Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Name	Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Abbreviation	CSVPA (informal)
Formation	1985
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Canada
Region served	Canada
Language	English and French
Leader title	President

Contents

Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology is a professional association for researchers, curators, students, and avocational collectors working on vertebrate fossils in Canada. The society connects paleontologists who study fossils across provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, and territories like the Yukon, and liaises with institutions such as the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the Canadian Museum of Nature, and universities including the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, and the University of Toronto. Members engage with international organizations including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the Paleontological Society, the Royal Society of Canada, and regional groups like the Alberta Palaeontological Society.

History

The society was founded in the mid-1980s amid growing paleontological activity in western Canada, parallel to fieldwork at localities like the Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Burgess Shale, and the Pipestone Creek. Early meetings included participants from museums such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Canadian Museum of Nature, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and academics from institutions like the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, and McGill University which fostered collaborations seen at conferences such as the International Congress on Vertebrate Morphology and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting. Founding members had ties to researchers associated with projects at the Laramide orogeny localities, studies on taxa like Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Hadrosauridae, and Plesiosauria, and field seasons coordinated with agencies including Parks Canada and provincial parks such as Waterton Lakes National Park.

The society promotes research on fossil vertebrates from contexts ranging from Cretaceous formations like the Two Medicine Formation and the Scollard Formation to Paleozoic assemblages such as those in the Miguasha National Park and Bearpaw Formation. It fosters communication among professionals associated with universities like the University of Saskatchewan, museums like the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and government services including provincial geological surveys such as the Alberta Geological Survey and the British Columbia Geological Survey. The society advocates for standards in collecting that reflect practices also emphasized by organizations like the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences and international partners including the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Heritage Committee regarding sites such as Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Burgess Shale.

Membership includes faculty from institutions such as the University of Winnipeg, the University of New Brunswick, and the University of Victoria; curators from museums like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology; students from programs at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto; and researchers employed by agencies including the Geological Survey of Canada. Governance follows an elected executive comparable to structures in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Paleontological Society, with officers drawn from universities such as McGill University, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia and liaisons to organizations like the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada.

The society organizes annual or biennial meetings hosted at venues such as the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the Royal Ontario Museum, and university campuses including the University of Calgary and the University of Manitoba. Meetings often align with field excursions to canonical sites such as Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Burgess Shale, the Paleocene exposures in Prince Edward Island, and the Red Deer River valley and feature speakers who have presented at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting, the International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems, and the Canadian Paleontology Conference. Collaborations have included regional societies like the Alberta Palaeontological Society and international delegations from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, London.

While not primarily a publishing house, the society supports dissemination through conference abstracts, newsletters, and collaborative volumes involving presses like the University of Toronto Press and journals such as the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the Palaeontologia Electronica. Members have contributed to descriptions of taxa including Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Mosasauridae, Ichthyosauria, and Plesiosauria and to stratigraphic work on units like the Belly River Group, the Belly River Formation, the Scollard Formation, and the Milk River Formation. Research by members has intersected with studies at institutions such as the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Nature and with international projects at sites like the Hell Creek Formation and the Badlands National Park.

The society partners with educational institutions including the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, and outreach centers such as the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and the Royal Ontario Museum to promote curriculum development, field schools, and public programming. Outreach efforts coordinate with provincial parks like Dinosaur Provincial Park and Waterton Lakes National Park, federal bodies such as Parks Canada, and non-governmental groups including the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, the Alberta Palaeontological Society, and the Canadian Fossil Network. Conservation advocacy addresses protection of fossil localities akin to discourse surrounding the Burgess Shale, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and other UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed areas, engaging with heritage agencies including the World Heritage Committee.

The society recognizes contributions through travel grants, student awards, and occasional medals or recognitions modeled after awards given by the Paleontological Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and national honors like the Royal Society of Canada fellowships. Recipients often include researchers from universities such as the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, McGill University, and the University of Toronto and curators from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and the Royal Ontario Museum whose work on taxa like Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Hadrosauridae, and Crocodylomorpha has gained national and international recognition at meetings such as the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting and the Canadian Paleontology Conference.

Category:Paleontological societies