PRE-CONFERENCE TRIP
1. Grand Pre Historic Site and Grand Pre Winery
Date: Monday May 21, 2007
Time : 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Cost : $40per person
Min: 10 people Max: 30 people
Spend the afternoon strolling back in back in time at the beautiful historic site of Grand Pre, followed by a tasty trip to one of the best known wineries in the region. Grand Pré, or "Great Meadow", stretches east from the Acadian dykes and for over three hundred years, the village of Grand Pre has provided a home for immigrant farmers and artisans. In designating Grand-Pré as a national historic site in 1961, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada also recognized the strong attachment that remains to this day among Acadians throughout the world to this area, the heart of their ancestral homeland. Grand-Pré is a symbol of the ties that unite them.
Our stop at the Grand Pre Winery will allow us to partake in a unique Nova Scotia boutique winery tour, an experience that you won't find anywhere else in the region. Following our private tour of the winery and tasting, you will have time to immerse yourself in the romance of the winery boutique, a magical blend of Nova Scotian and Old World charm, stroll through the lush vineyards or visit the art gallery.
POST-CONFERENCE TRIPS
2. Blue Beach and Gaspereau Valley- Windows into the Past
Date: Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 9:00am – 12:00pm
Cost : $40per person Min: 10 people
Lunch : We will be back in Wolfville in time for lunch on your own
For a window into the ancient past, we will visit Blue Beach at Horton Bluff, where the Avon River flows into Minas Basin. This site contains sedimentary deposits laid down 330-400 million years ago during the transition from the Age of Fishes (Devonian) to the Age of Plants (Carboniferous/Mississippian and Pennsylvanian). Blue Beach is world-renowned for its extensive and ancient amphibian trackways, and has been described as “ the Rosetta Stone for Carboniferous footprints”. We will stop at the adjacent Blue Beach Fossil Museum to examine artefacts and learn more about the world's earliest known terrestrial tetrapods.
For a glimpse into the more recent past, we'll proceed to the scenic Gaspereau Valley, where, nature permitting, we'll watch local residents ‘jump the net'. This unique artisanal fishery for Gaspereau, as they head upstream to spawn, has changed little over the past 200 years.
3. Cape Split Hike
Date : Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 8:30am - 3:00pm
Cost $30 per person Min: 15 people
Lunch : included
Cape Split is a fishhook shaped peninsula sticking out into the Bay of Fundy. It is a moderate hike to a spectacular view of one of Nova Scotia's most famous rock formations. This popular hiking trail takes approximately 2 hours each way to the tip of the headland, through rolling uplands. The actual point of Cape Split is meadowed, with scenic vistas and a great place for lunch, before the (mostly downhill!) walk back. From this dramatic peninsula jutting into the Bay of Fundy we can watch and listen as the world's highest tides rip past us 300 feet below. Bring appropriate footwear and a water bottle.
4. Kejimkujik and the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve: Conservation in Action
Date: Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 8:00am – 5:00pm
Cost : $60 per person Min: 20 people
Lunch: included
With a guided walk feel the beauty of Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site of Canada. There will be an interpretive walk that will include the petroglyphs, and the spectacular scenery the park has to offer. Keji (as it is affectionately known) is the only inland national park in the Maritimes. The lush woodlands and gently rolling landscapes are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including many species at risk. A highlight of the field trip will be to see species at risk recovery in action – you will be amazed at what volunteers are doing and how Parks Canada is facilitating their involvement. We will also visit with staff of the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute to hear about some of their research and monitoring projects within the Biosphere Reserve.
5. Lunenburg UNESCO World Heritage Site
Date : Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 8:30am – 5:00pm
Cost: $60 per person Min: 20 people
Lunch : on your own in Lunenburg
Description: Travel across the province to the Atlantic Ocean (only an hour!) and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg. Start the day with guided walking tour of the town. There is no easier way to experience the spectacular sites and atmosphere of Lunenburg's historic streetscapes and working waterfront than on foot. Your tour of Old Town Lunenburg will be leisurely in pace but jam-packed with facts and fun. If you have a taste for impressive architecture, colourful folklore, dramatic history, graceful tall ships, salty breezes, and a surprise around every corner, make sure to come join us on this tour!
There are many restaurants in town to take lunch at on your own. Make sure to indulge in the fresh seafood readily available! The rest of the day can be spent visiting the many sites of Lunenburg. One highly recommended location is the world-class Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic located on the waterfront. The Museum commemorates the fishing heritage of the Atlantic coast of Canada. Housed in brightly painted red buildings, with floating vessels at wharfside, the Museum offers a host of attractions, a maritime gift shop and restaurant. Get your sea legs on the schooner Theresa E. Connor and talk with "old salts" who fished the North Atlantic. Gently touch starfish and other marine creatures in the aquarium's fantastic viewing tank. The Museum is filled with exhibits, displays and activities.
6. Art Gallery and Studio tour
Date : Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 10:00am – 5:00pm
Cost : $50 per person Min: 20 people
Lunch : included
Nova Scotia has a history of artistic talent that will be showcased in this field trip. Relax and experience local galleries, art centres and artist studios as we travel through parts of the Annapolis Valley. Have lunch with some of the artists and participate in discussions on linking art and science as a way forward for conservation.
7. Canoeing Cloud Lake Wilderness Area
Date : Saturday May 26, 2007
Time : 9:00am – 4:00pm
Cost : $30 per person Min: 6 people Max: 10 people
Lunch : included
Cloud Lake Wilderness Area is a 10,830 hectare protected area containing a network of interconnected lakes and streams surrounded by a mosaic of mixed wood and deciduous hills, mature coniferous forest, undisturbed fens and a variety of outstanding glacial features. Spend the day canoeing with staff from Nova Scotia's protected areas program to enjoy this tranquil natural setting and learn more about the ecology and management of this special natural place. Some canoeing experience is recommended. Canoes, PFD's and paddling equipment are provided.
TRAINING
EMAN Ecosystem Monitoring Training Session
Wolfville, NS
Saturday May 26, 2007 - Monday May 28, 2007
The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network Coordinating Office, in cooperation with Parks Canada, the Clean Annapolis River Project, the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, and other partners will be hosting an Ecosystem Monitoring Training Workshop. Participants will receive training on ecosystem monitoring frameworks, study design, and field training in the EMAN standardized monitoring protocols for terrestrial ecosystems, including plot based vegetation, tree health, salamanders, arboreal lichens, soil decomposition, downed woody debris, invasive plant species monitoring, amphibian surveys, and bird monitoring, among others. Information management and mechanisms to communicate research results into policy and decision-making will also be addressed.
The course will be free, however there will be costs associated with meals. Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodation. Rooms are available on-site at Acadia University and can be booked by calling 1-800-542-8425.
For more information or to register please contact Heather Andrachuk at (905) 336-4411 or at heather.andrachuk@ec.gc.ca.
This course will be offered in English only.
Séance de formation du RESE sur la surveillance des écosystèmes
Wolfville (Nouvelle-Écosse)
Du samedi 26 mai au lundi 28 mai 2007
En collaboration avec Parcs Canada, l'Opération de nettoyage de l'Annapolis, le Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute et d'autres partenaires, le Bureau de coordination du Réseau d'évaluation et de surveillance écologiques tiendra un atelier de formation sur la surveillance des écosystèmes. Les participants recevront une formation sur les cadres de surveillance des écosystèmes et la conception des études, ainsi qu'une formation sur le terrain portant sur les divers aspects des protocoles de surveillance normalisés du RESE pour les écosystèmes terrestres : surveillance par parcelles de la végétation, de la santé des arbres, des salamandres, des lichens corticoles, de la décomposition des sols, des débris ligneux au sol, des espèces de plantes envahissantes, des amphibiens, des oiseaux, etc. Seront traités aussi la gestion de l'information et les mécanismes pour intégrer les résultats de recherche dans les politiques et la prise de décisions.
La séance de formation est gratuite, mais les participants devront assumer les frais des repas.
Si vous désirez obtenir de plus amples renseignements ou vous inscrire, veuillez communiquer avec Heather Andrachuk au 905 336 4411 ou à heather.andrachuk@ec.gc.ca.
Cette séance de formation va etre en anglais.