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BoFEP has initiated a video project entitled “Fundy Minute” in which experts from around the Bay give their take on a wide array of topics pertaining to Fundy and some of the ecological problems that are confronting it. BoFEP extends special thanks to Michele Tremblay of naturesource communications (naturesource.net) for guiding the project so adeptly and professionally and kudos also to George Swenson for sharing his technical expertise during the post production processing of the first two videos.

Fundy Minute #1 (3:37 min) features Dr. Ian Spooner from Acadia University in Wolfville NS where he is a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. He is also the Director of Research at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. Dr. Spooner’s primary research interest is investigating environmental change, and he has active research programs in northwestern British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. He will give a brief overview of how the Bay of Fundy formed, how it has evolved over geological time and what makes it geologically unique.

Fundy Minute #2 (40:58 mins) features Chief Hugh Akagi of the Peskotomuhkati ( Passamaquoddy) First Nation , whose  traditional territory includes the watershed of the Skutik (St. Croix) River and Passamaquoddy Bay. Based in St. Andrews, NB, he provides an extended overview of some of the First Nations’ perspectives on the Bay of Fundy, its marine resources and their historical relationship to it.

Work is already underway for additional videos in this series. BoFEP welcomes any suggestions for future topics and/or speakers. Send your ideas by email to: Fundy videos

The November 2023 edition of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) quarterly newsletter “Fundy Tidings” is now available online.

FUNDY TIDINGS docx

FUNDY TIDINGS pdf

To Nova Scotia BOFEP Members and Supporters

The government of Nova Scotia is currently taking submissions regarding the Coastal Protection Act which was passed in 2019 but not proclaimed.

The survey is asking for Nova Scotia property owners to submit ideas, thoughts, and comments. As residents of a maritime environment where it is impossible to be more than 67km from the coast; we all have an interest in this process.

Our coastline is our joy – so many of us have seen it change over the years – community spots removed, or blocked, erosion, pollution, wildlife decline and disappearance, human intervention, and weather events that shift everything in a few hours – we are all affected. There is no shame in wanting to walk a beach and protect the abundance of life under your
toes, in the sky above, or the land and sea that surrounds us. We are asking residents of Nova Scotia who receive the BOFEP newsletter– regardless of property ownership – to fill out the survey. We hope you will advocate for strong protections, responsible usage, protected areas, and living shorelines.

The survey can be found at https://novascotia.ca/climate-change-coastal-protection- consultation/ https://novascotia.ca/climate-change-coastal-protection- consultation/

Or through coastalconsultation@novascotia.ca
Submissions will be accepted until November 7 th , 2023.

The August 2023 edition of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) quarterly newsletter “Fundy Tidings” is now available online.
FUNDY TIDINGS docx
FUNDY TIDINGS pdf

On June, 11-15^th, 2023, the Chair of BoFEP Peter Wells participated in the Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) Conference, in Victoria, BC.  The theme of this biennial conference was “connecting with the coast”. He gave a paper[1] on the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP)’s activity and plans for ocean literacy (OL), four posters[2] (one of which was a summary of recent EIUI-sponsored studies and progress), and chaired one session. Support for attending the conference came from our EIUI SSHRC grant and from BoFEP. The conference had around 500 attendees, had 4 days of concurrent sessions on a wide range of topics pertaining to coastal and ocean management, and a very diverse and information packed exhibit hall for groups across the sectors involved in ocean science, management, monitoring, and public engagement. I attended all plenaries, 12 paper sessions, and the formal poster session. The paper and the posters were well attended and new connections with other practitioners were made.

                Some important points pertaining to the aims and objectives of the EIUI program and its associated research, noted while attending this conference’s papers, discussions and displays, were as follows:

1. In this UN Ocean Decade, collaboration and networking are critical to effective ocean management.
2. Bottom-up engagement of communities, including those of indigenous peoples, is essential for effective ocean management and its component activities, such as marine spatial planning.
3. Climate change is clearly here, as shown by ongoing processes such as coastal erosion.
4. All forms of knowledge (western, indigenous) must be used to protect coastal species and spaces.
5. Nature based solutions can protect coastlines prone to erosion enhanced by climate change.
6. Climate change is the biggest environmental issue of our time and demands that all members of society are knowledgeable about it and are generally ocean literate.
7. To be successful, marine spatial planning must be mostly a bottom-up process, involving coastal communities and local municipal planners. Local knowledge, including historical, should be considered.

It was abundantly clear from this conference (see the website) and earlier CZC conferences that having an ocean literate and ocean involved population is critically important for effective coastal and ocean management in an era of accelerating  ocean change. The topic itself was explicitly discussed in the session where my paper was presented in and generally discussed in other sessions at this meeting. In the OL session, talks focused on the contributions of whale watching, film and photography, and community attitudes and perspectives about the coast. In addition, many displays and groups (across all sectors) in the exhibits hall focused on public awareness and engagement with coastal and ocean issues. Clearly, at the heart of this conference was the premise that an ocean literate public is required to support effective coastal and ocean management (including policy and decision-making), protection of marine biodiversity, and enlightened response to climate change. The three big take-home messages for successful advancement of OL and coastal management were: 1) network across interested coastal groups; 2) involve coastal communities directly with projects; and 3) involve indigenous peoples and respect their histories of deep connections with the coast. Further discussion of ocean literacy, and the work generally of the EIUI and BoFEP groups, should be continued in next years BoFEP Workshop and in CZC 2025 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 

Peter G. Wells, EIUI, BoFEP and IOI-C, July 13^th.

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[1] Paper: Promoting ocean and climate literacy to communities around the Bay of Fundy and its watersheds. L.Lowther, M.J.A. Butler, and P.G. Wells.

[2] Posters: Understanding  information pathways for evidence-based policy and decision-making in coastal and ocean Management.  Wells, P.G. and MacDonald, B.H.;  Celebrating BoFEP’s 25^th anniversary – achievements and future activities. Wells, P.G., Percy, J., Daborn, G.A. et al.;  The interplay of ocean science research with public policy and management decision-making: seeking solutions. MacDonald, B.H. , Wells, P.G., Stewart, I., et al.; CRC Press Book – Science, Information, and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management. MacDonald , B.H., et al. 2016.

The Proceedings of the 13th Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) Science Workshop and the Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Science Society (ACCESS) Conference held jointly on May 18-21, 2022 at the Cox Institute of Agricultural Technology at the Dalhousie University campus in Truro, NS is now available online. The theme was: “Advancing Estuarine Science and Ocean Literacy in Atlantic Canada”. Conference Proceedings (pdf)