A New Perspective!

I don't think a person can fully appreciate a coastal region unless they find a way to see it both from land and from water. Today, I had the opportunity to go out on the water again.

I was privileged to be invited to attend an official announcement about some funding that has been put in place to help to "evaluate and mitigate threats to aquatic species at risk on the southwest coast and in the Gros Morne region of Newfoundland." You can read the full press release here. This opportunity was exciting for me in a couple of ways. First of all, I got to ride on the water taxi from Woody Point to Norris Point to attend this event. On the way back, we rode on a zodiac! I made a short video to demonstrate both experiences (be sure to watch to the end). You can watch that video here.

Here are some of the photos I took today:

Heading out of Woody Point (Woody Point Lighthouse in background)

The red circle shows the beach where I do most of my work.

The Tablelands

Norris Point

See the white dot about a third of the way down and in the centre? That's a bald eagle! There is a well-established nest visible from the water.

A Sea-Farin' Lass

Exciting Initiatives

Here's the other thing that excited me. The two organizations who received funding are the The Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI), and Intervale Associates Inc. I encourage you to check out their websites. The funding for the projects is part of the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk. I enjoyed meeting people who are doing this wonderful, important work. I found it inspiring. I hope there will be an opportunity for collaboration.  There was a display showing some of the projects these organizations do. Here are some pics I took:

AHOI is studying the extent that plastics are polluting the marine environment. They also collect and clean up the plastics. 50% of the plastics removed by them from the marine environment are recycled and repurposed.

I think this net is so cool! It is used to collect zooplankton, teeny-tiny creatures that are essential to marine mammals such as whales.

This was my favourite: an ROV, or Remote Operated Vehicle. It can reach depths that divers cannot reach so they are able to use this to view, catalogue, and study marine life at depths that have never-before been studied. To read more about this amazing initiative, go to the website here and scroll down to "Diving into Marine Research". The scientists showed photos and videos of the marine life that was so colourful it reminded me of a coral reef. 

And now for a bit of a smile. Because I was at this announcement event, I ended up in a photo (we were all told to line up for it) and am now on the Cover Photo for AHOI's Facebook page. I laugh when I see it. It also pleases me. Artist from Bright's Grove and the shores of Lake Huron on the shores of Bonne Bay with people who are working hard to make a positive difference. Check it out if you have Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/atlantichealthyoceansinitiative/