Fundy tidal power SEA complete

My blog readers from the Bay of Fundy region, and other readers from across the country, may be interested to know that the long-awaited Strategic Environmental Assessment of in-stream tidal power for our bay is now available.

Apparently there's enough potential in the tides to power 120,000 homes but this 'green energy' opportunity needs to weighed mindfully against potential changes and threats to the bay's sensitive ecology, traditional rural fishery, migratory bird feeding grounds, etc. The fact is: a tidal power project of the magnitude proposed for Fundy has never been tried anywhere else .... it would be a delicate experiment with the eyes of the region and the world upon it.

The Fundy SEA Report is a broad-ranging as it can be but there are still many unknowns. To download the report & other related documents, visit: www.offshoreenergyresearch.ca

Photo: Cape d'Or tidal rips (at the mouth of the Minas Channel)

Rare Right whale birth captivates researchers

It's not often that a Right whale gives birth and it's rarer still that whales researchers happen to show up at the 'right' moment to witness the happy event. By pure luck, New England Aquarium scientists were able to photograph this tumultuous and hopeful moment for a species so threatened by extinction that every birth counts. It was the first time anyone is known to have captured images of a right whale giving birth (click thru to photo gallery).

Here in the Bay of Fundy (the summer feeding grounds of many species of whales), we feel quite connected to Right whales. Much whale research takes place in our region throughout the summer and fall - contributing greatly to worldwide scientific research on whales. In the winter, whales venture about 1000 km south to the coasts of Georgia and Florida (where this Right whale was born in January).

A few weeks after the birth, the mother whale (known to researchers by the nickname, Cat's Paw) and her calf were seen swimming side by side as seen in this photo. Later, the aquarium team ponder what to name the baby. Then it came to them: Resolution, in part to honor it's New Year's Day birth, but also the species' unending will to survive. Awww....

A world first ~ 800 km unicyle race thru Fundy!

In your idle moments, do you ever imagine someone creating a Tour de France-style race for unicyclists? Well, imagine no longer - here is a world first!

From June 16 to 20, unicycle teams from around the world will "Ride the Lobster" - racing 800 km along the Bay of Fundy coast and up to Cape Breton.

The race will feature over 25 teams, with over 100 competitors from 19 countries. Teams will be tracked by satellite with their positions streamed live to the Ride the Lobster blog.

P.S. I don't think the racers are required to wear lobster red, but, if you plan to be a spectaor, do consider sporting a classic red foam lobster hat - you know you've got one buried in the back of your closet!

Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry

Here's a great tasting fiddlehead recipe I came across recently on a fun website: fiddleheads.ca. These folks (located on the west coast of Canada) sell fiddles, bows, books about fiddling, violin lessons, etc., and they've posted a few great fiddlehead recipes. This one is quick & easy!

Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry

2 cups fresh or frozen fiddleheads

1 cup snow peas
1 cup diced carrots (coins)
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup chopped brown mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp butter or oil (butter is richer)
1 tsp fresh ground ginger root
Garlic & tamari soy sauce to taste

Wash and prepare the fiddleheads by removing the fuzzy fronds and cutting off any dry ends. Prepare other vegetables and ginger. Preheat butter or oil in wok or sautee pan, medium heat. Stir-fry the fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes (longer for frozen) until the fiddleheads take on a vibrant green shade and are soft (fully cooked, not crunchy!).

Cook longer if the fiddleheads are at all crunchy. Add carrots, peas, mushrooms, cashews, ginger garlic and soy sauce. Add beansprouts last. Cook another 1-2 minutes until all veggies are cooked but not too soft. Serve with rice or fine rice stick noodles. Enjoy while listening to classical violin music

New Bay of Fundy video tour

I just came across this great new Bay of Fundy promo video on YouTube. It’s an excellent virtual tour of the New Brunswick side of the Bay…cool time lapse high-low video too. Take a look!

Fundy beach fire etiquette

In case you find yourself around the beautiful Bay of Fundy this summer, I thought I'd pass along a few tips for hosting a proper bonfire.

Tip #1 - arrive before dusk to gather driftwood. Look well above the normal high tide line (e.g. in the marsh grasses) for wood because the usual to-fro of the tides will have drawn back most driftwood from the regular tide line. (Note that by the end of the summer you may have to bring some of your own woodstove wood because the driftwood might be quite picked over.)

Tip #2 - look for a couple of large driftwood trees to use as benches. At commonly frequented beaches, these will often already be set in a V or U around a makeshift pit. (BTW it is considered a major faux pas to use driftwood tree trunks as fire wood!!)

Tip #3 - it is not necessary to build one of those cute oval fire pits surrounded by large rocks; this will immediately give you away as a city camper. You are on a stone beach - there is nothing nearby to catch fire! (Exception: if you have little kids with you, you may want to put some sort of visual barrier around the pit).

Tip #4 - determine if the tide is coming in or out. If it's on its way in and you build your fire half way down the beach you may not have time to roast a marshmallow. Instead, I'd suggest building your fire just below the anticipated high tide line. If the tide is in or just heading out when you build your fire, build it on the high side of tide line or you'll end up sitting on wet sand.

Here's a photo of our first beach fire of the season (last night), which leads me to my final tip:

Tip #5 - train your dog to fetch more driftwood while you cook your s'mores. You can see our yellow lab in action just behind the blaze.

Bay of Fundy blog now on wordpress

I've just been playing around with wordpress (one of the other blog programs) and I'm considering moving my blog over. If you're one of my long time blog readers, I'd be interested in your opinion of the wordpress layout. There's lots of cool stuff that I can do in wordpress that I can't do in blogger but I don't want to lose the friendly feel of this blog....

So, just for fun, I've dropped all the posts from this blogspot blog over into a sample wordpress Bay of Fundy blog... please feel free to take a peek and let me know what you think! Use the comment function or email me (bayoffundy@gmail.com).

I've still got a few glitches to work out over there such as getting the posts to drop down in the category headings, but it will give you the general idea of how it could look. If/when I do finally make the change I'll redirect this blog's RSS so we'll still be connected. All feedback greatly appreciated dear blogosphere friends!

Fiddlehead soup recipe

During the next few weeks (while I'm scouring the woods for fiddleheads) I thought I'd post a few of my favourite fiddlehead recipes.

My fiddlehead soup recipe is a blend of traditional French vichyssoise and good old-fashioned Bay of Fundy fiddlehead soup.

Fiddlehead Soup
1/4 c butter
1 c white ends of leeks, seperated, rinsed, chopped
1/4 c flour
5 c chicken or veg stock
1 lb fiddleheads, cleaned
1 c parnsips, peeled & chopped
1 c celery, leaves & all, chopped
2 c milk
1/4 t (or more) grated nutmeg
salt & fresh pepper to taste

Melt butter in large soup pot. Add leeks, cook at low heat 'til softened but not brown. Blend in flour to make a roux; cooking for 2 minutes at low hear. Whisk in stock in batches. Add fiddleheads, parnsips and celery to pot. Bring to boil, stir, over med. heat. Lower heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes.

Puree soup in blender then return to pot. Heat through when ready to serve. Stir in milk and seasonings. Plain soy milk is an alternate to cow's milk. Not quite as smooth but still good. You may want to pump up the nutmeg & pepper to counteract the slightly nutty taste of soy milk.

(By the way, if you're not really into beating the forest for ferns, fiddleheads are available in produce sections of most Fundy grocery stores).

Sneak peek at new Joggins Fossil Centre

Although the 'new' Joggins Fossil Centre doesn't officially open to the public until May 17, I was delighted to receive an invitation to attend its opening ceremony last week. There is much buzz in our region about this very welcome addition to the Bay of Fundy 'product'. My first glimpse of the new centre certainly did not disappoint!! It is a beautifully designed experience both inside and out. Here are some highlights:

• Local stones were layered on the exterior facade to replicate the site's adjacent fossil cliffs
• The site will generate about 60% of its own power through wind turbines & solar, and has some nifty 'green' features like a sod roof & rain water capture.
  
• The gallery exhibits are really interesting, with lots of interactive design elements like those in the photos as well as glass portholes in the floor, trackways to follow around the museum, interesting multi-media displays, etc.
  

A colleague who attended the opening caught me clambering out of the inside hollow of a tree (there's a cool multi-media presentation in there for kids!), and, examining the intro panels mounted on replicas of fossilized tree trunks!

Scenes from the ocean floor - 5th of 5

Here's my last scene in this 5-image series taken at Two Islands, near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. The receding Fundy tide exposes lots of interesting aspects of the ocean floor: salty puddles, living tide pools, sculpted reefs, mussels, clams and globs of seaweed.

If you generally find yourself exploring shorelines with your head down, this is your kinda beach! I've noticed that kids delight in exploring the intertidal zone at low tide searching for toe-sized hermit crabs to follow, tiny white & blue shells to collect, teensy fish to watch and squeaky rockweed pods to pop.

Safety tip: be sure to check local tide times before walking out onto the ocean floor at low tide. Only explore the zone for a couple hours before the low tide time. Don't explore after the low tide time - the low tide time indicates when tide is turning and coming back in so scram!!

Tide times vary around the bay and change every day. A searchible chart of tide times is also available on the Bay of Fundy Tourism website but do double check with the locals when you arrive on the bay to be sure these time are accurate.