United Nations Day Celebrations

Sunday, October 24th was United Nations Day. We had a good turnout from the community who came have a bite to eat and listen to presentations from our own Jenna Boon, Director of the Joggins Fossil Institute, Dr. Larry Ostola from Parks Canada, and Tim Badman from the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).

Jenna began the presentations with an overview of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many topics were touched on including the outstanding universal value that the Joggins Fossil Cliffs presents to humanity, the grand exposure of the cliffs, and the research that has taken place in Joggins since the 1800’s.

Tim Badman presented on what’s happening with other World Heritage sites from a global perspective. He also discussed the criteria involved for becoming a World Heritage site and that the application process for the prestigious status takes a lot of time and dedication. He also mentioned that the Joggins Fossil Cliffs nomination document for inscription on World Heritage List was one of the most complete and thorough nomination documents received by the UN and serves as a model for

future nominations.

Dr. Larry Ostola concluded the presentations by providing an overview of the other 14 Canadian World Heritage sites. He also gave us an inside look at Canadian sites that Parks Canada is working with for preparing an application for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

We also had Westcumb Amateur Radio Club (W.A.R.C.) onsite broadcasting to other UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the globe as part of our UN Day celebrations.

The Joggins Fossil Institute would like to thank all who attended this event. We would also like to thank Mr. Tim Badman and Dr. Larry Ostola for their interesting and informative presentations and to Westcumb Amateur Radio Club for connecting Joggins to other UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world on this special day. We hope to see you all next year for our 2011 United Nations Day Celebrations.

Third Annual Joggins Fossil Centre Halloween Party

Looking for something to do with the kids before you take them trick-or-treating on Sunday? Why not bring them to the Joggins Fossil Centre for our third annual Halloween party? The event runs from 1-3pm and there will fun games and activities with treats and prizes. We will also be awarding prizes for the white "Earth Day" pumpkin growing competition. Be there...if you dare!!!!

United Nations Day - Sunday October 24th

The Joggins Fossil Institute is pleased that Tim Badman and Dr. Larry Ostola will be joining us on Sunday to celebrate United Nations Day. Tim and Larry will be giving us short presentations on global and national heritage. Tim joins us from Gland, Switzerland and Larry joins us from Quebec.

Here is a brief introduction to our excellent guests.

Dr. Larry Ostola

Dr. Larry Ostola is the Director General of National Historic Sites with the Parks Canada Agency. In addition to his national responsibilities related to National Historic Sites, Dr. Ostola also provides national leadership and functional expertise in Canada related to built heritage and historic places generally.

Prior to assuming his present position, Dr. Ostola was first, Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada, and then Director of Parks Canada’s Ontario Service Centre responsible for providing professional and technical services in disciplines such as terrestrial and underwater archaeology, historical research, planning and conservation.

Larry presently serves as the Head of the Canadian Delegation to the World Heritage Committee and was responsible for the organization of the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec City in 2008.

He holds a B.A. in History from McGill University, an M.A. in history from the Université de Montréal and a Ph.D. also in history, from Université Laval.

Mr. Tim Badman

Tim Badman is Head of the World Heritage Programme at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He joined IUCN in August 2007, and was previously based in Dorset County Council (UK) as Environment Policy Manager.

Between 2000-2006 Tim was the team leader of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site, a role which included the supervision of the nomination process which culminated in inscription on the World Heritage List in 2001, and the subsequent development of the World Heritage programme for this site.

Tim has been a member of IUCN’s World Commission for Protected Areas since 2002 and has served on IUCN’s World Heritage Panel since 2003, carrying out a range of World Heritage evaluation missions and working as part of the IUCN delegation to the annual UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

Tim is the focal point for IUCN’s work on earth science within the World Heritage Convention and an adviser to UNESCO`s Global Geoparks Network. Tim trained as a geologist and countryside manager in Southampton and Manchester (UK). Aside from World Heritage, his career has mainly focussed on coastal zone management and on policy and management of protected landscapes/seascapes (IUCN Category V protected areas).



ON SUNDAY - the centre is open to the public for free. Come to Joggins and join us in Celebrating the United Nations. Presentations will be from 1 - 3 pm.

Press Release from Mount Allison University

Mount Allison researchers study how changes in the environment affect evolution
2010-09-20 09:20:39
SACKVILLE, NB —

As many scientists believe we are experiencing the sixth mass extinction, researchers from Mount Allison University, the Joggins Fossil Institute, and Acadia University are examining the fossil record to see how changes in the environment affect evolution.

“The earth has experienced five mass extinctions in its history. The more we can understand about evolution, the more we can understand our effect on the biodiversity of the planet,” says Dr. Melissa Grey, adjunct professor at Mount Allison University, curator of paleontology at the Joggins Fossil Institute, and lead researcher on the project.

Grey has a prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship for this research at Mount Allison University. She is collaborating with Dr. Zoe Finkel, Environmental Science Program Coordinator at Mount Allison, and Dr. Peir Pufahl from Acadia University.

The focus of the study is the humble ostracod — a bivalved crustacean the size of a grain of sand which is related to shrimp and lobster. The researchers want to find out how environmental changes have affected the ostracod’s evolution.

Joggins, located 40 minutes from Mount Allison, is the ideal location for this research. As you walk north along the beach at Joggins, Grey likes to explain, you go back in time 310 million years. The UNESCO World Heritage site is home to fossil bones of the earliest reptiles, evidence of creatures found nowhere else in the world, and the famous fossilized forests. Charles Darwin mentioned Joggins twice in his book On the Origin of Species. It is not uncommon to find fossils on the beach and according to Grey, children are particularly good at discovering them.

“The advantage of looking at the ostracod is that it is a survivor, a living fossil like the cockroach and the millipede that has been around for over 310 million years,” says Grey. “It is also ubiquitous, living anywhere it is damp.”

The researchers are looking at fossils preserved in limestone rocks found at Joggins. Finkel and Grey are examining the ostracods, while Pufahl is looking at the chemical composition of the rock to aid in identifying the temperature,oxygen levels, and salinity of the time period. They will eventually be able to identify evolutionary patterns over time with changing environmental conditions.

Joggins Fossil Institute (JFI)
JFI is a registered charity that manages the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site. The JFI provides educational programming to visitors, including school/university field trips, and tour groups. JFI also actively supports researchers, and research on fossils from Joggins is still being carried out by leading scientists around the world after over 150 years of work and discovery at the site.

Five Islands Artist Donates Paintings to the Joggins Fossil Centre

Gail Card is an upcoming artist who resides in Lower Five Islands but was raised in the River Hebert area. Her childhood dream was to paint the things in life that inspired her as an artist. Landscapes, seascapes, architecture, antique cars and more are portrayed in her art works. Paintings from photos or on location, as well as self-inspired works such as Christmas paintings, are completed by brush or with painting knives. She enjoys painting and is always happy to finish a new piece of art work. More paintings can be seen on Facebook groups she has created such as “Gail Card Artist My Paintings for viewing and sale” and “Nova Scotia Artist's Group”. If you’d like to contact Gail, she can be reached at 902-254-3690 or at gaillovesrainbows@hotmail.com

"Joggins Ocean Scene"

“The colours of the Bay of Fundy have always been interesting for me. It displays change and reminds me that, as in life, there are constant changes. This painting reflects the brown water with the bit of white wave which is so much a part of the coastal area. The inlets of water as the waves continue inshore and the dark colors of the shore itself makes for an interesting piece of art and pop out the ocean colour. This piece was done from a photo taken in the spring of 2010”.

"Joggins Interpretative Centre"

“This painting captures the distance and yard view on a cloudy Spring day in 2010. Inspiring colours portray the surrounding area and the Centre itself in an interesting combination. The history of time gone by that the Centre represents has always inspired me throughout my life. To be able to put the culture and heritage of the Joggins Fossil Centre in paint was like putting a bit of my own history and thoughts into this piece of art”.