, with the Harrison Lake area one of the best known among local collectors. One scientist searching there even found part of an ichthyosaur, an ocean-dwelling reptile shaped like a modern dolphin. The Capilano area on the North Shore is rich in fossils.

The Tyaughton region in the Interior, and the Chuckanut area in Washington State are also favourite places for locals to add to their fossil collections. Vancouver Island, especially around Sooke, has a good reputation. "If you go to the Island, you're going to find some skookum fossils," says Louise Longridge. Longridge has access to a collection that Henderson and Krocke would envy.

The doctoral student at UBC's department of Earth and Ocean Sciences is working on a thesis using the fossil ammonite collection owned by the Geological Survey of Canada. Located in the basement of the ScotiaBank Tower downtown, the collection is composed of row after row of drawers, all loaded with ammonites ranging in size from a child's fingernail to one chunk of a shell that would have been three feet across, if it were complete. The GSC also owns the fibreglass cast of the largest ammonite ever found in the province. More than two metres across, the ammonite would have been a floating tank when it was alive. "It's a little like Christmas all the time," Longridge says of her work. She was drawn into paleontology from biology.

To finish her bachelor degree, she needed a directed study course, and almost at random chose one based on ammonites. She quickly fell in love with the spiral-shelled creatures and paleontology in general. Before long she had joined VanPS. "We're a little bit biased toward our ammonites," she says. Longridge is studying the evolution of ammonites for her doctoral thesis. The creatures almost went extinct about 210 million years ago, at the same time as many other land and sea animals. After the near-extinction, ammonites branched out and evolved into many new species. Longridge is studying 14 general and many more species and hopes her research will add to scientific understanding of evolution and species diversity. Most people walking through B.C. parks or driving around the province pass by fossils without knowing it.

They simply don't know what to look for. Every fossil discovery, whether in a private or government collection, begins as a shape weathering out of a rock. "Developing a search image is really important," Henderson says. "If you know what it is, you're much more likely to see it." Once a fossil is spotted, it must be removed to preserve it. Henderson compares fossils to summer strawberries, because they won't survive the winter. A fossil exposed by erosion is in danger of being destroyed by that same erosion. The two-meter ammonite fossil cast by the GSC and found near Fernie is now gone. After it was discovered, local residents prevented it from being removed. But erosion reduced the fossil to sand in just a few years. Removing a fossil can be difficult.

They can be found in rock almost as soft as chalk, or harder than concrete. Each specimen must be chipped or sawed free. "It's dirty, messy, time-involved," says Henderson, noting that fossil hunters tend to be driven in their work. "We're not fanatical, but you do become a little obsessed. You couldn't get people on a chain gang to work as hard as we do." Members of VanPS make three or four field trips a year, each involving a dozen or more people who work from sun up to sun down, crawling on their hands and knees over rough stone or wading through cold water to get at the best fossil sites. The long hours and hard work make for strong relationships, Longridge says. Since she joined the club, she has found out how quickly you get to know a group of people when everyone is working together in the middle of nowhere. With the collection work done, the most tedious and time consuming part of the work is still ahead because the fossils must be prepared and classified.

Many of the fossils collected around B.C. are not scientifically special or unique, and there is no reason to carefully remove every speck of the stone in which they are encased. "When you collect 700 you don't have time to prep them all perfectly," Longridge says. Hammers and chisels of various sizes remove the largest chunks of rock around a fossil. Collectors have a variety of techniques for the finer work. Longridge prefers an airscribe, which uses a stream of compressed air, to carefully chip off the last bits of stone. Cleaning up the best specimens takes five to six hours. Henderson has used her kitchen appliances to prepare some of her fossils. "These ones microwave rather well," she says, pointing out specimens on which the heat breaks off the outside layers of stone. "It's a crazy thing to do, but it's rather effective."

Krocke and many others use Dremel tools to chip the rock away rapidly. They need a steady hand. Hold the tool too close and the fossil is damaged. Some of the fossils found by VanPS amateurs are donated to museums, including the Vancouver Museum and a number of small town institutions around B.C. When a unique, scientifically valuable fossil is found, the VanPS has a strict code of conduct. "If it's scientifically important, it goes to science," Henderson says. Henderson has discovered a new species of prehistoric lobster, and other club members have also found unknown animals. If the discoverer of a new species is lucky, they will be immortalized by having the new creature named after them.

Both as a club member and a scientist, Longridge has found VanPS a good organization, with the members eager to share their discoveries. But they don't get rich from their hard work. Although there have been rare, multimillion dollar fossil finds, such as the famous Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton from Montana named Sue, most fossils only have value to scientists. But the scientists are grateful. The long hours put into fossil hunting by the amateurs of the VanPS, and similar groups operating throughout B.C., go a long way to help full-time scientists in their research, says Dr. Ted Danner, a retired geology teacher at UBC and one of the few professional paleontologists in Vancouver. "A lot of them become quite expert in certain fields," Danner says. At 81, Danner isn't spending much time in the field, but he still works classifying some of the smallest fossils, of microscopic marine animals and algae.

The research helps him learn about the climate of the province millions of years ago. With dinosaur fossils in B.C. limited to the northeastern parts of the province, there is no incentive to build a major museum or start a paleontology program at a local university. Without the backing of a university or museum, few full-time paleontologists make their homes in Vancouver. That gap has left the field wide open for enthusiastic non-professionals, Danner says.

While the mature members don't lack enthusiasm, VanPS is hoping to get more young people involved in the science. Henderson and other members often give talks and show their fossils, especially at schools. Others are hoping to make teaching paleontology a full-time job. Longridge wants to offer courses in the subject at local schools. She and her fellow fossil hunters want more people to be time travellers. "I love passing along what I know." posted on 03/30/2005

http://archive.vancourier.com/issues05/035205/news.html

KAYAK ADVENTURES