Wow, we planned today down to the very minute details and yet the rain went beyond all of our expectations. The heavens opened just as we opened our doors for the 2009 season. This is the first real rainfall we have had this spring and with it came that beautiful smell of fresh, damp earth, which created a natural undertone to our Earth Day celebrations.
So far we have welcomed over 300 people through our doors today, including 70 students from the River Hebert Elementary School who came to hear Susan Tooke and her fantastic presentation on her book "B is for Bluenose". Susan and the team were in awe of some of the children and their knowledge of the natural world and the children, in turn, were mesmerised by Susan's tales of how she sought inspiration for the book. Susan then went on to sign and dedicate copies of the book, which are on sale at the centre.
Another of the highlights of the morning was the presentation of the Paul Harris Fellowship to both Mr Don Reid and Dr Laing Ferguson by Pam Harrison of Rotary International. Pam, who herself has been bestowed with the Fellowship compared Don and Laing to other Fellows such as JF Kennedy, Bill Gates.
We were thrilled when Rhonda Kelly of CREDA presented the Joggins Fossil Institute a magnificent piece designed and created by Nova Scotia Crystal. The piece is a hollow tree, which contains images of ferns and calamites as well as hiding an image of hylonomus at the bottom of the tree stump. This is truly a unique piece, which shall be a most prized possession of the Institute and the Community of Joggins who have volunteered many hours to the advancement of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World Heritage Site.
The rain did not stop the brave few, who despite the elements went into the rain and planted trees, which were kindly donated by J D Irving Ltd. All 2009 trees will be planted to celebrate our 1st anniversary and will be planted throughout the community of Joggins and River Hebert to provide a legacy for the communities, which have supported the Institute this past year.
So far we have welcomed over 300 people through our doors today, including 70 students from the River Hebert Elementary School who came to hear Susan Tooke and her fantastic presentation on her book "B is for Bluenose". Susan and the team were in awe of some of the children and their knowledge of the natural world and the children, in turn, were mesmerised by Susan's tales of how she sought inspiration for the book. Susan then went on to sign and dedicate copies of the book, which are on sale at the centre.
Another of the highlights of the morning was the presentation of the Paul Harris Fellowship to both Mr Don Reid and Dr Laing Ferguson by Pam Harrison of Rotary International. Pam, who herself has been bestowed with the Fellowship compared Don and Laing to other Fellows such as JF Kennedy, Bill Gates.The Fellowship was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, as a way to show appreciation for contributions to the Foundation's charitable and educational program.
We were thrilled when Rhonda Kelly of CREDA presented the Joggins Fossil Institute a magnificent piece designed and created by Nova Scotia Crystal. The piece is a hollow tree, which contains images of ferns and calamites as well as hiding an image of hylonomus at the bottom of the tree stump. This is truly a unique piece, which shall be a most prized possession of the Institute and the Community of Joggins who have volunteered many hours to the advancement of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World Heritage Site.
The rain did not stop the brave few, who despite the elements went into the rain and planted trees, which were kindly donated by J D Irving Ltd. All 2009 trees will be planted to celebrate our 1st anniversary and will be planted throughout the community of Joggins and River Hebert to provide a legacy for the communities, which have supported the Institute this past year.Thank you to everyone who has been along today and supported us. We will be planting trees all this week so if you want to come along, please do so.
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It was a great day, thanks to the staff at the centre. It was good to hear Susan Tooke and to see all the children sitting around listening intently.
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