National Trust hosts fossils workshop on Trinidad's Ice Age

Trinidad's Ice Age is the focus of a fossils workshop that the National Trust hosts this week with the help of US experts.

The trust partners with the La Brea Tar Pit Museum of Los Angeles to host the workshop on August 27 and 28, led by council member, Dr Ryan Mohammed. Alexis M Mychajliw from Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences in California will be a key facilitator. The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning about the exploration and care for fossils and participants will be eligible for selection to take part in a fossil dig in 2022.

In a release, the trust says Trinidad was once "blanketed in ice, armadillos the size of cars and ground sloths larger than humans roamed the land and an ancestor of modern llamas lived here."

"While there is some documentation and more research is in progress, about the country’s pre-Columbian and colonial history, its pre-historic existence has largely remained a mystery."

This month, the National Trust is partnering with experts in the study of pre-historic flora and fauna found in Trinidad, to give the public greater insights into the country’s fossil history.

The workshop is phase one of a three-phase programme aimed at bolstering the country’s capacity for exploration, research, and conservation of its prehistoric fossil evidence. The other two phases are a fossils exploration dig earmarked for the first quarter of 2022 and the development of infrastructure for further capacity building, including establishing an administrative body to regulate fossil research and exploration, academic scholarships in relevant fields of study and fossil exploration training spaces. Under the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago Act, fossils are included as items of historical importance that merit legal protection from unregulated exploitation.

The workshop is happening against the backdrop of the repatriation of fossils discovered in Trinidad as far back as the 1920s, which were sent abroad for analysis. Margaret McDowall, chairman of the National Trust, said this situation is what the development programme is aimed at addressing. “Our ability to have the local capacity to explore, catalogue and educate citizens about our fossil history is another indicator of the country’s independence and development. This is a multimillion billion-dollar global activity and as a country, we have a lot of catching up to do,” she said. McDowall said the National Trust was grateful to work with experts from Middlebury College and La Brea Tar Pit Museum to jumpstart to process.

Currently the fee if $150 for National Trust members and $200 for non-members. A limited number of sponsored spaces are available for secondary and tertiary students to enrol for free. Registration can be completed at the link https://nationaltrust.tt/trinidad-ice-age-workshop/. For further information contact Graeme Suite at Graeme.Suite@nationaltrust.tt, or 682-0054.

About the National Trust

The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago was established by Act 11 of 1991 and amended by Act No 31 of 1999. The trust is established with the following objectives:

• Identifying built and natural properties and sites of interest

• Formally listing properties and sites important to our national heritage to prevent destruction or to ensure discussion prior to agreed modification.

• Making provision for access to and enjoyment of properties of interest by the public

• Encouraging research and acquiring records of properties of interest and historical artefacts

• Conducting education and awareness campaigns to ensure general acceptance of the rich and diverse heritage of Trinidad and Tobago.

Comparison of the size of a Glyptodont, a giant armadillo. Source: socialsciences.mcmaster.ca.jpg