Nova Scotia Comes Alive in 2011!

“New 7 Wonders of Nature” Picks Alberta Instead of the Bay of Fundy

Growing up I used to imagine what it would be like to the keeper of the Light of Alexandria. The lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos in the 3rd century B.C. , started by Ptolemy, Egypt’s first Macedonian ruler and favorite of Alexander the Great. He never lived to see it completed. For almost 1,000 years the great lighthouse was a beacon to seagoing travelers.

Locally, the Bay of Fundy was chosen as Nova Scotia’s entry into the New 7 Wonders of the World contest. The Bay of Fundy was put forward in a contest to declare it one of Canada’s picks for the New7Wonders of Nature since June of 2008.  However, yesterday Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta s was chosen as the top Canadian site and the Bay of Fundy placed 2nd.

So why, may you ask, was a “puddle of water” chosen to compete against such icons as the Great Barrier Reef and other huge wonders? Well, it’s not so much the place itself as the people who got behind the project. They believe that the area of the highest tides in the world has unique natural monuments including huge areas of fossils.

Terri McCulloch, a Parrsboro resident, led a Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership effort to have this designation bestowed on the Bay of Fundy ever since the Swiss­-based New7Wonders Foundation launched the New7Wonders of Nature competition last year.  Swiss­-born filmmaker, author and adventurer, Bernard Weber, came up with the idea to shine a light on the earth’s ecosystem and how we need to protect it

In all Fundy was competing against Dino­saur Provincial Park in Alberta, Long Point Sand Spit in Ontario, Rocher-Perce in Quebec and Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador. However, the skinny was that it was the “Battle of the Dinosaurs” because Fundy’s Joggins Cliffs feature a rich belt of fossils and it was named a UNESCO World heritage site.

Here are some excepts from a Facebook site dedicated to this project:

Oct 1 – BIG NEWS – the folks at 7 Wonders have pumped up the stakes on the contest: they’ve decided to short list the contestants to ONE FROM EACH COUNTRY by Dec 31,2008. Since there are only 8 nominees in Canada – including Fundy – we stand an excellent chance of moving on to the next phase but we’ve GOT to GET THE VOTE out. Please keep emailing friends & family to get them to vote!

Dec 9 – Fundy surpassed Dinosaur Park as Canada’s #1 site BUT we hear through the grapevine that Dinosaur is planning a bit media blitz prior to Christmas!! keep the votes coming in for Fundy

Dec 31 – Fundy featured repeatedly on Canada AM – thanks to Erin at CTV!!

Well, Terri, you and the rest of the Fundy residents pulled hard to get the recognition its deserves but here’s the silver lining: Nominations from other sites have brought them increased tourism so look for your area to have a boost in a time when things have been grim.