"I Love Quoddy" Store Open in Time for Christmas

As part of our new I Love Quoddy initiative, we have launched a new store at Cafe Press.com. You can get hats, t-shirts, and more with the "I Love Quoddy" logo.

A perfect gift for Christmas.

Let's fill the streets with this statement about our love for this unique place. Wear the hat or T, get the bumper sticker. Wear your heart on your chest ... or your head if you prefer.

Proceeds go to support our Quoddy Community Outreach Initiatives fostering sustainable growth based on the wise use of our natural resources.

Order at: www.cafepress.com/ilovequoddy

Birders Discover Ganong Nature Park

We were please to see that some birders found the park. Well known birder Merv Cormier had been there before and had part of the story. For those that don't know the park has been opened since 2002 and has traditionally been a site for casual bird excursions and Christmas bird counts.

The park was closed for a year and a half while the new Quoddy Learning centre was built, the Ganong Cottage was renovated, and the trails and nodes were completed. We have been open but not pushing our advertising since the ACOA project did not get finalized until July-August, too late to do major promotions.

That's pretty much done and we are now working on advertising, programs, and partners for this winter and next year.

Whatever your interest we have a great venue for your events and meetings and the grounds and trails are always open to visitors during regular hours. Please come and enjoy this special place.

Need a map to find your way. Try this one at Google. 

Kim, Mary, Stephanie and Art , Quoddy Learning Centre at Ganong Nature & Marine Park

From NB Nature Digest: 

Date:    Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:41:02 -0400
From:    Wendy Rogers

Subject: Ganong Nature Park (near St Stephen)

Late this morning I was there with some friends. I had never heard of it before, so it may have just opened this year. It was poorly signposted, and the brochure about it had no directions to speak of.

Once we found it, though, we were glad we'd persisted. It was once the site of a farm where thoroughbreds were raised. There are several nice trails through varied terrain: open fields, remains of orchards, woods, beach. There are several bluebird boxes.

I hadn't gone there with birding in mind, but there are many shrubs with berries and lots of good bird habitats. I got a good look at a Blue-headed/Solitary Vireo.

On the main highway between Waweig and St Stephen we saw two Turkey Vultures.

If any of you try to find this park, it's on a turnoff toward the coast near to Oak Bay. (Oakhaven? road, which leads to Todd Point road, where the park is). The only signs are small (about 15" square) with a prominent image of a Luna moth. There are brochures with the trails described and mapped out, available from Tourism NB and elsewhere.
Wendy Rogers
Nasonworth
------------------------------
Date:    Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:16:47 -0300
From:    Merv Cormier Subject: Re: Ganong Nature Park (near St Stephen)

The park has been there for at least Five years I brought Durlan Ingersoll there last year. It's a good spot for Pileated Woodpeckers.

The Ganong Park Legacy Fund

Honouring the memory of Whidden and Eleanor Ganong
by maintaining the Ganong Nature Park and providing free access to the Park grounds.
Donate online at CanadaHelps.org or contact us at the address below.

It's sad but true.
It costs money to operate a park!

It was candy maker Whidden Ganong's wish that someone would take this magnificent 350 acre historic Todd's Point and make it available to the public as a "nature park". Well, we stood up to the plate and took it on when others had failed. With the help of a host of donors and volunteers, our staff managed to raise the $350,000 needed to buy the property from Whidden's Estate after he bequeathed it to us in his will.

As we had promised, we sought and received funding to prepare a development plan which was presented to the public and which became our blueprint for the future. Ultimately, this study became the foundation of a 1.3 million dollar ACOA grant matched by our investment of an additional $700,000 dollars to round out a 2 million dollar investment in the Park and its beautiful interpretive centre, the Quoddy Learning Centre. New trails, grooming, interpretive nodes, signage and renovations to the Ganong cottage turned a once overrun and decaying property into an important regional asset that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Driven by insurance concerns, SCEP was required to close the park during construction, resulting in a flood of local criticism about the closure and on reopening, additional complaints were made in public about the need for fees to cover weddings, meeting, reunions, and other special events at the Quoddy Learning Centre and adjacent park grounds. Well, it takes money to run a park and we must, like all other venues charge for our services since our discretionary funds are usually nonexistant. It is not possible for us to subsidize private events.

Nevertheless, it is our hope that we can keep the trails and grounds of the park groomed, in repair, and freely open to visitors who wish to walk, hike, bike, snowshoe and ski the many beautiful fields and trails.

And it depends on you.

Our calculations are that it costs $40,000 to $60,000 annually just to keep the park grounds open and free for use. Funds are used to groom trails, affect repairs, service equipment, provide security, collect and remove waste, mow lawns and fields and pay maintainance staff among other things.

This is the Ganong Park Legacy Fund honouring Whidden and Eleanor Ganong.

SCEP is the custodian of that legacy and you are the beneficiary. The annual target is $50,000. So please ...

We need you to help us keep
the Ganong Nature & Marine Park freely open to the public.

Go right now to
CanadaHelps.org
and donate what you can.
Times are difficult and the need is urgent.

or
JOIN,
DONATE,
PARTICIPATE
Complete our
online form for members and volunteers.

Need to know more? Then check the following links.

About Us
A Brief History of the Park
Quoddy Learning Centre
Camp Waweig

The Quoddy Bay School Excursion

A New and Exciting Educational Experience for This Spring !

You will be pleased to hear that there is something new on the horizon. Three key attractions in Charlotte County on the Bay of Fundy have partnered to fulfill your need for a new and exciting educational experience that fits with your curriculum.

The Quoddy Learning Centre and Nature Park, The Gathering Place at Camp Waweig and Ministers Island will work with individual teachers and school groups to develop a field trip structured to fit time frames, age appropriateness, and class curricula. We will provide a step-on guide who will travel with your group as you explore coastal Charlotte County, New Brunswick, where you will learn about the Passamaquoddy / St. Croix area, its unique environment and fascinating history. Each site offers it’s own special adventure and learning opportunity. You choose the themes:

*Ministers Island* was the summer estate of Sir William Van Horne (1890), the builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Just a short drive across the ocean floor at low tide, the estate sits on a 500 acre island, a showcase displaying his vision for both agriculture and tourism. A businessman and entrepreneur of breathtaking ability, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne was also an artistic and imaginative visionary. His Summer “cottage”, Covenhoven, has 50 rooms. The Livestock Barn which is 151 feet long, 83 feet high and 56 feet wide, was used to raise prize winning Dutch Belted cattle and Clydesdale horses. More at www.ministersisland.org

The *Quoddy Learning Centre and Nature Park* is a brand new facility located on a 350 acre peninsula in the St. Croix Estuary. It has its own spectacular views and settings overlooking historic St. Croix Island where Champlain and Demonts spent the fateful winter of 1604. It is the perfect spot to discuss and complete activities regarding both European and Passamaquoddy history as well as the marine environment. The park is also the former summer home of Sir William Todd, once Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, as well as Eleanor & Whidden Ganong, of chocolate fame. More at www.quoddylearningcentre.org

The *Gathering Place at Camp Waweig* is a perfect spot for those Charlotte County adventurers who want to stay the night. The 40 acre site has rustic cabins to fit 35-40 people and lots of room for tents too! Waweig staff are willing to serve up a hearty breakfast for the overnighters or just a hot dog for a quick lunch stop. The camp has been used by the community for the past 80 years and is a great place to have group activities or a campfire in a “wilderness setting” (At least it feels that way even if it is only 10 minutes or so from town!).

We can accommodate your group by arranging a full day of learning scavenger-hunt style that spreads across your tour route, by providing you with resources before and after your visit, or by working with you to develop a program suited to current curricula. More at www.quoddylearningcentre.org

Please call the Quoddy Learning Centre
to arrange your field trip or to have us come and present to your teachers.
marygilmore@quoddylearningcentre.org - tel. 506-467-9905 - fax. 506-466-5174

About Our New Logo

The new logo is designed to reflect Quoddy Future’s interests and objectives. The Q is Caslon Openface BT. The color (Pantone 303c at 57% tint) reflects the ocean and its shape, the earth, and the surrounding atmosphere. The tail represents an ocean wave. The moon image represent creation of tides, the driving force in Quoddy. The Luna Moth (meaning “moon” in Latin) represents creatures of the Quoddy Region and their relationship to land, air, and space.

The text Identifies the organization and its facilities and programs. It identifies the central them of shaping the Quoddy Region in a sustainable manner. It is Bookman Old Style Italic. The logo is colourful and attractive, contains the necessary elements, but is sufficiently unstructured to allow the organization to develop unencumbered by perceptions and to form alliances with other groups and individuals that will help to move forward with shaping the future of Quoddy in a sustainable manner.

New Website Coming

We'll be redoing our website over the next week or so. The existing sites for SCEP, Ganong Nature Park, and Camp Waweig will all point to this new location www.quoddylearningcentre.org.

Please be patient while we get this done. In the meantime, our calendars, information blogs and groups are our main focus. These are starting to become functional so check often for information

Deadline for Comments on Aquaculture Act

February 15, Deadline to submit comments on proposed changes to the Aquaculture Act. Contact the Office of the Registrar of Aquaculture (Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture), 506-453-5229, DAA-MAA@gnb.ca