The Orcas Island Historical Museum announces that Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 pm, Dr. Michael Wilson, of Douglas College and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, will present the latest findings regarding the 11,760-year-old Ayer Pond Bison antiquus specimen that is a part of the Museum’s collection.

The presentation will take place at OrcasCenter and a $10 entrance donation is asked. Students and children will be admitted for free.

Dr. Wilson and his Washington colleagues Steve Kenady and Randall Schalk, working with these and several other discoveries of bones from Orcas Island, have written a series of papers about these giant bison and the ancient environment in which they lived. One of the most important findings is evidence suggesting human interaction with these bones. Wilson’s presentation will give the community information about that and how these findings are turning the heads of the scientific world and lending more credence to the coastal migration theory of human peopling of the New World.

In addition, Dr. Wilson will discuss how the bison finds from Orcas and Vancouver Islands illustrate important principles about animal dispersal into new environments, and how environmental limitations can influence even the appearance of the animals. “These bones will have an impact on scientific theory well beyond the local story,” says Wilson.

A reception will follow in the Madrona Room, where the bison skull will be displayed, along with the seven-foot-tall replica and its woolen coat, knitted by Orcas Island community members. Donations will be accepted towards the cost of creation of an exhibit in the Museum.