Courtenay Annual Report 2025 draft

Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre

Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre The Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre continued its long-standing role as a regional leader in natural and cultural heritage education. Established in 1961, the museum preserves and interprets the Comox Valley’s rich human and palaeontological history through onsite exhibits, outdoor programming and school and community outreach. Programs span 80 million years of history, including First Nations history, early settlement, social history, geology and the Valley’s internationally significant fossil record. 2025 was a landmark year for palaeontology in Courtenay. On May 23, the Puntledge River elasmosaur — the same specimen adopted in 2023 as B.C.'s official fossil emblem — was formally named Traskasaura sandrae in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. This achievement reflects decades of scientific collaboration, stewardship and public engagement by museum staff and volunteers, academic partners, elected officials and thousands of visitors who have supported the museum’s fossil heritage. The museum also supported the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society as it prepared to host the 15th B.C. Paleontological Symposium in Courtenay from August 22 to 26, 2025.

The symposium welcomed keynote speaker Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, alongside renowned artist and scientific collaborator Ray Troll. Through its exhibitions, public programs and research partnerships, the museum remains a cultural anchor for downtown Courtenay and a key contributor to both local learning and global scientific discovery.

Courtenay and District Museum Total visits (general, school visits, fossil tours) Volunteer hours (collections management, public celebrations) Number of hired summer students and participation hours Travelling and temporary exhibitions National and international scientists working on research on museum fossils Scholars, authors and organizations carrying out social history research

27,800

2,450

3 students 840 hours

6

45

48

12

Number of newsletters

2025 Annual Report | 71