1.
The fascinating Fossils of Joggins
Given the recent focus of international interest on the
Joggins Fossil Cliffs, BoFEP members may be interested to know that a
facsimile copy of Sir William Dawson's 1878 book "Acadian Geology: The Geological
Structure, Organic Remains and Mineral Resources of Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island" is available
online. This is the volume that details " one of the most famous fossil
discoveries in paleontology" ; namely, the
finding the fossil remains of what was at that point the oldest known
reptile, Hylonomus
lyelli ("Lyell's forest wanderer") inside a
fossilized tree trunk at Joggins. The chapters dealing mainly with
the Joggins area are #s 11-13. The book can be found at: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/57493#1. For even more information about these and many other
fossils visit the excellent website of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs Centre
at:
http://www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net/.
2.
Tidal and Wave Energy Technologies Assessment Report
Fisheries
and Oceans Canada hosted a National Science Advisory Process meeting on
21-22 April 2009 to determine the current state of knowledge on the
environmental impacts of tidal and wave energy conversion technologies
and their application in the Canadian context based on published
reports. The objectives of the meeting included identifying potential
mitigation measures and determining the feasibility of developing a
relevant Canadian Statement of Practice. An 11 page summary [DFO. 2009. Assessment of Tidal and Wave
Energy Conversion Technologies in Canada. DFO
Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep.
2009/064.] is available at
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/CSAS/Csas/Publications/SAR-AS/2009/2009_064_E.pdf.
3.
Video on Tidal Turbines in Fundy
The CBC
program Land and Sea aired a program on December 20, 2009 about the
tidal turbines being installed in the Bay of Fundy. It can be viewed
at:
http://www.cbc.ca/landandsea/2009/12/tidal-turbines.html
4.
Eelgrass document available
The
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has recently published
"Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Restoration and Monitoring Technical
Guidelines". The document is intended to be used as a guide in the
design and review of eelgrass restoration and mitigation projects . It
can be downloaded from:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/programsandprojects/eelgrass_mitigation_guidelines.pdf.
5.
Videos about the Bay of Fundy
The
following two early videos about the Bay of Fundy are available
online from the National Film Board of Canada:
a.
Where The Sea Becomes The Bay (1985) - A half hour film made by
Haligonian John Brett almost 25 years ago, but much of the information
is still relevant. This is a documentary about the fragile and
complex marine ecosystem in the Bay of Fundy. The film traces
relationships within the food chain - from tiny plankton to birds and
seals and finally to whales and humans. The film is a plea for careful
management of our ocean resource and was first telecast as part of CBC's
Nature of Things series. Can be viewed online at:
http://www.nfb.ca/film/Where_the_Bay_Becomes_the_Sea/
b. Rivers To The Sea
(1989) - A 46 minute film by John Brett about the rivers
around the Bay.
This
documentary looks at the beauty and the pollution of tidal Atlantic
rivers. The rivers' closeness to the sea makes them ideal spawning
grounds for many kinds of marine fish that require fresh water to
complete some part of their life cycle.
Can
be viewed online at: http://www.nfb.ca/film/Rivers_to_the_Sea/
6.
Meteorite Crater Near Bridgetown NS focus of study
Acadia University scientists are studying a meteorite crater
south of Bridgetown. The group of researchers led by Ian Spooner, an
environmental geo-scientist in the earth and environmental science
department, published a paper in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary
Science in September, 2009. It outlines details of the elliptical
impact crater about one km in circumference at Bloody Creek reservoir, a
small lake on Nova Scotia Power land on South Mountain, about 20 km from
Bridgetown. The crater was discovered in the late 1980s by former Acadia
professor George Stevens. Called the Bloody Creek structure, the
10-metre deep crater is formed in granite, making it all the more
important because, unlike in other rock, only an impact could have
produced such elliptical features. More
details.
7. Concerns about Coastal Access in Nova Scotia
The September 2009 Issue of
Marine
Affairs Policy Forum (produced by the Marine Affairs Program (MAP) at
Dalhousie University) presents a discussion "Addressing
Coastal Access as a Priority Coastal Issue in Nova Scotia". The Forum provides perspectives
on current and emerging issues of concern to the coastal and ocean
policy community in the Atlantic Region. Many of the issues MAP
researches through its students and staff are directly relevant to the
Bay of Fundy and its watersheds. View document
8.
Report on The State of Nova Scotia's Coast
The report released on December 9, 2009 by the NS
department of Fisheries
& Aquaculture gives an overview of the condition
of Nova Scotia's coastal areas and resources. It serves as a baseline to
determine future trends. It describes physical, ecological, and
socio-economic characteristics of the
coast, and
examines six priority coastal issues in more detail. The government will
use the information in the report and feedback from coastal stakeholders
to develop a Sustainable Coastal Development Strategy. To view the
report and related information visit:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/coast/state-of-the-coast.htm.
9.
Outlook for Red Tide Outbreak in GOM and BoF in 2010
Scientists
from the NOAA-funded Gulf of Maine Toxicity project have issued an
'outlook' for a significant regional bloom of a toxic alga that causes
'red tides' in the spring and summer of 2010. They feel that "Seed
Population on Seafloor Points to a large ‘Red Tide’; [but] Impacts will Depend on Ocean
Conditions and Weather". View
report.
10.
Handbook on Sustainable Coastal Tourism
A new
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) handbook "Sustainable Coastal Tourism"
explains how the tourism sector can coordinate effectively in the
overall development of coastal zones and contribute to the long-term
sustainability of these areas. The 154 page document provides an
introduction to the key tools to be used in different stages of the
planning process and identifies the stakeholders that are critical in
the successful delivery of the various stages of the process.
View document .
11.
Join the Not-Since-Moses Run on Fundy's Seafloor
The 4th annual
Not-Since-Moses fun run will take place on Saturday August 14th at Five
Islands Provincial Park near Lower Economy, NS. Come out and
race, run or walk along the floor of the Minas Basin in one of Nova
Scotia's most unique and weird events. After the 15 meter sea
leaves during low tide and before it returns, on the bottom of the
ocean, where flounder and bass grazed a couple of hours before, you will
run or walk courses of 5k or 10k. For more details and to register
visit: www.notsincemoses.com
