We made the front page of this week's Amherst Citizen

We made the front page of the Amherst Citizen today, with a great article covering our recent CNTA Awards recognition.

I (that's me in the photo) was interviewed by Andrew Wagstaff, local reporter, who is keen to ensure that the message of the Joggins Fossil Centre and its positive impacts on local and regional tourism are perpetuated.

Thanks Andrew for a great story.


http://www.citizenweekly.com/index.cfm?sid=233631&sc=136

Earth Day - 58 days and counting

We opened for our first season last year on Earth Day, 22nd April.

It seemed a fitting day to open the greenest building in Atlantic Canada and to raise awareness about the environment. It also seemed appropriate for us to establish a regular calendar of our own, which ties our season into existing national and international calendar events.

As already mentioned, this year is Darwin 200 and hylonomus 150, which we shall be celebrating with a number of events and festivals but we are also investigating other notable dates and events, which we too can celebrate in our own way.

For example, did you know that 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and where better to see the stars, than from right here in Joggins? where there is no light pollution and the celestials are glorious in the massive expanse of sky above the Bay of Fundy.

2009 is also the US Year of Science (with a heavy focus upon evolution) and this year is also the International Year of Natural Fibers and of Reconciliation. Not sure how we can tie into those but perhaps there are some of you reading this who might be inspired. Here are some other worthy dates for your diary:

• 22nd May is the International Day of Biodiversity.
• 4th July is the International Day of Cooperatives
• 7th July is one year since the inscription of Joggins onto the World Heritage List
• 20th September is the International Day of Peace

We are still working on our calendar of events (which will be posted on our website of course) but the date to remember at the moment is 22nd April 2009, Earth Day, when the Joggins Fossil Centre opens its doors once again for the season.

Joggins Announced as one of the Top 5 Travel Celebrities for 2009 by the LA Times!

The LA Times has announced where it considers to be the top 29 destinations to visit in 2009 and the Joggins Fossil Cliffs features at a heady number four.

The list, compiled by the newspaper's travel editors, was developed to present alternative places to visit, which would offer American travellers with "compelling" and "uncrowded" sites, which also include sites in; Latvia, Tibet, Vietnam and Poland.

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs is described by the LA Times as "scenic" and a "300 million year old treat". The cliffs are offered as a new and much safer alternative to Mexico (a popular vacation spot for Californians) and have gained their prestigious place on the list by becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 and primarily for their well-preserved fossils. The travel writers for the LA Times recommend that readers "do what many Hollywood movie studios did and go to Canada".

We are pretty confident about the 2009 season, despite widespread global economical nerves, which are giving some destinations the jitters. This article confirms that the province will potentially get a significant number of visitors from the USA, riding on the back of discounted flights between the west coast of the States and Halifax.

This is an exciting time for Joggins, for Cumberland County and indeed for the Province as a whole. The designation of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs on the World Heritage List and the opening of the new Joggins Fossil Centre last year, plus the tremendous amount of global media interest in the site since has been amazing.

www.latimes.com/travel