Where has all the ice gone?

View south from the Joggins Fossil Centre over the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site and the spectacular Bay of Fundy

Last year, looking out of our offices, across the Bay of Fundy it looked for all the world like we could venture out with backpacks and a thermos of hot coffee and walk across the ice to New Brunswick.

This year, however we would have to swim...there is no ice and for February, that's unusual.

We've been experiencing above-average temperatures in Northern Nova Scotia and while we have had our fair share of snow, the water in the Bay is remaining warm enough not to freeze for long periods. The beach is still icy and we have some spectacular frozen waterfalls but the Bay remains fluid.

Office Closure Notice

Our offices are closed today due to a winter storm. The team are working from home and you can still contact us through email.

JFI at the AGS

The Joggins Fossil Institute had a strong presence at the Atlantic Geosciences Society Colloquium (Feb. 5-6, 2010) held in Wolfville, NS.

We participated in the AGS-sponsored workshop on the "Teaching of Evolution" and faciltated the forum/discussion panel that followed. This excellent workshop was geared towards educators and education students on integrating geological and biological evidence for evolution. The panelists that participated in the forum included univeristy professors in geology and biology; a high school geology teacher; an elementary/junior high school teacher; and the director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the University of Wales. Panelists and workshop participants had an informative discussion on resources and best practices for teaching evolution.

The Colloquium was attended by geoscientists from all over the Atlantic region and beyond. Some of the talks on current research featured Joggins, including one on LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) surveys of the cliff face (NSCC) and one on fossil trackways (St. Mary's) that won Matt Stimson the award for Best Undergraduate Student talk. Congrats Matt!

Bay of Fundy Joins Olympic Spotlight

With just a few days to go until the official start of the 2010 Olympics, the Bay of Fundy is excited to be able to create heightened awareness of their global New7Wonders of Nature campaign at an Olympic venue in Vancouver. The Bay of Fundy is Canada’s sole finalist in an international campaign to declare the world’s top 7 natural wonders: a contest whose scope is much like the world-famous Olympics.

Atlantic Canada House will be opened on Granville Island, in Vancouver from February 13 to 28, 2010. The Atlantic provinces will be featured in music, cuisine, art and dance. On the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick partner days, the Bay of Fundy will share its story with national and international visitors.

“Atlantic Canada House expects over 35,000 visitors daily throughout the two-week event”, stated Terri McCulloch, Bay of Fundy Tourism Manager. “Visitors will have the opportunity to cheer on their favorite Canadian athletes and support one of Canada’s top natural wonders. This international event is a big opportunity for us to get the message out and encourage voting.”

Visitors to Atlantic Canada House on the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia days will learn more about the Bay of Fundy New7Wonders of Nature campaign through exhibits and collectible postcards. Digital codes for mobile scanning will also be featured to make it more convenient to vote for Fundy in this global campaign.

To vote for Bay of Fundy in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign, go to:
" http://www.votemyfundy.com/

For information about the Bay of Fundy please contact:

Terri McCulloch
Manager, Bay of Fundy Tourism
902-254-4041
terri@bayoffundytourism.com


If you're wondering why you should vote:

About the Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy, located in the heart of the Maritimes provinces, is a 270 km (170 mile) long ocean bay that stretches between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada’s east coast. The Bay of Fundy is best known for the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in marine biodiversity, to the Amazon Rainforest. The Bay is the summer feeding area for half the world’s population of endangered North Atlantic Right whales and 12 other whale species. It is home to the world’s most complete fossil record of the “Coal Age” (300 million years ago) as well as Canada’s oldest dinosaurs. The Bay of Fundy is home to two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (Bay of Fundy & Southwest Nova) as well as the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site (that's us).

About New7Wonders

The New7Wonders campaigns are run by the non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, which fosters and facilitates positive global dialogue. The first New7Wonders campaign was the first-ever global election, choosing the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World and creating Global Memory, thanks to more than 100 million votes. The current Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign is on track to get more than 1 billion votes worldwide. More information and voting: www.new7wonders.com

Home Depot contribute to Joggins Fossil Cliffs Project

This is our 100th Blog Entry (woohoo) and so we thought that we would take the time to say a special

Thank you Home Depot, for contributing $1000 to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs World Heritage Site Community Natural Play scheme project.

In a letter from Home Depot they wished the Joggins Fossil Institute "great success" with the scheme to build a natural play scheme on the site of the Joggins Fossil Centre.

The aim is to replace the old playground in Joggins, which is beyond repair and to offer a place where local children can play and meet other children from across Canada and from around the world. It will be an opportunity for children who probably won't speak the same language to share the international language of play and to enjoy traditional physical activity like climbing and swinging. There hasn't been an opportunity for the children of Joggins to do this for many years as their only playground is dangerous but we are excited by the challenge of finding the right scheme and thank Home Depot for their Generous contribution, which joins the contribution made by the Province's Health Promotion & Protection Department last year.

The firm likely to take on this project is yet to be announced, but the team at Joggins have been liaising with three companies, all offering very different schemes.

If you would like to make a contribution to the scheme, please contact Melanie Cookson-Carter, Operations Coordinator on 902-251-2727 ext 226 or email operations@jogginsfossilcliffs.net

New Job Postings

We have posted our positions for the 2010 season on the Joggins Fossil Cliffs World Heritage Site website http://www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net/institute/jobs/CurrentPositions.php

Positions include some, which are still awaiting funding confirmation but we encourage anyone who thinks that they have the right skills and qualifications for any position to apply.

We are looking for people who are excited by the opportunity of working at this unique site, have passion and drive, have really good skills in communicating both in person and in writing, can convey their love for work during a phone call, to people on the beach and at the front desk.

So, if you are looking to work in our Roundhouse Cafe, lead Guided Tours, work in our Gift Shop or assist in Research, there is a position for you. Remember that this year we are only accepting official application forms and you have to apply for a specific position/s, so please don't just send us your resume. Please remember to send us a really good accompanying cover letter, to let us know a bit about you too.

Thanks in advance for your interest and of course good luck, because we expect a high application rate this year as people are hearing we are a great place to work, so standards of applications will need to be high, but trust us, it will be worth the effort!

Are you a student looking for a great summer job?

Why not meet us at Summer Career Fair at Mount St Vincent University, Halifax this coming Tuesday and let Jordan, our Operations Assistant tell you all about the fantastic positions we have available this summer.

Back in Business

Our offices are open again today.