Hylonomus lyelli is Coming Home to Joggins

Great news! Hylonomus lyelli, the world’s oldest reptile fossil and found only at Joggins in 1859, is returning home! Join us at the Joggins Fossil Centre on Saturday, April 23rd from 2-4 pm for the exhibit unveiling and a special presentation by Dr. Jenny Clack, world-renowned vertebrate palaeontologist from Cambridge University. Hylonomus lyelli, the ancestor to dinosaurs and Nova Scotia’s Provincial Fossil, is on loan from the Museum of Natural History, London and will be on display at the Joggins Fossil Centre for the 2011 season.

This presentation has been brought to you in partnership with the Atlantic Geoscience Society and the Joggins Fossil Institute.

Joggins Fossil Cliffs Circa 1952

A fossilized tree preserved in situ A nice Sigillaria tree cross-section

This tree was about 6 m (20 ft) long!

These photos were donated to the Joggins Fossil Institute by Laurie Glenn Norris. The photos were given to her by Nancy Benn who took them in 1952. Amazing!

March 26th at 8:30 pm is Earth Hour

Don't forget that this Saturday, March 26th at 8:30pm, Earth Hour begins. Remember to switch your lights off at this time for an hour and take a stand against climate change. Last year, over 128 countries and territories participated in this global event and this year will hopefully be even better. For more information, visit http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx. Share your Earth Hour experiences with us here!

March 22nd is World Water Day

March 22nd is World Day for Water. This is an internationally recognized event which brings awareness to current critical water issues and stems from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations and its affiliated nations devote March 22nd to implementing UN recommendations and encouraging activities and events within their countries relating to the world's water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. This year’s theme is “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge”.

If you’d like to learn more about World Water Day events and activities happening in your country, please visit http://www.worldwaterday.org

At the Joggins Fossil Centre, water conservation is very important. There are two main types of water systems at the Centre: potable and non-potable water. Ground-sourced water must undergo filtration before it is suitable for consumption (potable). The reason for the filtration is due to the fact that the mining industry that once took place in Joggins (the Joggins Fossil Centre is located where the Joggins No.7 mine once stood) has made ground water very hard. The ground-sourced water is treated through ultra violet light, anti-scaling, filtration and reverse osmosis. The treated potable water in then stored on-site. Any “waste” water created from the treatment of the ground water is also stored for non-potable needs. Non-potable water is also collected from the Centre’s green roof and stored onsite to flush toilets and water plants. Given the resources required to create potable water for public consumption, the Joggins Fossil Centre takes great measures to conserve water. This is why all of the bathroom facilities have taps that turn off automatically, dual flush toilets that use collected non-potable water and waterless urinals.

If you’d like to learn more about water conservation at the Joggins Fossil Centre, contact Jordan LeBlanc at 902-251-2727 ext 225 to book a Green Building Tour today.

Share your World Day for Water activities with us here!

Fundy's Facinating Fossils!

The Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership has released the next issue of their "Fundy Issues" newsletter entitled: "Fundy's Facinating Fossils: The Unique Palaeontology of the Bay of Fundy". The issue, written for a general audience, covers important and interesting fossil sites around the Bay and, of course, highlights the Joggins Fossil Cliffs! Check it out here.

New Television Series Showcasing Canadian UNESCO World Heritage Sites

TFO will be launching a new television series called La Part du Monde. In the form of a travel narrative, this series follows an adventurer in his visit to Canadian UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The series will begin airing on Saturday, March 5th at 7:30pm (EST) with an episode showcasing the magnificence that is Gros Morne National Park. TFO is widely available on cable in ON, QC, NB and parts of MB, and on Bell satellite TV across the country. For more information, please visit http://www.tfo.org/emissions.

Here's the latest schedule for La Part du Monde:


26/03/2011 Lunenburg
02/04/2011 Le parc national de Miguasha (Miguasha National Park)
09/04/2011 Les Rocheuses (Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks)
16/04/2011 L'Anse aux Meadows
23/04/2011 Le parc provincial des dinosaures (Dinosaur Provincial Park)
30/04/2011 Les Falaises fossilifères de Joggins (Joggins Fossil Cliffs)
07/05/2011 Le parc international de la paix Waterton Glacier(Waterton Glacier International Peace Park)

Keep watching this spot for updates as they become available.

New Job Postings!

Are you looking for an exciting place to work for the summer? Interested in gaining work experience at a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The Joggins Fossil Institute is currently recruiting interpreters for the upcoming season so if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please visit http://jogginsfossilcliffs.net/institute/jobs and follow the instructions for completing an application. The deadline for submissions is March 21st. Good luck!