NEWS FOR THE CANADIAN CHAPTER

Transcription

Far Afield
News for the Canadian Chapter
Spirit bear and pink salmon. Photo by Mary Morris FI’10.
See pages 4-5 for story and caption.
Vol. 6 No. 2
The Explorers Club – Canadian Chapter
Winter 2015
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www.explorersclub.ca
Table of Contents
Message from the Chapter Chair..................................................................................................3
Communications ...........................................................................................................................4
Regional Report - BC/Yukon ........................................................................................................5
Regional Report - Prairie/NWT......................................................................................................7
Regional Report - Ontario/Nunavut.............................................................................................10
Regional Report - Atlantic/Quebec.............................................................................................. 11
Membership Report.....................................................................................................................11
Student News and Updates.........................................................................................................12
Outstanding Canadian Members.................................................................................................14
Explorer Reports & Updates .......................................................................................................16
In Other News.............................................................................................................................30
Awards & Honours.......................................................................................................................34
Classified Ads..............................................................................................................................41
Explorer Resources.....................................................................................................................41
Far Afield and The Explorers Log Schedule................................................................................41
Far Afield is published bi-annually. Far Afield welcomes brief submissions from members,
preferably in Microsoft Word format with high-resolution digital photographs files sent separately
from the text. Photographs must include captions and a credit. Please send all materials to:
[email protected]. Submissions may be edited for length.
The authors are responsible for the content of their articles. Their views do not necessarily
reflect the views of The Explorers Club Canadian Chapter and the Club is not responsible for
the accuracy of the articles.
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Message from the Chapter Chair
Elaine Wyatt MI’05
I’d like to tell you about my Dad and Ron Craven ME’91. Ron
had served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flying
Warrant Officer from 1939 to 1945, completing 32 flight tours
over Europe. My father served with the Royal Air Force,
stationed in India from 1943 to 1945, flying out of Calcutta
over Myanmar and Thailand.
In 2006, soon after I became a member of The Explorers
Club, my father and I spent an afternoon with Ron. We had
driven out to Tillsonburg and the Canadian Harvard Aircraft
Association where I had arranged for Dad to take a flight on
an old Harvard Mark 4, the plane that was used to train so
many of the 130,000+ pilots, navigators, air gunners and flight
engineers that Canada trained as part of the war effort.
On our way home we stopped to see Ron. He was a very
gracious host. Our visit began with a tour of his office, more
museum than working space, the walls covered with posters
and memorabilia from the war and his long career in aviation
in Canada’s north. On one wall was a big poster of Vicky, the
“vicious virgin” that was Ron’s Halifax bomber. Dad held Ron’s
logbook in his hand, awed by the 27,000 hours in 52 different
aircraft that Ron had flown during 55 years as a pilot. Over
lunch at Ron’s favourite hangout in Stratford, we – they –
talked about airplanes. The unique sound and shake of each
plane. The people they had flown with, so many already gone.
Then it became quiet. And it was time to go home. My father
passed away in April 2011. Ron passed away last October.
A few weeks ago at our February dinner, Fred Gaskin FI’81
said farewell to another member of The Explorers Club and
friend of the Canadian chapter, John Lentz FN’63. John was
a member of the Washington D.C. chapter, but he had been
born in Toronto and attended the Wilderness and Canoe
Symposium in this city almost every year, sometimes as
a speaker. Fred said that he and many other members of
this chapter had the pleasure of participating in canoeing
expeditions with John, who had paddled and explored rivers in
the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Arctic Siberia for more
than 50 years. In 2013, John launched his book Tales From
The Paddle at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough.
In 2014, he donated half of his books on the Canadian north,
which Fred said filled a small van, to the museum. John
passed away in January.
Special in this edition
I would like to thank Mary
Morris FI’05 for serving as
regional director for BC/
Yukon for the past four
years. In this issue, she has
given us a great parting
report in which she admits
to being truly swept away by
the “charismatic megafauna”
of the BC and Alaska coast.
She sweeps us away with
her words and images.
Congratulations must go to
Austin Mardon CorMem’86
on his induction into the
Royal Society of Canada,
Cory Trepanier MI’09 on the
selection of his Glacierside
painting for the Arctic Room
in Canada’s Embassy
in Washington and the
winners of this year’s
awards: George Kourounis
FI’09, Peter Rowe FI’08, Ed
Reinhardt FI’04 and Clive
Coy FI’14. We also named
18 members to the inaugural
Explorers Honour Roll. Lee
Treloar MI’09 has captured
the essence of these special
individuals in an article that
starts on page 34.
Good men, all three – and Fred, too.
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Communications
Maeve Gauthier FI’13 and Wilson West FI’08
Fellow explorers, for quite a few months now, we’ve been
sending your monthly e-newsletter. We are starting to get
more and more contributions, which is great! Sharing your
news with the chapter is not only telling us what you’ve been
up to: it’s building a community. Don’t be shy and send us your
news. It’s ok if it’s brief. It’s great to connect with the rest of
the group and hear what you’ve been up to.
We’re worried that some members might not be getting the
e-newsletter, it may be going under their spam folder. We also
know that gmail puts it into a Group folder rather than your
inbox. Could you ask other members you know if they receive
the e-newsletter? Feel free to forward it too.
Far Afield vs. monthly e-newsletter
Far Afield now comes out twice a year. It’s a great opportunity
to tell stories at length with photos, photo essays, etc. The
e-newsletter, on the other hand, is published monthly. The call
for news is sent to all members on the first Wednesday of the
month, the deadline to submit news is the second Wednesday
and the e-newsletter is sent to you on the third Wednesday.
Items for the e-newsletter should be brief (100 words for
news/50 words for events).
Facebook page
Join our Explorers Club Canadian Chapter Page and invite
people who are interested! We tend to share most news you
send us for the newsletter on our Facebook Page too, unless
you specify otherwise. We are a few administrators on the
page and we like to share your news, but sometimes posts don’t have public settings allowing
us to share. In any case, feel free to send us your Facebook News to communications@
explorersclub.ca so we can post them on Facebook as well. We realize not everybody is on
Facebook, but it is a great way to share explorers’ news on a regular basis and interact with
non-members too who might be interested in joining the club.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Have a great winter everyone, keep exploring and keep
communicating!
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Regional Director BC / Yukon
Mary Morris FI’10
The New Year has come and gone and the dark days of winter
have already started to gradually lengthen. I see the spring
bulbs poking up through the front garden, and even a few
snow drops are pointing to the season changing soon.
Looking back over the year since last spring’s issue of Far
Afield, I am still grinning from the amazing summer I had last
year. I spent most of the summer cruising on the BC and
Southeast Alaska coast, both on our own boat and working
as naturalist on wilderness trips by Maple Leaf Adventures.
Usually I’m a person who always focuses on the little things,
looking down on the moss in the forest or on the seaweed on
the beach in the intertidal …but this was the year that I finally
was truly swept away by seeing the charismatic megafauna.
Instead of the my usual fleeting momentary glimpses of the
big critters, it seemed that last summer we were so lucky to
have time to look and look. We watched grizzly bears eating
fresh sedges and digging roots in coastal estuaries. We had
incredible views of bubble-net feeding humpbacks, where they
made slow arching circles of bubbles underwater to corral
Sunset view from Fury Cove at the entrance to Rivers Inlet, which is a lovely
anchorage and favourite stop off for cruisers staging to cross the open water
at Cape Caution. Photo by Mary Morris.
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their prey, and then lunged
to the surface, mouths
gaping. We marveled at a
river estuary where we saw
a mother black bear with her
three cubs, all draped over
mossy branches of giant
Sitka spruce in the river
valley meadow. How they
could sleep like that without
tipping out of the tree?
We had groups of black
and white Dall’s porpoises
that raced under our bow,
splashing with synchronized
zooming dives. We saw
floating sea otters with their
pups along kelp beds that
kept as close an eye on us
as we had on them.
We had time to soak it all in.
We could float quietly and
just watch and watch. We
were even extremely luck to
see a white spirit bear, that
rare colour form of the black
bear that lives in the Great
Bear Rainforest. We were
hosted by the guardians
from Hartley Bay, and from
their bear viewing platforms
we watched, awestruck, as
the big white bear casually
wandered up the stream
bank, pounced on a pink
salmon in the knee deep
stream and sat back on his
haunches to eat the salmon,
with us all snapping photos
and videos, safely and
quietly just a few metres
away.
What a precious place
out there, our coastal
ecosystems, in all their
great-interconnected
complexities from the tiniest
mosses to the hugest
humpback whales. I am
so grateful that I could feel
it for myself, taking the
time to slow down, breath,
watch and notice, and most
important to be sharing
the experience with other
people. Being present
in that place and taking
a break from my usual
hectic and techno-filled life.
Perhaps that’s the essence
of being an Explorer, simply
finding the places to be
outside, to reconnect with
the real world, however
large or small.
Back home in Victoria,
in early October, Jess
Lansfield TI’13 and Maeva
Gauthier FI’13 organized a
wonderful evening at the
Robert Bateman Centre. I
presented some highlights
from the summer, and Mike
Irvine explained the Fish
Eye Project, he’s working
with. Fish Eye connects
research divers via audio
and video streaming
live from underwater, in
conversation with students
Calm wind and water for crossing Cape Caution, headed south. Cape
Caution marks the boundary between BC’s south coast and the mid-coast,
and is known for tricky winds and waves. Photo by Mary Morris.
in school classrooms. Mike explained how this project is so
effective because of having underwater divers in real time,
making the video link technology truly come alive to connect
the kids with the different world underwater.
Recently, I was fortunate to attend an evening lecture at
the Royal BC Museum by Robert Bateman MI’84 and Bristol
Foster, where the two life-long friends described their epic
trip by land rover in the 1950s, crossing Africa, north India,
and Australia. This event was co-sponsored by the Royal BC
Museum and the Bateman Centre, and was the preview for
“The Rover Boys, A Travelling Exhibition” which will open in
Victoria in May at the Royal BC Museum. Bateman described
how he realized early in the trip that he was ‘not being mindful’
of the places and people he was seeing, so he started his
sketch journal. They both kept photos and Bristol also took
16 mm movies—state of the art in those days. Bateman’s
descriptions of his favourites from those original sketches,
along with the photos and film clips brought their stories alive
across the six decades since their adventure. Truly inspiring,
as both men showed how their long-ago adventures became
such a part of who they are today; and how they can still both
share their passion for exploring with us all.
I’m happy to be handing over the BC/Yukon Directorship to
Cathy Hickson FI’05. Thanks Cathy! Looking forward to the
coming year and happy summer season of being out in the
world, everyone.
Cover photo: A white spirit bear of the Great Bear Rainforest
devouring a freshly caught pink salmon. Spirit bears are a rare
colour form of black bear and only occur in coastal BC.
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Regional Director Prairie / NWT
Nat Rutter FE‘78
This year’s Prairie and NWT Region field trip took place in
the Jasper and Hinton area. The eleven intrepid explorers
included Explorer Club members Gordon Currie AI’07, Rogier
Gruys MI’10, Andy Hogg FI ‘11, Barbara Schweger FI’ 08, Robyn
Usher FI’11 and Nat Rutter FE’78 who led the trip. We met
at the Holiday Inn, had a welcoming drink and then went to
dinner at a local Greek Restaurant. After dinner, we had an
interesting talk on the history of the Hinton area. Marylyn
Campbell, archivist at the Hinton Municipal Library, presented
us with an overview of the early coal mining industry, and early
explorers, of the region and what is happening in the area
today.
The next morning, in a swampy area above the town of
Hinton, we visited an area populated by beavers. The Town
has constructed an extensive series of boardwalks that
enables one to explore the area, viewing beavers and their
lodges. This is a must for anyone visiting Hinton. We then
went on our way to the east end of Jasper National Park
to Miette Hot Springs, the hottest in the Canadian Rocky
Mountains, developed in Devonian dolostone. Further east
Devonian rocks are the source of major oil fields. Several
of us took advantage of the glorious mountain morning and
The 2014 Prairie/NWT Group at Jasper National Park. Photo by Jane Usher.
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plunged into the hot springs.
After that, off the highway to
Jasper, Rogier took us on a
short walk to the edge of the
Athabasca near the National
Historic Site of Jasper
House. During the eighteen
hundreds, this was a major
stop for fur traders and a
starting point for exploration
to the west. Near Jasper,
we hiked along Maligne
Canyon, the deep gorge (55
metres, 1.2 kilometres long)
eroded by water during, and
after the last glaciation. This
is in Devonian limestone
karst region.
Next, In Jasper, we
looked at glacial deposits
and landforms that were
formed during the last
glaciation, 20,000 years
ago. This included glacial
till and underlying outwash
gravels. We noted the spot
where organic matter was
found that enabled us to
radiocarbon date the time
of the last major glaciation.
Before dinner, at another
Greek restaurant but this
time in Jasper, we were
lucky to have Roger to
present us with an advance
showing of the National
Parks new promotional
artistic movie showing
outstanding mountain
scenery.
The next day we drove to
the Athabasca Falls south
of Jasper and viewed the
spectacular falls that has
been eroding back since
glaciation. Then on to the
Athabasca Glacier, where
we viewed and discussed
the modern activity of the
rapidly receding glacier,
and the modern glacier
landforms and deposits.
Here the group parted,
some to Calgary and some
back to Edmonton. All
agreed it was a worthwhile
trip.
Jason Schoonover FE’86
has had another busy year.
A few highlights, as widely
reported in the media, a flag
expedition led by Jason as
team leader and Phil Currie
FI’02 and Eva Koppelhus
FI’02 as field leaders made
a major discovery in the
Red Deer River badlands. A
Dromaeosaurus discovered
by Clive Coy FI’13 turned out
to be a small theropod called
Saurornitholestes, which
some researchers believe
is the same as Velociraptor.
The full story will appear in
a major science magazine.
It was one of a stunning
six dinosaurs found – the
A thrilled Lee Treloar high fives Phil Currie at the site of her skull find. She
later got to work on it at the Dino Lab at the University of Alberta. Photo by
Jason Schoonover.
Dromaeosaurus, four Hadrosaur and a Ceratopsian – over
the two weeks. In that it takes a full month of prospecting on
average to discovery one dinosaur you can understand why
a delighted Phil declared it one of his successful expeditions
ever. Another significant find was made by a delighted Lee
Treloar MI’09 – a rare Ankylosaur skull. Eleven of the 18
expeditioneers were EC members: Su Hattori MI’13, Tony
Mayo FI’14, Kumiko Yokoyama MI’13, Garth Ramsay MI’13,
James Anthony MI’10, Jessica Lansfield TI’13, Lee Treloar
MI‘09, Jessica Phillips MI’12, Rob Tymstra FI’94, Clive Coy FI’13,
and Capt. Norm Baker FN’70.
Jason then led a four-man team on a five-day survey of
Ordovician trace fossils at Namew Lake, Saskatchewan.
Non-Cretaceous surface fossils are virtually non-existent in
the province except for a short tongue of Ordovician licking in
from Manitoba, where it sweeps south to Winnipeg and the
nearby and famous Tyndall stone quarries. Tyndall is used
in everything from our Parliament Buildings to institutions
and major buildings across Canada and is well known for
the variety of its fossils. This tongue and its shelves, in
Saskatchewan surround one large lake – Namew – part of the
famous fur trade Voyageur and exploration “main highway.”
102 nautiloids, 18 coral imprints and a single recepticulate
were documented.
He and Su Hattori MI’13 are currently in Thailand continuing
excavations at Hintok Cave along the River Kwai with Sir Rod
Beattie, and participating in the finishing touches to the Hintok
Camp Museum being constructed to house their Paleolithic,
Neolithic and WW II Death Railway finds. The cave and
museum are on the site of the WW II POW camp, now an
upscale resort on the River Kwai that pays homage in theme
to its original flag expedition which included Capt. Norm Baker
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FN’70.
Murray Larson FI’05 and
Andy Hogg FI’11 have
identified an important
piece of history that should
be of interest to Canadian
explorers. On November
5, 2014, they were toured
around the Viking Air
Facility in the Avibusiness
area at the south side of
the Calgary Airport (YYC)
which assemblies the
iconic Twin Otter aircraft.
The Twin Otter, originally
manufactured by de
Havilland, was first on the
market in 1965/66 and has
flown on exploration, as well
as other missions, to both
Poles and to most countries
in the world. They were
most ably guided through
the facility by General
Manager Steve Stasiak.
At any one time there are
four Twin Otters in various
stages of completion at this
facility and one comes off
the assembly line every
two weeks and is test
flown in the Beisecker
and Lethbridge areas of
southern Alberta. After
passing the Viking Air
airworthiness test the planes
are flown to Spokane for
painting (customers colours)
and then flown to Victoria
for final fitting out as well
as the Transport Canada
seal of airworthiness. From
Victoria the planes are
then flown to the country/
airline that purchased them.
Of the four aircraft that
we saw in various stages
of completion, two were
A typical nautiloid trace fossil at Namew Lake. Photo by Jason Schoonover.
Viking Air Photo
destined for Scotland and one for Peru. As a matter of interest,
each Twin Otter costs $7,000,000 with floats adding an extra
$750,000.
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Regional Director Ontario / Nunavut
Peter Rowe FI’08
The Ontario region held their final meeting of 2014 at their
usual clubhouse in the boardroom of Kensington Tours, with
a presentation on the recent flag expedition to the caves of
Madagascar.
Following a holiday season dinner, team leader Simon Donato
FI’09, lemur man Travis Stevens FI’13, cave man George
Kourounis FI’09 and logistics queen Robin Brooks MI’14 held
an attentive group captive with stories of their adventures,
misadventures and discoveries in exotic Madagascar.
George Kourounis, Simon Donato and Travis Steffens in Madagascar. Photo
by Robin Brooks.
Peter Rowe and George Kourounis on the Rio Roosevelt. Photo by Jocelito
Camargo.
Globe-trotting exploration
partners Peter Rowe FI’08
and George Kourounis are
back out there. In November
they were on the trail of
Explorers Club member
Theodore Roosevelt,
exploring the remote Rio
Roosevelt (aka River of
Doubt) in the Amazon jungle
that the ex-US president had
navigated 100 years earlier.
In December the pair flew
to the Cabo Verde Islands
to film the new eruption of
the Fogo volcano, and in
early January they were
investigating the huge bush
fires of South Australia.
Meanwhile our region’s
sole Nunavut member,
Matty McNair FI’10 has
just returned to her home
base in Iqualuit following
a winter’s trip to the sunny
south – way south –
Antarctica. Matty loves the
ice and snow.
10www.explorersclub.ca
Regional Director Atlantic Canada
Dale Dunlop MI’08
The Atlantic/Quebec members of the Explorers Club are
currently Far Afield around the world, and will report their
adventures and discoveries in the summer Issue.
Membership
Membership Director John Pollack FI’06
At the end of 2014 the official membership rolls for the
Canadian Chapter contained 218 members of whom 201
members were in good standing and 17 were-in-arrears. Until
these members-in-arrears make a decision about remaining in
The Explorers Club, precise figures for the Chapter cannot be
determined, but the trend over the past four years has been
positive, up from 180 members in 2011.
At present the Chapter has 26 members in the Atlantic/
Quebec region, 73 in the Ontario/Nunavut region, 34
members in the Prairies/NWT region, and 72 in the BC/Yukon
region. Thirteen members wish to be associated with the
Canadian Chapter but live outside of the country.
A total of 17 new members were elected in 2014: two as
Fellows, six as Members, one as an Associate, five as Term
and three as Student.
Every January we verify who is a member in good standing, and those members who have not
paid their 2014 dues are dropped from our lists. If you have been remiss in this regard, please
add The Explorers Club dues payment to your “must do” list. The time is here.
If anyone wishes to sponsor a new member, remember that one of the jobs of the Membership
Director is to assist in that process with a co-sponsor letter if needed, and a check on the
package to ensure it is complete. I’d be pleased to help you.
Student News and Updates
Jessica Lansfield TM’13
Passion, from the Latin word
passionem, which means
suffering or enduring. As
explorers, it is often hard to
explain why we have such
affection or enthusiasm for
the experiences and work
that we throw ourselves
into, or why we are drawn to
certain objects, concepts or
people. At times, we suffer
for these explorations. Other
times, we wish the bliss and
feelings of flow would never
end.
Perhaps it is for these
extremes, the suffering
and the bliss, and all of the
moments in between, why
we search for a sense of
community in The Explorers
Club. A community of
people, who might not share
our exact experiences, but
who have been through the
highs and lows of pursuing
the thing(s) that make them
feel alive. In this community
we find inspiration, courage,
challenge and support. We
find the support to continue
to pursue our passions even
though they may bring us
suffering.
Throughout the past
year, I have followed and
encouraged members of this
club and their explorations.
I have learned of many
journeys, short and long,
those that have been
smooth sailing, and others
that were far from smooth,
and even more that landed
somewhere in between.
Some of these tales of
adventure were shared
through a few events, which
were organized over the last
few months.
Kayaking in Alaska
In July, Daniel Fox, creator
of The Wild Image Project,
spoke to a crowd of 20
curious Yukoners about his
solo kayaking adventures
through Alaska and his goal
of paddling from Victoria on
Vancouver Island to San
Francisco to fundraise for
the Wilderness Immersion
& Leadership Development
(WILD) campaign. This
campaign aims to send
youth to wilderness
immersion opportunities.
Since then, Daniel has
traveled many miles and
continued to garner support.
In September, half-way
through his Pacific Coast
expedition, a series of
unfortunate events lead to a
temporary halt in his plans.
Here is an excerpt from his
journey:
My eyes focused on the
silhouette made by the
water line, trying to figure
out the rhythm of the sets.
To be honest there was not
much to decipher in the
dark. I took a deep breath
and relaxed for a second.
I closed my eyes and
asked the ocean to keep
an eye on me. I started
paddling toward the surf. A
wave crashed. I stopped. I
hesitated. I went again. And
like a “deja vu”, I heard the
roaring mounting behind me,
like a giant monster rising
from the depths and about
to engulf me with one bite.
Grasping for the impact I
filled my lungs with as much
air as I could.
The weight of the Pacific
landed on my back with
such tremendous force that
I felt the kayak breaking in
two. It was not like trying
to rip a piece of fiberglass
apart. The kayak literally
snapped in two halves like
a dry twig. The ring of the
cockpit was broken but my
skirt was still around it. I was
in the water being ravaged
by the surf, tied to the waist
with a piece of the kayak on
each side of me. For more
information on Daniel’s
journey and updates, visit
www.wildimageproject.com.
Explore The Ocean Day
On October 2, The BC/
Yukon region hosted
Explore The Ocean Day in
partnership with The Robert
Student News and Updates cont’d
Bateman Centre. People
collaborated to share oceanbased talks, images, and
discussions. During the
day, live dive experiences
were provided by The Fish
Eye Project, co-founded by
Maeva Gauthier FI’13. In the
evening, Mike Irvine from
the Fish Eye Project, Mary
Morris FM’10 and BC-based
film and media producers
Andrew Robertson and Ian
Hinkle, shared their love of
the ocean and reasons why
we need to protect it now
more than ever.
Student Updates
Lindsay Marie Stewart
received the 2015 National
Geographic Young
Explorer’s Grant. Lindsay
will be accompanying
explorer Kate Harris FI’10 on
the Borderski Expedition.
Visit the Borderski website
and social media pages for
more information http://www.
borderski.com/
Robert St-Onge S’06 has
agreed to be the new
student representative for
Eastern Canada. Welcome
to the team Robert!
Over the past year, I
have been in contact with
students from across
Canada and other clubs
and organizations within
the BC/Yukon region, such
as The Alpine Club of
Canada – Vancouver Island
Section, The Ancient Forest
Alliance British Columbia,
The Fish Eye Project, The
Jellyfish Project, Sailing
The Arctic Race and The
South Vancouver Island
Mycological Social to
support connections with
The Explorers Club and to
create a broader community
of explorers.
I hope that current members
will contact student
representatives if they are
interested in providing
a talk or if they know of
any students who would
enjoy membership with
The Explorers Club. In the
next few months, I will be
searching for a BC/Yukon
student representative
Mary Morris coastal adventures
captivate the audience. Photo by:
Jessica Lansfield.
replacement and would love
to see someone who would
shine in the role take over
its responsibilities. Please
email for details students@
explorersclub.ca. Being
a part of this club, I have
learned so much, and I think
it is time for another person
to benefit, and hopefully only
suffer a little, if they have a
passion for fulfilling the role.
Mike Irvine of The Fish Eye Project provides an underwater perspective. Photo by: Bill Weaver.
Outstanding Canadian members – Mark Angelo FI’09
By Nat Rutter FE’78
Mark Angelo FI’09 is clearly one our stars in the Canadian
branch of the Explorers Club. He is an internationally
celebrated river conservationist, writer, speaker, teacher and
paddler.
Upon graduating from the University of Montana, Mark moved
to Vancouver and over the next several decades, played a
leadership role in numerous river conservation and restoration
initiatives. Projects ranged from successful efforts to restore
heavily damaged urban streams such as Guichon Creek
in Burnaby and Still Creek in Vancouver. He led effective
campaigns that helped clean up severely polluted streams
such as Britannia Creek, which saw the return of salmon for
the first time in a century, to broad-based initiatives to protect
the Heart of the Fraser, one of the most productive stretches
of river in the world. He also played a major role in reclaiming
Hastings Creek in Vancouver. This urban stream was buried
and paved almost a century ago and its restoration was one of
the most progressive projects of its kind.
Mark organized a major cleanup of the Thompson River in the
southern interior of British Columbia. This led eventually to BC
Rivers Day, which grew to become the biggest event of its kind
in North America involving up to 75,000 people in activities
from steam clean-ups and fish enhancement activities to
educational outings and community riverside celebrations.
This was the catalyst for proclaiming World Rivers Day by the
United Nations. Mark has worked on and profiled numerous
international river issues. His efforts have been honored by
governments, community groups, professional and indigenous
bodies in Canada and abroad.
A Rivers Day event where school children are releasing trout into Guichon
Creek in Burnaby.
Mark Angelo FI’09
As an avid kayaker,
canoeist and rafter, Mark
has traveled close to a
thousand rivers spanning
over 100 countries. From
2003 to 2007, his acclaimed
program, “Riverworld; a
personal journey to the
world’s wildest rivers”,
launched in conjunction with
National Geographic on line,
played to sold out audiences
across North America. The
program’s website has had
more than 40 million visits.
Follow-up programs had
similar success. He has
written over 300 articles
and essays about his
experiences, and related
conservation issues, for
many different publications.
At the present time, Mark
is completing a major
river documentary film
entitled RiverBlue, set for
international release in
2015. This was an Explorers
Club flagged expedition.
This ambitious and much
anticipated film chronicles
an around-the-world
journey by river that Mark
took in the years following
his retirement from British
Columbia Institute of
Technology. This enabled
Mark to revisit many rivers
that he had paddled in past
decades while providing an
overview of the global state
of our waterways.
Mark is or has been
a member or Chair of
The Explorers Club, the
Pacific Fisheries Resource
Conservation Council,
Canadian Heritage Rivers
Board, B. C. Heritage River
System, B.C. Park Legacy
Panel and the Outdoor
Recreation Council of British
Columbia. He has been
honored by many institutions
and organizations. Among
the many, a member of
the Order of Canada, the
order of British Columbia,
honorary degree from
Simon Fraser University, the
United Nations Stewardship
Award and the National
River Conservation Award.
In 2014, the B. C. Wildlife
Federation presented
him the Barsby Award,
the highest award of that
organization.
Mark continues to support
and mentor both fledgling
river conservation
groups as well as young
people interested in river
conservation. In 2012 the
city of Burnaby honored
Mark by naming a local
stream “Angelo Creek”.
Mark Angelo on the Ganges at the massive Kumbh Mela gathering in India.
RiverBlue: From WRD Communications
Dear River Advocates,
Much is happening with RiverBlue, the much anticipated
documentary film that aims to change an industry. RiverBlue
chronicles an unprecedented, three-year around-theworld river adventure that follows renowned paddler and
conservationist, Mark Angelo, as he travels down some
of the world’s greatest rivers, as well as some of the most
polluted. In the midst of an amazing journey, he and his
crew uncover the dark side of the global fashion industry,
one of the world’s most polluting industries. RiverBlue is a
film that many think will take the river conservation message
to a new, and broader audience.
Legendary keyboardist Doug Johnson, from the rock and
roll hall of fame band, Loverboy, has completed an amazing
symphonic score and soundtrack for the film. Also, attached
is a link to a great editorial on “The Making of RiverBlue”
from a recent issue of BC Nature Magazine. The global
journey the RiverBlue crew undertook was also recognized
as an official flagged expedition of US-based The Explorers
Club. Thanks for all your efforts and we’ll be in touch in the
run-up to World Rivers Day 2015 set for September 27. With best wishes, Scott Denkers
WRD Communications
For more information read The Making of RiverBlue in BC
Nature Magazine.
http://riverbluethemovie.com/
Explorer Reports & Updates
2015 Tham Khoun Xe Mapping Project
Xe Bang Fai River, Khammouane Province, Laos
By John Pollack FI’06
In 2008 I was fortunate
enough to secure a small
National Geographic grant
to work on one of the largest
known river caves in the
world – Tham Khoun Xe
(also known as Tham Xe
Bang Fai) in Khammouane
Province in central Laos.
We fielded a “blue-ribbon”
cave survey team, including
world class Cave Research
Foundation (CRF) experts
Pat Kambesis of Kentucky
and Bob Osburn of Missouri,
and professional cave
photographer Dave Bunnell.
Over 10 kilometres of
massive river passage were
mapped and photographed
to a high standard. The
detailed results of that
project were published in
the News of the National
Speleological Society (NSS)
(July 2009) as well as a
presentation to the UIS
conference in Texas that
same year.
Last month we returned
to Laos. Very simply, in
2008 we found more cave
than we could map in the
time available. A return
was possible because of
GIZ, the German non-profit
society helping develop a
sustainable management
plan for the cave and its
surrounding biodiversity
En route to a lead in the upstream maze section. Photo by Bob Osburn.
area. GIZ liked the detail of the 2008 map and NSS News
article, and wanted the rest of it. A few phone calls determined
all members of the 2008 mapping team were eager to return,
so I worked with Terry Bolger of Vientiane to put together a
January 2015 project.
The team spent a total three weeks in Laos during which
the cave survey was finished. The remote upstream maze
area could not be easily reached via day trips from the lower
(downstream) entrance, so this time a base camp was set up
on the surface near the upstream entrance of the cave.
To get to camp two distinctly different routes could be taken.
Three of us (the river team) took two inflatable boats upstream
right through the active river cave – seven kilometres of
paddling punctuated by six to seven portages, some of which
involved rather nasty bouldering. The remainder of the party
took a track through the jungle, and backpacked camp over a
limestone ridge, to a sandbar some 300 metres upstream of
the upper entrance. Our two parties met about an hour before
nightfall, and set up tents on the banks of the Xe Bang Fai
River. We were “home” for the next eight days.
Camp was a classic... in the surrounding jungle sharp karst
pinnacles and mountains soared above us, a Laotian eagle
had a nest in a nearby tree, rare black langurs could be
Explorer Reports & Updates cont’d
seen 300 metres away on
a ridgetop, and the river
teemed with small fish that
were netted every morning
by the porters. We were
advised not dig a latrine or
disturb the ground as the
cave area is located on
the Ho Chi Minh trail, the
area was bombed heavily,
and UXO is still abundant.
Routine UXO operations are
still underway on farmland
in the valleys, but not in the
karst. A nine foot King cobra
was encountered by the
men; it became breakfast.
Finally, we learned of a
recent firefight between
the park rangers and
professional Vietnamese
poachers, less than 2
kilometres from our camp.
Lao is indeed the Wild West
of SE Asia.
Again this backdrop our two
survey parties travelled 6
to 7 km underground daily
into the upper maze area
and began to clean-up the
question marks on our 2008
map. While the active river
passage contains great
stretches of wall-to-wall
water, the maze passage is
a fossil overflow area that
is entirely dry except during
the wet season. Except for
one 150 metre-long pool, it
was all walking or climbing.
The typical passage in the
maze is 50-110 metres
wide, such that one often
has to survey up one wall
and down another in order
A well-decorated side passage near the downstream entrance of the cave.
Photo by Bob Osburn.
Heading upriver through the active river cave from the lower entrance.
Photo by John Pollack.
to capture the required detail. The largest passages were
breakdown areas with mountains of large rocks >100 metres
high in them. Here the survey teams had to climb up and
down loose boulders lying at 25-45 degree angles. Some
of the boulders were house-sized, and when down-climbing
one often encounters drop-offs of 6-10 metres that must be
bypassed to the right or left, via chimneying. Rock fall was
frequent, and several team members took small tumbles,
but there were no serious
injuries, thankfully.
The survey was completed
as planned but with no
spare days. An additional
5.5 kilometres of survey was
shot in 285 stations. (Note
that some stations were tiein shots that will be excluded
from the final length of the
cave). To give the reader an
idea as to the level of effort
required, my river/survey
team travelled 42 kilometres
Pat Kambesis cooking a small
An evening dinner of spicy fish and
underground in eight days.
mountain of calories on the
sticky rice in base camp. Photo by
campfire after a long day mapping
A complete, detailed map
John Pollack.
in the upstream maze. Photo by
will now be produced in Lao
John Pollack.
and English versions over
the next year. It will be used to support further conservation and research studies in the cave,
including a pending UNESCO World Heritage Site application. The Lao government has begun
commercialization the downstream reaches of this immense river cave but it will not become a
popular destination until the road into this remote area, is upgraded. That upgrade is underway.
For further information on the cave, its people, and the river, please see the NSS News - July
2009.
Local men on the Xe Bang Fai river upstream of the cave, coming back to
the jungle camp atop bamboo pole boats. Photo by John Pollack.
Bob Osburn and Pat Kambesis
(Cave Research Foundation)
discuss survey objectives for the
day. Photo by John Pollack.
Flag Expedition #112: Madagascar’s Limestone Labyrinth
By Travis Steffens FI’14
I descend down a small
fissure in the limestone with
explorer and adventurer,
George Kourounis FI’09. We
squeeze through a hole and
enter a small dark chamber.
George inches forward
and spots a medium-sized
gecko, which scurries away
just as I catch a glimpse.
“Awesome, our first cave
animal!” George exclaims.
After searching every nook
and cranny throughout
the small section of Tsingy
(translated from Malagasy
to “where one cannot walk
barefoot”) we rendezvous at
the “hub,” a spot reminiscent
of the hub of a bicycle wheel
where passageways through
the limestone radiate like
spokes. We are both hot,
sweaty, hungry and more
than a little thirsty when
Adventure Science founder
Simon Donato FI’09, and
adventurer and ex-army
ranger Tim Puetz, pop back
into the hub with childish
grins on their faces. “You’re
gonna love what we found!”,
Simon says, winking at Tim.
George and I report that we
found many small caverns
and caves, and a wary gecko.
Simon Donato surveying the Anjohibetsara cave system.
Travis Steffens and Tyler Leblanc examine an intact clay pot (~400 years
old) found inside one of the caves in the survey area.
Looking a little unimpressed by our finds, Simon and Tim convince us to follow them through
the limestone labyrinth. Due to the forbidding nature of the Tsingy, Simon and Tim lead us
on a tortuous route through narrow chasms, tunnels, and over the razor sharp limestone.
After 15 minutes, we ascend up a small rock ledge and are looking down into the entrance of
what we later discover is one of the largest caves in Madagascar. Barely able to contain his
excitement, George asks if we can go in. This is an Adventure Science project and we are
Explorers Club members:
of course we can. The cave
is huge - over a mile long
with many chambers and
passageways, filled with
water, bats, and amazing
stalactites and stalagmites.
This unexplored cave has it
all.
We are in the Strict Nature
Reserve (the northern and
poorly explored portion)
of Tsingy de Bemaraha
National Park, Madagascar,
where I, an Explorers
Club fellow and founder
of Planet Madagascar
and the Madagascar and
lemur expert on the trip,
am working with two other
Explorers Club fellows,
Simon Donato and George
Kourounis.
We have the privilege of
carrying Explorers Club
Flag #112. The Tsingy is a
unique type of limestone
formation that is essentially
a Jurassic aged barrier reef
that has been exhumed.
The ancient corals, now
exposed by time and
weather have eroded into a
vast labyrinth of razor sharp
rock that form knife-like
ridges, ranging from a few
millimetres to many meters
deep. We are exploring the
Tsingy in search of poorly
known lemurs, new caves,
unknown archeological
sites, and dinosaur
footprints. To accomplish
these tasks, Simon, with the
support of our expedition
George Kourounis and Travis Steffens inspecting if the entryway above
leads into yet another cave.
partner Kensington Tours, has assembled a crack team of
scientists, adventure racers, and explorers from around North
America.
As the Madagascar expert, I arrived in advance of the main
team to help locate and setup base camp with my Malagasy
colleague, Mamy Razafitsalama, and the Kensington Tours
support team. I have extensive experience working in
Madagascar and was excited to explore a region known for its
extreme difficulty. Getting to the area took three days overland
driving on treacherous roads with some risk of bandit attacks.
With us, we had a large crew of cooks, guides, drivers, and
even two Gendarmes (military personnel).
After reaching in the park, Mamy and I scouted various base
camp locations by motorcycle. There were no roads to where
we wanted to go so we used a combination of ox cart trails,
fire breaks, and open grassland to reach our destination.
More than once, we had to coax our bikes across moving
water but eventually we reached out destination. Next came
the hard part of making a route navigable for a Land Cruiser.
Fortunately, our support team helped organize a fantastic
crew of enthusiastic locals that helped us literally build a small
road out to base camp so that we could ferry in our supplies
and team from the airstrip they would all be flying into. There
were a few times that all of us were pulling the Land Cruisers
through the same rivers that our bikes barely made it across a
day earlier.
Soon base camp was up and the second advance team
arrived including Simon, Jim Mandelli (Canadian adventure
racing legend), and Keith Szlater (communication expert and
operations manager). In an effort to ground-truth the planned
survey routes that each team would embark on daily, Simon,
Jim and I went on a trekking sortie into the virgin forest. Our
goal was to find a route through the Tsingy in order to reach
the other side, which would have been an ancient shoreline
160-million years ago. Unfortunately, the unmapped Tsingy
was more daunting then even our collective experience
was prepared for, with geologic, biologic, and hydrologic
challenges at every turn.
We soon realized that we couldn’t take the rest of the team
through the Tsingy with any assurance of safety. Although
everyone was expecting to meet some level of danger on this
expedition, attempting to cross the Tsingy in this area was
certainly inviting disaster. So, like true explorers, we adapted
quickly, refocused the expedition, and started working on
our objectives of finding lemurs, caves, and archeological
sites closer to base camp. Fortunately for us, we found all
three within a two-kilometre walk from camp, including the
previously mentioned cave, some ancient pottery in a small
cavern, and seven out of 10 possible species of lemurs.
We were motivated by our early success, and searching for
lemurs and exploring the new cave kept us busy for days.
However, we found no additional archeological finds, likely
because they are scarce in this area, nor had we discover any
dinosaur tracks. Not finding dinosaur footprints was nagging
the team because it was one of the main objectives of the
project. Based on previous research south of our location,
Simon had a hunch that there might be an ancient dinosaur
highway nearby. If we discovered prints in the area, we
could add support and data to this theory. Simon decided
A endangered crowned sifaka
spotted during the team’s survey.
Tracks of a three-toed theropod
dinosaur.
Jim Mandelli, Canadian Adventure
Racing legend.
to assemble a small rapid
survey team made up
of the fastest and most
experienced members on
the expedition.
Starting south of our camp,
they pushed over 20
kilometres along a known
trail, crossing the Tsingy in
the process, and trekking
into the “sweet spot” where
the dinosaur tracks were
expected to exist. While
walking over some exposed
bedrock along a dry creek
bed, Jim noticed an odd
shape. Sure enough, it was
the three-toed footprint of a
theropod dinosaur! The print
was severely eroded, but it
clearly provided confirmation
that dinosaurs travelled
this ancient shoreline 160
million years earlier. A more
extensive search turned up
two trackways in the area,
making the site the most
northerly trackways yet
discovered in Madagascar.
Elated, the team returned to
share their discovery.
The expedition was a
fantastic success, and we
met all of our objectives.
The ground team and
support given by our
partner, Kensington Tours
was invaluable. The local
Malagasy team was fun
and also helped ensure the
success of our project. We
took many of the Malagasy
group out to see the cave
we discovered. Many had
never been to a cave, let
alone one this massive.
They were astonished by
both its size and beauty. We
Adventure Science veteran and expedition medic Tyler Leblanc heading out
on one of the nighttime lemur surveys.
asked the local Malagasy team to name the cave. After a few
minutes of discussion, it was unanimous the cave should be
called Anjohibetsara, which means “big beautiful cave.”
Travis and Simon wish to thank the following participants and
supporters of the Explorers Club Flag #112 expedition: Robin
Brooks MI’14, George Kourounis FI’09, Ian MacNairn, Jim
Mandelli, Keith Szlater, Mamy Razafitsalama, Melissa Rae
Stewart, Tim Puetz, Tyler LeBlanc, Joleen Plant, National
Parks Director, the park agents, Malagasy Army, and the
support team Kensington Tours support team (both field and
office).
Explorer Reports & Updates
Sedna’s July 2014 proof-of-concept expedition delivers results:
Planning continues for the Northwest Passage snorkel relay in 2017
By Susan R. Eaton MI’11
Founder and Leader, the 2014-2016 Sedna Epic Expedition
I watched intently as several
pods of long-finned pilot
whales – their bulbous black
heads plowed through the
water creating bow waves
during their passage –
approached the MV Cape
Race, our 116’ expedition
vessel. A large pod of
curious whales and calves
encircled Erika Bergman,
a submersible pilot and
Young National Geographic
Explorer, as she snorkeled
nearby in the deep waters of
the Davis Strait.
From Greenland to Alaska,
Sedna is the Inuit goddess
of the sea. As the spiritual
mother of all marine
mammals, Sedna regularly
takes the form of the sea
creatures within her watery
domain. What a fitting
welcome and good omen for
the 2014-2016 Sedna Epic
Expedition’s inaugural sea
trials in the Davis Strait.
From July 10 to 27, 2014,
I led an exceptional
10-woman team of ocean
explorers, scientists, scuba
diving professionals, movie
makers and journalists
on the 20-day proof-ofconcept snorkel expedition
from northern Labrador to
western Greenland.
Team Sedna in Nain, Labrador, prior to departure, in front of the MV Cape
Race. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
At its core, the proof-ofconcept expedition involved
long-distance snorkel relays,
team-building exercises
and a marine mammal and
sea bird census program.
The expedition also focused
on delivering an innovative
ocean educational program
using portable “touch”
aquariums and ocean-going
robots to Inuit communities
with a focus on empowering
young women and girls.
Using diver propulsion
vehicles, or scooters, the
women demonstrated that
snorkelers can successfully
mount long-distance relays
– up to 35 km in 12 hours
– in the open waters of the
Davis Strait and in coastal
waters strewn with pack ice
and bergy bits. Given these
performance metrics and the
Arctic’s non-stop sunlight
during summer, a 24/7
snorkel relay of the 3,000km Northwest Passage is
clearly within our grasp.
The multi-talented team
included female explorers
from Canada, the United
States, Mexico and New
Zealand. The team also
included two Canadian dive
masters and a two-man
above-water TV crew (of
Ice Pilots and Highway Thru
Hell fame) from Vancouver.
Four of the sea women
were affiliated with the
Explorers Club: Jill Heinerth
FN’10, Fellow of the Royal
Explorer Reports & Updates continued
Canadian Geographical
Society and Sedna’s official
photographer; Becky
Kagan Schott FN’12, fivetime Emmy Award winner
and Sedna’s underwater
videographer; Françoise
Gervais MI’13, leader of
Sedna’s marine mammal
and sea bird census project;
and Susan R. Eaton MI’11,
founder and leader of the
2014-2016 Sedna Epic
Expedition.
The expedition kicked off
on July 10 in Petty Harbour,
Newfoundland, with a press
conference at the Petty
Harbour Mini Aquarium, one
of our expedition partners.
Later that day, we delivered
a lecture at Memorial
University to 49 high school
girls enrolled in a summer
employment program
run by (WISE) Women in
Science and Engineering
Newfoundland and
Labrador, also an expedition
partner.
On July 14, after delivering
two days of ocean
educational outreach in
Nain, Labrador, we boarded
the MV Cape Race. Two
action-packed weeks at sea
followed. It was a good thing
that the sun never really set.
As the MV Cape Race
approached the Arctic
Circle, offshore Greenland,
the captain and his crew
kicked into a high seas
rite of passage called the
Order of the Blue Nose and
Sedna aquarium full of critters on the Transport Canada pier in Nain,
Labrador. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
Renata Rojas shows a young Inuit boy a sea snail. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
threatened to throw us overboard. True to Maritime tradition,
the captain transformed himself into King Neptune, complete
with an aluminum colander for a crown and a worse-for-wear
mop as a reasonable facsimile of a trident. Undaunted, we
donned our SANTI Ladies First Arctic-rated dry suits and
willingly jumped overboard. Snorkeling across the Arctic
Circle, we celebrated a world first under the midnight sun.
The formal part of the expedition concluded in Ilulissat,
western Greenland, where the Jakobshavn Glacier is hurtling
seaward at accelerating rates due to global warming. During
our approach to Ilulissat on a foggy morning, we
navigated a veritable minefield of icebergs that had originated
from the Jakobshavn Glacier.
Our flight home included a stopover in Iceland, a verdant
island where locals, channeling their Viking ancestors, still
reference Norse gods, trolls
and fairies in conversation.
Team Sedna snorkeled and
dived in the fresh (but frigid)
waters of the Silfra Fissure,
a geologically unique place
in Thingvellir National
Park where the midAtlantic Ridge dissects the
southwest part of Iceland.
The fissure, like this island
country, is geologically
young, and pulling apart
at a rate of two cms per
year. Framed by towering
columns of basalt, divers
can place one hand on the
North American tectonic
plate and the other on the
Eurasian tectonic plate.
Using ocean-going remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs)
and “touch” aquariums, our
science team set up shop
on the Transport Canada
pier in Nain, bringing
the ocean to eye level in
this predominantly Inuit
community. Led by Ruby
Banwait, an aquarist with
the Vancouver Aquarium,
the scuba divers carefully
collected and temporarily
housed invertebrates and
small fishes in Sedna’s two
large salt water aquariums.
Meanwhile, Erika
Bergman demonstrated
the capabilities of her
camera-equipped ROVs,
facilitating a unique handson educational experience
targeting girls and youths.
The residents of Nain
enthusiastically embraced
Susan R. Eaton navigates in pack ice, using the world’s first pink diver
propulsion vehicle, near Torngat Mountain National Park, northern Labrador.
The MV Cape Race stands by. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
our two-day outreach
program. Showcasing local
sea creatures housed in
our two large aquariums,
we raised awareness about
ocean conservation for this
essentially non-swimming
community. In turn, the Inuit
children and elders taught
us the Inuktitut names of
local invertebrates, including
Ittik, the word for sea urchin,
which looks remarkably like
a human posterior, Ittik in
the Inuktitut vernacular.
“The Sedna Epic Expedition
came at a good time,” said
Sean Lyall, an elected
Nain ordinary member and
speaker of the Nunatsiavut
Assembly. “We’ve had a
long cold winter and people
get quite excited when
new ships and new people
come in... it was great
having you here. Team
Sedna is certainly very
friendly, respectful and very
informative. Speaking with
the children and community,
it was nice to see lots of
happy, smiling faces.”
The success of Team
Sedna’s ocean outreach
program in Nain was due,
in large part, to the gracious
assistance of Sid Pain of
Nanuk Diving Inc. Sid is a
transplanted Australian who
came to Labrador to work
at the nearby Voisey’s Bay
Mine more than 20 years
ago. He donated scuba
tanks, compressed air and
truck transportation. He also
provided us with a higher
speed internet connection
than the local hotel could
muster.
Sid hosted a lovely BBQ
dinner on the eve of our
departure, presenting Team
Sedna with an exquisite
serpentine carving by a
local Inuit artist. The carving
depicts Sedna swimming,
seemingly at high speed,
with her hair streaming
back and one of her arms
outstretched. Sedna’s body
position is reminiscent of an
arctic snorkeler steering her
scooter at speeds of up to
six kilometres per hour.
Travelling by air, Team
Sedna plans to deliver its
innovative educational
outreach program featuring
its touch aquariums and
ocean-going ROVs to more
northern communities
during the summer of 2016,
building North-South bridges
with aboriginal organizations
and women’s groups.
Becky Kagan Schott films Team Sedna in pack ice near Torngat Mountain
National Park, northern Labrador. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
Logistical plans, including
the hunt for a suitable vessel
and fundraising activities
are underway to support
Team Sedna’s epic, 100day, 3,000-kilometre snorkel
relay of the Northwest
Passage during the summer
of 2017.
Team Sedna will celebrate
Canada’s 150th anniversary
by snorkeling from
Pond Inlet, Nunavut, to
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest
Territories. En route, the sea
women will scout, document
and record the impact of
global warming.
Immersing ourselves (pun
intended) in the issue of
disappearing sea ice, we’ll
translate our findings into
educational awareness
programs. The expedition
will serve as a call to
action for citizens of the
world, including youth,
providing aboriginal and
2014-2016 Sedna Epic Expedition route for proof of concept expedition, July
2014. Image by Susan R. Eaton.
scientific knowledge to inform governments of the world
on implementing science-based policies to mitigate global
warming. The expedition will also serve to inspire young
women and girls to think big, and to follow their dreams, no
matter how out-of-the-box they may appear.
Sedna will snorkel with the sea women during this epic
journey. One day, she’ll be a tusked narwhal or a beluga. The
next day, she’ll take the form of a walrus or a polar bear. To
follow or support the Sedna Epic, visit www.facebook.com/
sednaepic or www.sednaepic. To view the Sedna Epic, visit
www.youtube.com/user/sednaepic.
Flag Expedition #134 results in exciting dinosaur find
By Clive Coy FI’13 and Jessica Lansfield TI’13
Nine canoes containing 13
Explorers Club members
and five friends of the Club
completed a 190-kilometre
prospecting mission through
the beautiful Red Deer
River basin from Bleriot
Ferry to Jenner Bridge
between June 13 and 28,
2014. This canoe-based
expedition through Alberta’s
stunning, fossil-rich,
Badlands resulted in the
discovery of four hadrosaur
(duck-billed dinosaur)
skeletons, a ceratopsian
skeleton (relative of the
familiar Triceratops), a long
lost quarry site (possibly
excavated by early dinosaur
hunter Barnum Brown in
1910), three new bone beds
(mass death assemblages),
an ankylosaur skull
(armoured dinosaur), and an
extremely rare small meateating dinosaur.
When the small meat-eater
was initially discovered,
only a few tiny toe bones
were eroding out of the
rock. During excavation
the team exposed another
leg and foot, roof of the
skull, and a lethal-looking
claw from the hand; all
in their approximate life
positions, suggesting it was
a completely articulated
skeleton. Dr. Currie
identified the dinosaur as
Saurornitholestes, which
some researchers believe to
Jessica Lansfield and Clive Coy in the expedition’s flagship canoe. Photo by
Philip Currie.
Dr. Eva Koppelhus looks over outcrops in Drumheller area. Photo by Philip
Currie.
Dinosaur limb bone [Hadrosaur tibia] eroding out of the badlands. Photo by
Philip Currie
be Velociraptor, an animal
currently only found in
Mongolia.
This is an extraordinary find
for the University of Alberta.
For Dr. Currie and Clive Coy,
it represents the culmination
of a 34-year quest for a
complete small theropod
from Alberta that highlights
the close relationship
between theropods from
Alberta and Mongolia. In
truth, Dr. Currie extremely
excited about the discovery,
proclaimed it as “the best
small theropod ever found in
Alberta”.
Expedition members on a breezy pinnacle, taking a break from prospecting
for bones. Photo by Philip Currie.
Lee Treolar’s Ankylosaur skull as found eroding out of the
badlands. Photo By Philip Currie
Expedition camp on the Red Deer River just East of
Dinosaur Provincial Park. Photo by Philip Currie
The 18 members of the expedition
Dr. Philip Currie FI’02, expedition co-leader; Dr. Eva Koppelhus FI’02, expedition co-leader; Jason
Schoonover FE’86, expedition co-leader; Clive Coy FI’13, technician; Susan Hattori MI’13, medical
officer; Jessica Lansfield TI’13, TEC student representative; Tony Mayo MI’14; Lee Treloar MI’09;
Captain Norman Baker FN’70; Robert Tymstra FI’94; Jessica Lindsay Phillips MI’12; Kumiko
Yokoyama MI’13; Dr. James Anthony MI’10; Phyllis Biegun; Doug Chisholm; Diane Fay; Brian Gentner;
and Sally McIntosh. A full expedition report can be found at www.explorers.org/flag_reports.
On board of MV Cape Race: Exploring the top of the world
by Françoise Gervais
MV Cape Race had an
extremely busy 2014
season taking researchers
involved in the 2014-2016
Sedna Epic proof-ofconcept Expedition from
Labrador to Greenland
and Baffin Island. The field
season began in July with
exceptionally sunny weather
and calm seas. In addition
to numerous snorkel relay
trials with diver propulsion
vehicles, the ten-woman
expedition conducted a
pelagic seabird survey.
Equipped with Suunto
GPS watches, binoculars,
clipboards and pencils, the
team spotted, identified and
documented the location
of many remarkable
sea birds including the
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus
glacialis), Pomarine
Kyatt Dixon processing samples. Photo by Françoise Gervais.
Ruby Bainwait and Françoise Gervais surveying birds. Photo by Jill Heinerth.
The nasal passages on the upper bill of the Northern
Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), one the numerous
adaptations of seabirds, are clearly visible. Photo by
Françoise Gervais.
Scientific diving team ready to go sampling in cold water.
(Left to right): Kathleen MacGregor, Mathieu Suskiewicz,
Françoise Gervais (guide), Christopher Lane, Kyatt Dixon,
Gary Sounders.
Jaeger (Stercorarius
pomarinus), Razorbill
(Alca torda). They also
had interesting encounters
with whales including
Minke whale (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata); Northern
Bottlenose whale
(Hyperoodon ampullatus)
and Long-finned Pilot whale
(Globicephala melas).
In August, MV Cape Race
continued her way north
to explore the glaciers
of Sermalik Fjord in East
Greenland, now with a team
led by Eric Rignot of NASA’s
NASA’s research team pushed the ice away from the boat to avoid damage
to the sonar device. Photo by Françoise Gervais.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory and TerraSond Limited. Navigating through thick ice, bergy bits and
uncharted areas, they went as close as possible to glaciers to map the seafloor and collect sea
water measurements in order to better understand the dynamics of Greenland’s glaciers.
She travelled along Baffin Island and the Labrador coast before welcoming, with Arctic
Kingdom, a team of researchers eager to sample species to better understand the dynamics
of arctic diversity. By then it was late September, and they didn’t have to brave icebergs, as in
Greenland, but numerous storms instead.
In Other News
Dr. Austin Mardon CorMem’86 inducted into the Royal
Society of Canada
Dr. Austin Mardon was inducted into the Royal Society of
Canada, the highest honour available to academics and
scholars, on November 22, 2014. This comes by way of
special election for his contributions “to our store of knowledge
on living with mental illnesses and the stigma that surrounds
them.” An accomplished academic, geologist, and mentor, Dr.
Mardon has been to Antarctica to help recover meteorites,
and helped develop methods for retrieving meteorites in
Soviet Russia. Dr. Mardon has struggled with schizophrenia
since October 1992, but has led a fulfilling life, marrying and
adopting a son. This is a link to Austin’s website:
www.austinmardon.org/
_______
Hannah James SM’13 recently returned from 11 days on
the CCGS Amundsen, Canada’s state-of-the-art research
icebreaker, traveling from Kugluktuk to Iqaluit. The Schools on
Board program aims to bridge the gap between Arctic science
Dr. Mardon at the Royal Society
of Canada induction ceremony
in Ottawa. Photo courtesy of
Jonathan Harline.
and secondary schools. With the 13 other members of the Schools on Board team Hannah had
the chance to experience both the awe-inspiring beauty of the north and the frontier of Arctic
climate science. From polar bear sightings, ice islands and phytoplankton classification her first
trip to the Canadian Arctic captured her heart and she eagerly awaits the next opportunity to
return.
_______
West Dawson shipyard video
By John Pollack FI’06
The West Dawson shipyard dates from the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and contains one of the
best collections of 19th century stern-wheel steamboats in North America.
You might find this clip interesting and possibly useful. Please see www.youtube.com/
watch?v=VxE_BIk8Od0&feature=youtu.be.
The old West Dawson shipyard is one of our major sites in the Yukon and perhaps the best
preserved and largest collection of 19th century steamboats remaining in North America.
Seven great steamboats lie in the forest next to the Yukon River. No diving, great access, and
wonderful local people.
The clip is a spinoff from our 2014 work assessing the 1898 vessel Schwatka. Sean Adams did
the flying, and Jim Bruner of the PAST Foundation did the editing. The result was entered into
the 2015 video contest at the Society for Historical Archaeology meeting in Seattle. Our thanks
to Dr. Sheli Smith for setting this one up.
Note the music is a song on a Berliner record found at the wreck of A.J. Goddard entitled The
Harp that Once Through Tara’s Halls.
Work at West Dawson will continue in 2015, funding permitting.
_______
“I wish to help make the Oak Ridges Moraine a rock star” – Bill Lishman FI’07
On behalf of Bill Lishman we are looking to raise awareness for a new book he is trying to
publish through crowdfunding. We need your support in order to publish this beautiful book.
Please spread the word about the campaign.
Artist Bill Lishman rose to prominence in the late eighties by becoming the first human to fly with
birds (Fly Away Home, the 1996 feature film was based by his story). Bill has been flying over
the Moraine from east to west since he first started flying with birds almost three decades ago
and has become passionate not only about the moraines geological importance but its diverse
beauty.
From his privileged bird-like vantage, he has taken thousands of photos and now wishes to
share the best of this imagery. We hope you will become a part of this project and help us
celebrate this wonderful natural area of South-Central Ontario.
The crowd funding site is live on Rockethub and will be up until March 9th, 2015.
Rockethub link: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/51778-bill-lishman-s-oak-ridges-morainefrom-above-limited-edition-book
Trépanier’s Glacierside Painting: From Canada’s Far North
to the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C.
What began in one of the most remote and raw landscapes on earth under the watchful eyes of
Arctic wolves and muskox, has now completed a journey of 4,780 kilometres to hang for a year
in Canada’s Arctic Room, overlooking the White House.
Almost a decade ago artist/filmmaker Cory Trépanier MI’09 began his Into The Arctic project with
the unique artistic goal of creating the most unprecedented collection of original oil paintings
from the Canadian Arctic of our time.
To accomplish this, he undertook three extensive Arctic painting/filming expeditions, which
have led to over 50 oil paintings from some of the most remote and spectacular corners of our
planet’s north. Places seldom seen, many of them have never been captured on canvas before.
It has also led to two films, including the Canadian Screen Award nominated Into The Arctic II.
One afternoon, with his half-box French easel perched on a hillside in Ellesmere Island’s
Quttinirpaaq National Park, where his canvas might hang some day was the furthest thing from
his mind. Instead, he battled blowing sands from the polar desert, adding grit to his oil paints,
was busy keeping an eye out for stray polar bears, and was awed by the icy spectacle of
Henrietta Nesmith, a glacier that dominated the landscape before him and is so massive that it
creates its own weather system.
It was just one day of a 10-day hike, during a seven week expedition to Canada’s Far North, but
the impression made on Cory led to his largest painting of the expedition: his eight-foot wide
Glacierside.
Now, visitors to the Canadian Embassy will be seized with the stark beauty of this majestic land
through Cory’s passionate brushstrokes.
On display for the next year, Glacierside is accompanied by the small oil study began on
location, and a short excerpt from his Into The Arctic II film from his journey.
U.S. exploration history also plays a part in this story as Henrietta Nesmith Glacier was named
by American explorer Adolphus Greely in 1882 in honour of his wife who pressed for a rescue
mission that saved his life.
The timing is most appropriate as Canada prepares to pass along the chairmanship of the Arctic
Council of nations to the US this spring.
2017 Into The Arctic Traveling Museum Exhibition
Those that view Glacierside at the Embassy will receive a powerful introduction to what is to
come next. In 2017, this canvas will be joined by over 50 of Cory’s paintings from the furthest
reaches of Canada’s north,
by his Arctic films, maps
and more to form the Into
The Arctic North American
traveling museum exhibition.
Opportunities to bring the
collection overseas, and
share Canada’s Arctic even
more broadly, are also being
explored.
2015 Into The Arctic: The
Last Chapter Expedition
The lure of the north has
gripped Cory once more: he
is currently preparing for one last unexpected Into The Arctic painting expedition. His fourth for
the project, this journey will be over six weeks in length and is to begin this July.
This will boost his Into The Arctic collection to almost 75 paintings and add one more film to the
project leading up to the start of the exhibition tour in 2017.
With untouched landscapes like the one that Trépanier depicted in Glacierside, can you really
blame him for going back?
Visit www.intothearctic.com for paintings, expedition videos, photos, stories, and much more.
Visit Cory’s Caledon gallery and studio, just northwest of Toronto, and see his works at www.
trepanieroriginals.com
_______
At a recent Ontario/Nunavut Chapter meeting, Matt Ryan, co-chair of TEDxToronto 2015, came
to visit and talk about how the organization and conference operate, what type of speakers they
look for and how to get involved as a volunteer.
This fall the 7th annual TEDxToronto conference will bring together the city’s idea collaborators,
thinkers, innovators and influencers. The ‘x’ in TEDx stands for “independently organized
events”. These events occur all around the world with the common concept of “ideas worth
spreading”. Each has its own theme and their programming includes a day of speakers from a
variety of backgrounds, all with an idea to tell the world.
While TEDxToronto may focus on that city and its people, or a story or idea that comes from
there, the driving force behind how ideas are shared is that the talks from TEDxToronto (or any
TEDx event) will end up on TED.com.
Explorers Club member George Kourounis FI’09 was a speaker at TEDxToronto 2010, as well as
a few other TEDx events. His TEDxToronto talk was “Why Being Afraid Makes You Live Longer”.
See the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l47MH0T_lY4&feature=youtu.be
The theme for TEDxToronto 2015 will be announced in the spring and to be a speaker you can
apply through www.tedxtoronto.com. Updates for TEDxToronto will be made via the website and
social media channels: www.facebook.com/tedxtoronto and www.twitter.com/tedxtoronto
Awards & Honours
Simon Donato FI’09
The 2014 Canadian Chapter Award Recipients
By Lee Treloar MI’09
Each year, the Awards and Honours Committee of the
Canadian Chapter is tasked with honouring a number of
deserving Canadian members with one of the chapter
three awards. Our three awards are the Stefansson Medal,
Citation of Merit, and the Explorers Honour Roll. Each award
recognizes different exploration accomplishments. While the
Committee gets to read the nominations forms and get to
know the candidates in more detail, we recognize that many
of fellow Canadian Chapter members are not aware of the
accomplishments of these individuals. To that end, here is a
more robust description of this year’s Stefansson, and Citation of Merit award recipients.
The 2014 Stefansson Medal
The Stefansson Medal honours outstanding contributions to exploration and/or field sciences by
exceptionally meritorious members of the Canadian chapter of The Explorers Club. This medal
has been made possible by the generous support of Jeff Willner MI’01 and Kensington Tours
George Kourounis FI’09 and Peter Rowe FI’08 are jointly recognized for the Stefansson Medal
of 2014, not only for their work on Angry Planet and several other productions, but for their
contributions to the Club. Both Peter and George are full time and extremely active explorers,
with many years of exploration under their respective belts. They are very deserving of this
highest honour of The Explorers Club Canadian Chapter.
George Kourounis FI’09
George Kourounis is unique as an explorer, and has developed a career specializing in
documenting the extreme forces of nature. He does so in a most personal, most dramatic
manner that has led to numerous documentaries for TV, film, and speaking engagements.
George has done an enormous amount to educate the public on Mother Nature, and The
Explorers Club.
George has only been a member of The Explorers Club for five years, but a quick look at his
CV reflects a remarkable dedication to scientific exploration. It is quite astounding how many
projects he has undertaken, including participation in four flag expeditions.
George is an explorer who specializes in documenting extreme forces of nature - often in
remote and challenging locations worldwide. His style is to get up-close and personal with
Mother Nature in order to show the sheer power, magnitude, and scale of these events. He
is well known for his 11-year dedication to the chasing and documenting of tornados, as his
battered SUV will attest.
In 2014 alone George participated in several remarkable expeditions. In Cape Verde George
documented the Fogo Island volcanic eruption from the newly erupting Pico de Fogo volcano.
A month earlier he was involved in the re-tracing part of Theodore Roosevelt’s 1914 expedition
of the Amazon’s River of Doubt as part of an Explorers Club
flag expedition. He also participated in another Explorers Club
flag expedition involving the exploration of Madagascar’s
Limestone Labyrinth which is a nearly impenetrable, deadly
sharp limestone landscape of the rarely visited Tsingy de
Bemaraha Strict Nature Preserve.
In September 2014 George participated in the Marum Volcano
Expedition on Ambrym Island, Vanuatu where he descended
400 metres to the bottom of the Marum crater to document
the violently boiling lava at the base. In January, George was
in Antarctica filming episodes of the TV series “Unearthed”
in various locations along the Antarctic Peninsula and South
Shetland Islands.
George Kourounis FI’11
In November 2013 he was the expedition leader for a National Geographic, and TEC flag
expedition to the Darvaza flaming gas crater in the Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan. The result
of a Russian-era drilling mishap and subsequent collapse, the crater has been leaking methane
gas and has been burning for over 40 years. George became the first person to ever set foot at
the bottom. While there he took temperature readings and soil samples that were later analyzed
and found to contain new species of extremophile bacteria. The expedition was featured in the
National Geographic television show Die Trying – Crater of Fire, which was another TEC flag
expedition.
During his 11 years of guiding tornado chasing trips in the central United States he has recorded
close to 100 tornadoes. In 2013 he filmed the largest tornado ever seen in the USA – it was
over four kilometres wide! George has also chased storms in the Australian Outback, and
photographed the Catatumbo everlasting lightning phenomenon in remote Venezuela. George
intercepted and documented 18 hurricanes, in the U.S., Jamaica, Canada and Bermuda.
George is also one of few people to have explored the Naica Crystal Cave, Mexico. Located
900 feet below the Earth’s surface, Naica Cave contains the largest crystals in the world. Some
of them are 30 feet long and weigh 55 tons. The environment inside the cave is extremely
hostile with an air temperature of 52oC and a humidity approaching 100%. Custom ice-filled
suits were required to explore the cave. This adventure is marvelously documented and was
also an Explorers Club flag expedition.
George has documented more than 20 active volcanoes all over the world, often climbing them
or rappelling down inside the craters. Locations have included: The Danakil Desert; Ethiopia,
Indonesia, Deception Island; Antarctica, Djibouti, Iceland, Congo, Vanuatu, Italy, Costa Rica,
Dominica, New Zealand and more. George swam ashore to the world’s newest volcanic island
that had recently erupted out of the sea near Tonga. George was married on the crater’s edge of
the exploding Yasur volcano, Tanna Island.
This overview of George’s explorations is only a fraction of a much larger list. George is an
enthusiastic and active member of the Club, and is known globally for his explorations efforts. In
addition to his on-screen contributions, he is also generous with his time, contributing it regularly
a speaker and a moderator. George has contributed in a major way in how people perceive the
world. His field efforts are literally legendary, and in his words – nothing on earth is off-limits if
you simply ask and pay.
Peter Rowe FI’08
Peter Rowe is a documentary and dramatic filmmaker
specializing in the themes of exploration and adventure.
He has a history of exploration which goes back more than
four decades beginning with exploration of the Tweedsmuir
Glacier of British Columbia and the Yukon in 1971. His 39-part
television series Angry Planet airs in 35 countries around the
world.
His wilderness filmmaking has taken place in over 40
countries and in many challenging locations such as in active
volcanoes, Antarctica, the Canadian Arctic, the Sahara Desert
and the Empty Quarter.
Peter has been involved in four Explorers Club flag
expeditions:
2009 – Flag 74 – Crystal Cave Expedition
2011 – Flag 46 – Lionfish Expedition
2012 – Flag 76 – Reef Revisited - Curasub Expedition
2014 – Flag 220 – Rio Roosevelt (Brazil) Expedition
Peter Rowe FI’10
In addition to his explorations and film making, Peter has been active in The Explorers Club. He
is the Director of the Club’s Ontario/Nunavut region; given presentations at The Explorers Club
New York; showed the Naica crystal cave film at the 2010 ECAD; and participated in the 2009
Lowell Thomas Dinner with a flag return and film presentation.
As well as his involvement with Angry Planet and numerous films, Peter is an author. His most
recent book Adventures in Filmmaking, published in 2013, describes 40 years of adventure and
wilderness filmmaking around the world. He is well published which is an important criterion for
TEC members. He has had two articles published in the Explorers Journal and also written for
Sailing Canada, the Globe & Mail, Toronto Sun, Readers Digest, Canadian Cinematographer
and others.
His filmmaking has taken Peter on expeditions all over the world. Since 2006, this has primarily
been for the television series he produces and films, Angry Planet, done in collaboration with
the host of the show George Kourounis. Getting the message of science and exploration to the
public is a major component of Peter’s contribution to TEC.
Since January, 2015, Peter has been to Siberia to find the coldest village in the world, then to
Tuvalu, which with rising ocean levels might become the world’s first virtual country, then to
Vanuatu, where he plans to explore a brand new lava eruption on Ambrym Island, then to Laos,
where we explored three large underground caves. I believe they are back from all of this.
Peter has always been as an open communicator who shares his experience and knowledge
of film making. He represents the silent background leader of exploration, always being on the
opposite end of the camera and spending oodles of time in the editing suite. He has participated
in and led expeditions for his films and television series, and endured activities that push the
limits so that he can bring the world to our living rooms. His work has inspired young explorers
to be, and helped to support existing scientific expeditions by providing a record base, and
sometimes extra hands to get the work done!
In the documentary film business, not everyone is the
public figure. Peter has served as the background to get the
information and experience out there by dealing with the
often boring and laborious efforts of logistics, bureaucratic
paperwork, and behind the scenes stuff that makes the
production possible.
His book Adventures in Film Making shares many of these
experiences and aside from being a thoroughly enjoyable
read, provides information valuable to the would-be
documentary filmmaker.
Eduard Reinhardt FI’04
The Citation of Merit
The Citation of Merit is awarded annually to recognize a commendable feat of exploration or
services to the Canadian Chapter of The Explorers Club.
Eduard Reinhardt FI’04 and Clive Coy FI’13 are the 2014 winners of the Citation of Merit for
their contributions to exploration and academic. Both Ed and Clive are researchers, with Ed
serving as a professor at McMaster University, and Clive as senior technician at the vertebrate
paleontology program of the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Alberta.
Eduard G. Reinhardt FI’04
Eduard G. Reinhardt is a professor in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences at
McMaster University in Hamilton, where his his research interests vary widely from isotope
geochemistry to quaternary geology. His present interest in underwater cave exploration
centring on geoarchaeology is fascinating and the basis for his 2014 nomination. He writes:
“In November 2005, I became interested in the aquatic caves of the Yucatan Peninsula while
attending a presentation on the Cenotes of Mexico at the Kingston, Ontario Dive Show. I had
never considered studying caves, but during the presentation I realized their potential for
containing important geological and archaeological evidence.”
Since then, Ed has become one of the preeminent underwater cave researchers on the planet leveraging his expertise in geology, micropaleontology, isotope geochemistry, and archaeology
to help better interpret the environmental, and climactic history of these flooded passages.
Some of the longest underwater caves are found in the Yucatan, with the Ox Bel Ha being in
excess of 242 kilometres. Presently, these caves are beautiful subterranean landscapes with
gin clear waters, but during the last period of continental glaciation, were dry labyrinths that
entrapped unwary humans and now extinct animals.
Ed’s fascination with cave systems has grown through the years, in part because of their
general inaccessibility. In his words, “few scientists visit aquatic caves because of the
specialized training required for diving in the flooded cave passages with no direct access
to the surface. In February 2006, I took my first cave diving course with Global Underwater
Explorers in Mexico. I began diving in 1989 and I was a proficient diver, but found cave diver
training challenging. I then had to ‘undo’ many bad habits that I had picked-up through the
years. Learning precise positional and buoyancy control is a critical part of cave diving as well
as precise dive planning with redundant equipment is required which is not part of recreational
open water diving classes.”
Ed’s contributions to the Hoyo Negro project garnered international headlines in 2014 as
details of the research findings became public. The Hoyo Negro (black hole) cenote is a fossil
treasure-trove, containing both human, and mega-faunal
remains dating from the late Pleistocene. The Hoyo Negro site
is particularly important due to the incredibly well preserved
remains of Naia, a 13,000-year-old skeleton from a young
female who became trapped and perished in the cave when
it was dry, and accessible. This cave also contains well
preserved skeletal remains of extinct Pleistocene mega-fauna
including sabre tooth cats, ground sloths, and more.
Based on research by Reinhardt and others, it’s thought that
humans and animals were lured into the dry caves in search
of water and/or carrion, or became trapped and perished
after falling into this (and other) sinkhole(s). Using sediment
Clive Coy FI’13
cores, microfossils (marine foraminifera and freshwater
thecamoebians), and radiocarbon dating, and and his
colleagues have been able to shed light on when and why animals and humans may have
entered the cave. As sea-level rose during the Holocene, the caves flooded, preserving a fossil
record that would not have survived on the surface, exposed to normal meteoric processes.
Other caves in the region have yielded well preserved human remains, which have been useful
for researchers studying the timing of human arrival in North America following their crossing of
the Bering land bridge. This find is unique in that it is directly associated with mega-fauna of late
Pleistocene age.
Ed described his research in the summer 2013 issue of Far Afield, stating that, “using sediment
cores reconstructs the cave environment and tries to determine when cave passages were
closed with rising groundwater level. Rising groundwater levels associated with Holocene sealevel rise would have cut-off cave passages at different times preventing animal and human
access but we have little data on when this occurred, and its effect on cave site formation and
the accumulation of bones. The present groundwater is not entirely fresh in all parts of the
Yucatan, so there are questions on its potability and whether animals and humans were lured
into the cave for drinking water. Cave sediment cores and their microfossil content will provide
important details on groundwater salinity in the past.”
In Ed’s words, “Yucatan caves represent a new frontier in Quaternary science that has remained
largely unstudied due to inaccessibility, but as more cave passages are explored the discoveries
will increase. Venturing into an underwater cave not visited for millennia is awe inspiring, but
requires specialized training to make sure you know the way out!”
Clive Coy FI’13
Dr. Clive Coy is the senior technician in the Vertebrate Paleontology program of the Biological
Sciences Department at the University of Alberta. Although a recent addition to the Canadian
chapter of the Club, he has collected and prepared a wide variety of vertebrate fossils for
research and exhibition for over 30 years.
Clive supervises two specimen preparation laboratories at the University of Alberta:
DINO LAB (part of Dr. Phil Currie’s Dinosaur Paleobiology Programme) and Z423, a lab shared
with other vertebrate paleontology research programmes.
Clive’s significant projects to date include:
2010, Argentina-Canada Dinosaur Project
2009, Korea International Dinosaur Project
2006, Svalbard Marine Reptiles
2001-2008, Canada-Mongolia Project
1998, Japan-Mongolia Paleontological Expedition
1996, Kong-Long Dinosaur Exhibit at Tyrrell Museum
1996, Dinosaurs from the Gobi
1993, The Dinosaur Project, An International Exhibit
1990, Hitachi Dinoventure display in Japan
1986, Display for Field Station of the Royal Tyrrell Museum
1982-85, building exhibits for the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
In June 2014, Clive was one of the team leaders from the University of Alberta, along with Dr.
Philip Currie FI’02, Dr. Eva Koppelhus FI’02, who re-worked a recently rediscovered bone bed
south of Edmonton. On this Flag Expedition #134: Dinosaurs of the Red Deer River II, were 13
members of The Explorers Club and five other keen participants who paddled down the Red
Deer River and hiked the canyons for 18 days, looking for possible bone beds.
The expedition was a huge success resulting in numerous significant finds, several of which
were excavated and brought back to the lab in Edmonton. Clive made an important discovery
on that expedition but did not know the extent of his find while out in the field in June. Spotting
only a few toe bones sticking out of the sandstone, he used his brief window of time to further
expose the ankle and geo-tagged the specimen.
He returned to excavate the site in September. This time, Clive exposed the other foot, leg, roof
of the skull, and a beautifully preserved claw from the hand. All bones were in their approximate
life positions. From what he could see, it appeared to be a completely articulated skeleton!
Back at the lab, Dr. Phil Currie identified it as the small theropod Saurornitholestes, which some
researchers believe is the same as Velociraptor. Clive’s discovery is a very exciting find for the
University of Alberta, and for Cretaceous dinosaur research worldwide.
The specimen is reported to be the best-preserved small theropod found in the province. It is a
known species, but it is the most complete yet discovered in North America. Clive believes the
painstaking work of chipping away the 75 million years of detritus will take him the better part of
a year, but his enthusiasm for the project never wanes, as a find such as this comes once in a
lifetime.
Explorers Honour Roll
The Explorers Club Flag expeditions
Flag #112: Madagascar’s limestone labyrinth. The team surveyed unexplored regions of
Madagascar’s great tsingy and discovered new caves, archaeological sites, dinosaur tracks,
and conducted lemur surveys:
Robin Brooks MI’14: Robin provided logistical support during the expedition. Robin also
organizes the monthly meetings for the Ontario chapter at the Kensington Tour offices in
Toronto.
Simon Donato FI’09: Simon was the project lead, team geologist/paleontologist, and responsible
for the discovery of the Anjohibetsara cave.
George Kourounis FI’09: George served as cave expert, small space aficionado, and
photographer.
Travis Steffens FI’14: In addition to significant logistical contributions, Travis served as the
expedition’s primatologist and naturalist, leading daily lemur surveys.
Flag #113: The expedition’s objective was to canoe and explore a nameless river on Victoria
Island in Nunavut, over 500 kilometres above the Arctic Circle.
Adam Shoalts TM’14: Led the expedition in the Canadian Arctic, where he spent several weeks
conducting the first-ever paddle survey of this river.
Flag #134: This flag expedition set out to find new fossil resources through the badlands along
the Red Deer River, AB, which has the highest concentration of dinosaur bones in the world.
Eighteen members paddled and 180 km, making several important discoveries along the route.
Dr. Philip Currie FI’02: Philip co-led the expedition and served as the field leader and
paleontologist.
Susan Hattori MI’13: Susan served as the medical officer on the expedition.
Dr. Eva Koppelhus FI’02: Eva co-led the expedition and served as the field leader and
palynologist.
Jessica Lansfield TI’13: Jessica participated in the expedition and was the The Explorers Club
student representative.
Tony Mayo MI’14: Tony participated in the expedition and served as the fire starter and
story-teller.
Jessica Lindsay Phillips MI’12: Jessica was responsible for several discoveries on the
expedition.
Jason Schoonover FE’86: Jason was the team leader for the expedition.
Lee Treloar MI’09: Lee was responsible for a significant Anklyosaur discovery, and subsequent
specimen preparation in the University of Alberta Bio Sciences laboratory.
Robert Tymstra FI’94: Robert served as the ornithologist on the expedition and along with the
team identified 95 species of bird.
Kumiko Yokoyama MI’13: Kumiko participated in the expedition and was responsible for several
discoveries.
Flag #211: This expedition was the first for the newly created flag #211 which saw the Anglo-
Danish Maritime Archaeological Team explore the remains of the French brig Le Casimir, which
sunk after hitting a reef at night in 1829.
Dr. Simon Spooner FI’04: Led the successful Le Casimir Wreck Project.
Significant non-Flag expeditions
Susan R. Eaton MI’11: Susan led the all-female 2014 Sedna Epic Expedition to the Canadian
arctic and Greenland, achieving a first-of-its-kind snorkel relay in arctic waters.
Francoise Gervais MI’13: Francoise participated in the 2014 Sedna Epic Expedition to conducted
marine mammal and seabird surveys.
Explorer Resources
Send us your suggestions for resources, information, granting sites, websites and other
materials helpful to exploration and field research.
Explorers Club Canadian Chapter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/explorersclubcanada.
Find out what your fellow members are up to and share your own news.
Gribs USA (www.grib.us) is the format used by the meteorological institutes of the world to
transport and manipulate weather data and is the foundation of the forecasts we see around us
in our daily life. GRIB.US allows you to extract weather files tailored to your needs. The easy-touse Ugrib software allows you to view the data anywhere in the world when you want to, where
you want to.
Classifieds
Wanted: Contributions to Far Afield
We’re looking for keen and interested volunteers to help edit and write columns.
Please contact Wilson at [email protected]
Wanted: Expedition photos for the front cover of Far Afield.
Please contact Wilson at [email protected].
Publication Schedule
E-newsletter monthly schedule
Call for news
First Wednesday of every month
Deadline for submissions Second Wednesday of every month
Publication
Third Wednesday of every month
Send your submissions to [email protected]
Far Afield
Issue
Winter
Summer
Submission deadline
December 15
May 15
Publication date
February
July
The Explorers Log
Issue
Spring 2015
Summer 2015
Submission deadline
February 8
May 8
Publication date
May 2015
August 2015

NEWS FOR THE CANADIAN CHAPTER

Transcription

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