Nov 17, 2020
Pat Trask
Courtenay Museum Update and their newest discovery

On November  12th 1988,  Pat's twin brother Mike discovered the bones of the first elasmosaur found west of the Canadian Rockies.

The excavation of this fossil from the Puntledge River finished in 1991 with the unearthing of over 100 bones.

Pat moved to the island in 1992 to somehow get involved with promoting his brothers discovery. Pat was hired at the museum in 1993 to do some exhibit construction work. Then went on to do interpretation leading classes of kids to the dig site to find fossils. This programme has expanded over the years to include thousands of trips to the local rivers and more major discoveries.

Just this summer Pat discovered the remains of a juvenile elasmosaur in the Trent River. Juvenile is a relative term as this elasmosaur would have been about 6m in length.

Pat has really enjoyed working at the museum for the past 27 years and now has the title of Curator of Natural History.