Thursday, August 27, 2009

Fossil Excavation



The Joggins Fossil Institute recently sent a team to the beach to recover a tree which had been exposed from the exterior of the cliffs. The tree was brought to the Joggins Fossil Center, and is currently being examined in the facility's laboratory.


We would also like to send out thanks to all those community volunteers involved in transporting the two fossils, each weighing around 400 lbs, as it would not have been possible without them!!

Make sure to check back soon to see if we find anything!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Hurricane Update...

Due to the pending severe weather conditions forecasted for Sunday, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs will be closed to the public. We recommend that you not travel.
Please watch for further updates.

Click for more information from the National Hurricane Center

Bill to visit Joggins??

Joggins may be expecting a visitor Sunday evening, his name being Bill. Weather reports show that Nova Scotians should be prepared for a Class 3 Hurricane which could arrive on their doorsteps Sunday. We here at the Joggins Fossil Center are not sure if the hurricane will hit or miss us but we are watching the weather very closely and preparing ourselves for anything.

With the extreme winds and weather Bill may bring, we might find something new and exciting on our beach, something which has never been found before! Keep posted for any new discoveries!

On the other hand, the weather in Joggins today is BEAUTIFUL!! The sky is clear, the air is clean, and it is the perfect day for exploring the beach! Plan a trip to our area and take part in a guided tour of the cliffs! If you do plan on coming to the Fossil Center today, be sure to bring your sunscreen!!

For more information on our guided beach tours, please click here.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Joggins summer students soon to depart...


Shown above are two students;
left - Lacey Reid (co-op), right - Dylan White

We have had a great season so far at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, and will be deeply saddened when our summer students depart for their respective schools this fall.

The Joggins Fossil Institute employs students from both the high school, and post secondary levels. This year, to celebrate a great season and wish all of the students good luck, we hosted a staff social. The Fossil Center hosted a potluck for all staff yesterday evening, and the selections of food were great! Staff members brought in everything from famous rolls to cake, wings, and amazing peanut butter squares. The event was a huge success and everyone had a great time!!

If you are a student, and are interested in becoming a part of our team next spring/summer, send our Operations Coordinator, Melanie Cookson-Carter, an email at operations@jogginsfossilcliffs.net.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Joggins co-hosts EdGEO

Today the Joggins Fossil Centre is co-hosting a National Earth Science Workshop Program known as EdGEO. This workshop is spread over two days, the first being at Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro, and the next (today) being right here in Joggins! During this workshop local geoscientists and teachers talk to participants, mostly being teachers themselves, and provide them with enhanced knowledge, classroom resources, and increased confidence.

You can host your own events here too!! For information on how to rent our facilities or host catered events please contact our Operations Coordinator, Melanie Cookson-Carter at 902-251-2727 ext. 226 or email operations@jogginsfossilcliffs.net

Monday, August 17, 2009

Dr. John H. Calder awarded the Provincial Geologists Medal!




Congratulations to Dr. John H. Calder who was recently awarded the Provincial Geologists Medal. This medal is awarded to anyone who provides a significant contribution in the field of Geology. Dr. Calder played an instrumental role in the nomination of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs for World Heritage status. For this and his many other contributions, he was awarded this prestigious medal.

For more information, please click on the link below:
http://www.cpgeologists.ca/PDF/2009medal.pdf

Monday, August 10, 2009

Gem & Mineral Show - Special Offer


If you are attending the Gem and Mineral Show in Parrsboro this weekend, you can bring along your entry ticket/receipt and get $1.00 per person off admission or a two-hour guided tour here at the Joggins Fossil Centre*


More than thirty exhibitors offer a broad mix of earth treasures. You’ll see fine mineral specimens, jewellery and jeweller’s supplies and precious stones and gem cutting tools; beads and beading tools; fossils, tumbled stones and more.


Admission into the Gem and Mineral Show is $3 per person (children under 12 free if accompanied by an adult)
Show hours 10 am – 7 pm Friday and Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm on Sunday.
For more info call the Fundy Geological Museum at 902 254 3814 or visit www.museum.gov.ns.ca/fgm


(*Discount is off Admission into Exhibition Gallery Fee or 2 hour Lyell Tour Only. This offer can not be combined)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Looking at grass in a whole different light



Many people are trained to think that formal, cut lawns are what should be expected at tourist sites and surrounding visitor centres. We have made a positive choice to manage our grounds with minimal intervention. This is called ‘Naturalisation’. We do not use invasive chemical treatments anywhere on our site including weed killers or bug spray.

Naturalisation is an alternative landscape management technique. It is a method, which is more intense than it may at first seem. The natural processes of growth and change are less restricted and the landscape is therefore enabled to become more natural than decorative, which suits this site and its place within the local environment. The benefits of naturalised landscaping are many-fold. These include:
  • Re-introduction of native plant species and re-establishment of bird and wildlife populations thanks to minimal human intervention.
  • Plants reduce atmospheric greenhouse gasses, clean the air and maintain oxygen levels required to support life as well as stabilising slopes and importantly for this site, prevent erosion.
  • The landscape will become a source of beauty as naturalized park and roadway sites mature.
  • Noise levels are reduced for neighbouring properties as dense plantings mature.
    Reduced maintenance costs and impact on the economy of the site.

Through interpretation and understanding we shall re-educate visitors on what should be considered “attractive” in landscaping terms. There are already a large number of formal garden experiences offered by the attractions and accommodation as well as public gardens throughout Nova Scotia.

We want to offer an alternative territory, which is a complete departure from the formal lawn introduced by the wealthy Victorian industrialists in the 19th century and the constraints, which this type of landscape places on site management.

We believe that the re-visiting of traditional methods will provide a renaissance for the accumulated knowledge and understanding of our place in relation to the world in which we live. This encompasses relationships with the natural environment and the use of natural resources in a respectful and sustainable way. Our Grass margins, which when mown annually or bi-annually, will create the perfect habitat for increasing the biodiversity of both plant animal species.

Naturalisation of an environment is something which must be managed by nature, it needs time to evolve. The grounds here at the Joggins Fossil Centre are required to receive minimal intrusion to allow the behaviour and succession of the plant varieties to be observed and a future plan for landscape management to evolve based upon existing species and the re-introduction of further species native to the Acadian Forest region. We have been in consultation with the Harriet Irving Botanical Garden at Acadia University in matters of indigenous species and the re-naturalisation of the grounds.

Is it working? When you visit, take a look at a square meter of our grounds where we have mown (with a push mower and not a gas or electric powered one by the way). How many varieties of plant and animal species can you see? Now take a look at our grass margins and count how many you can see there. There is a tremendous difference.

I'm always happy when I see people stop, bend down and take a photograph of our grass; macro lens for the close-ups on the flowers and wide angle for the full-effect of the grass, which waves in the breeze like the water in the Bay beyond.

Why, only the other day a gentleman walked past my office, stooped to pick a handful of clover flowers and re-commenced his walk, eating the flowers as he went, like a fistful of candy.

Is it working? absolutely.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Testing times for our turbine!

The Joggins Fossil Centre harvests most of its energy from renewable sources; solar and wind. We have a 30 meter wind turbine, which towers over the site like a mighty, three armed colossus.

Looking at the turbine today, it looks like it did battle with the gods. Some time on Thursday evening, it seems that the elements, which included extremely heavy rain, wind and lightening, got the better of our turbine and it now sits nursing its wounds.

It is difficult to tell what happened to the turbine, though lightening strikes are not uncommon. A lightning strike can lead to temperature increases of up to 30,000°C. There are manufacturers out there who are looking at ways to harness the magnificent force of lightning strikes and registering the current and capturing it.

We are awaiting experts to investigate what really did happen to our wind turbine but until then thankfully the sun is shining and we are generating lots of power through our roof-top solar panels.
It's interesting to see how we are heading full circle to use age-old methods of harnessing the elements. We have used wind power for producing food and transportation and the sun has heated our water and homes for thousands of years.
I used to manage an 18thC windmill in England and trust me, it's a complicated business managing the gears and brakes, making sure it's turned to face the oncoming wind, that the grindstones are not too close together and that it isn't going too fast. We're obviously more technologically advanced these days but mother nature has a great way of showing us, every once in a while, that she is still in charge!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

New shipment of goodies!!


Calling all magpies...the Joggins Fossil Centre has had two deliveries of jewellery.

We source our jewellery, mainly silver, stone and gem from companies all based in Canada and we get to buy some really special stuff like this amber spider brooch or the stunning dipped skeleton leaf pendants.
We also have a beautiful range of Larimar, Spider Turquoise, Mother of Pearl, Wampum and even jewellery made from fossils such as trilobites and squid.
There is something to suit all tastes and budgets. We have also had a great delivery of organic t-shirts and are awaiting a delivery of zebra marble and fossilised coral bowls, agate wind chimes, botanical bath and body products, jackets and some snazzy new travel mugs.
We will keep you posted.