Imagine a single fossil discovery so groundbreaking that it transforms an entire province’s scientific landscape. That’s exactly what happened in the Comox Valley, British Columbia, in 1988, when an amateur fossil hunter named Mike Trask stumbled upon something extraordinary. But here’s where it gets even more fascinating: this find didn’t just rewrite history—it ignited a movement that continues to shape paleontology in B.C. to this day.
It all began on a chilly autumn day when Richard Hebda, then the head of botany at the Royal BC Museum, received a tip about a potential fossil discovery on the Puntledge River. Hebda, no stranger to false alarms—like the time he was called to investigate what turned out to be dirtbike tracks mistaken for dinosaur ribs—wasn’t expecting much. But when he met Trask in his Courtenay home, something felt different. Laid out on newspapers in front of a crackling fireplace were a series of grey, tubular rocks. Hebda’s expert eye immediately recognized them as fossilized vertebrae from a large, ancient animal. This wasn’t just any find—it was the first significant vertebrate fossil discovered on Vancouver Island.
Trask, an engineering surveyor with a lifelong passion for geology, had made the discovery while fossil hunting with his 13-year-old daughter, Heather. What followed was nothing short of revolutionary. The fossils were identified as belonging to an elasmosaur, a marine reptile from the late Cretaceous period, roughly 85 million years ago. This creature, with its small head and impossibly long neck, resembled the mythical Loch Ness monster. More importantly, it was the first elasmosaur specimen found west of the Canadian Rocky Mountains—a discovery that would forever change the course of paleontology in B.C.
But this is the part most people miss: Trask’s find didn’t just add a new species to the record; it inspired a wave of amateur paleontologists across the province. His passion sparked the creation of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society in 1992, the first of its kind in B.C., which quickly grew to over 100 members. This grassroots movement led to the formation of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, a collaborative effort between amateur collectors and professional paleontologists to advance the field while protecting B.C.’s fossil heritage.
And this is where it gets controversial: before Trask’s discovery, commercial fossil collectors operated freely in B.C., often removing valuable specimens for profit. Trask, however, understood the scientific value of his find and chose to prioritize research over personal gain. His ethos helped drive the adoption of provincial fossil management policies in 2022, which now prohibit the commercial sale of B.C. fossils. But here’s the question: should fossils be treated as public scientific resources, or do individuals have the right to profit from their discoveries? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Trask’s legacy didn’t end with policy changes. His elasmosaur discovery led to the naming of a new genus and species in 2025, Traskasaura sandrae, honoring Mike, Heather, and his twin brother Pat, who found a second elasmosaur specimen. Tragically, Mike Trask passed away just two weeks after learning of this honor, leaving behind a profound impact on both science and community.
Today, B.C. is no longer a paleontological backwater. Thanks to Trask and countless citizen scientists, hundreds of new species have been discovered, and the province has even designated the elasmosaur as its official fossil. But here’s the bigger question: how much more is out there, waiting to be uncovered by curious minds like yours? The next great discovery could be just a riverbed away—will you be the one to find it?
