Environment and Conservation
March 13, 2015

Promoting Our Natural Heritage

Ceremony Recognizes Contributors to Mistaken Point Nomination Bid

The official Mistaken Point world heritage nomination dossier was made available to the public at a special ceremony held yesterday evening at the Community Centre in Portugal Cove South. During the ceremony, local resident and Mistaken Point Ambassador Inc. member, Catherine (Kit) Ward, was presented with a copy of the dossier as an acknowledgement of her long-time dedication to the protection and promotion of the Mistaken Point site.

�Along with the staff of our Parks and Natural Areas Division and members of Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc., Kit Ward has worked tirelessly to get us to where we are today in the nomination process. The dossier is an incredible body of work; I am extremely proud of the submission and thank everyone involved for their tremendous efforts.�
- The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Environment and Conservation

Developed by staff of the Parks and Natural Areas Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, and members of Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc., the dossier is a required component of the world heritage site nomination process that outlines its proposed Outstanding Universal Value, including a thorough plan on how the ecological reserve will be protected and managed. It was received by the World Heritage Centre in Paris, France in late January. Further information about the nomination bid can be found at www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2015/env/0129n02.aspx and in the backgrounder below.

�I join all residents of the area in awaiting UNESCO�s decision with regard to Mistaken Point. Being inscribed as a world heritage site would be very beneficial to the economic development of the entire region through increased tourism and business potential. I offer my thanks as well to Kit and all of those whose efforts have been such an integral part of getting us to where we are today.�
- The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs and MHA for Ferryland

Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc. was established to partner with the Department of Environment and Conservation on the preparation of the world site nomination for Mistaken Point.

�Kit has always been a champion for Mistaken Point and the fossils at the site. She has been a leader within the community in recognizing and protecting the fossils. Kit has also contributed a great deal of time to the volunteer effort in bringing us to where we are now with a dossier for inscription at the UNESCO office in Paris. It was an honour to be part of the event which recognized her efforts.�
- Loretta Ryan, Chairperson, Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc.

To support the development of the nomination dossier, the Provincial Government provided $431,527 to Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc. under the Regional Development Program through the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, along with an additional investment of $209,000 through the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The nomination package will now be reviewed by a series of experts of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and a site visit will be conducted in the summer or fall of 2015. A site evaluation team will report back to the World Heritage Committee and a final decision is anticipated by July 2016.

QUICK FACTS

• The Mistaken Point nomination dossier for inscription on the UNESCO world heritage list was unveiled to the public for the first time at a ceremony held in Portugal Cove South on Thursday, March 12.
• A copy of the dossier was presented to Catherine (Kit) Ward in recognition of her long-time advocacy of Mistaken Point and her participation in the nomination process.
• Kit Ward�s passion for the site so inspired her son Bradley that he began to search for fossils himself. In 1999, he discovered a large rangeomorph frond that has since been named Trepassia (Charnia) wardae in honour of the Ward family.
• Mistaken Point is designated as an ecological reserve under the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act. The site has more than 10,000 fossil impressions, ranging from a few centimetres to some two metres in length readily visible for scientific study and supervised viewing along the coastline.
• The preserved fossils found at the site are dated between 580 and 560 million years old making them the oldest-known, large complex life forms found on Earth and a critical milestone in the history of life on Earth.

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BACKGROUNDER
Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve Nomination Bid

Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve is located southeast of Portugal Cove South on the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula. The exquisitely preserved fossils found at the site are dated between 580 and 560 million years old, making them the oldest-known, large complex life forms found on earth and a critical milestone in the history of life on the planet.

Under the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO's goal is to ensure conservation of the world's natural and cultural heritage and encourage local participation in the preservation of that heritage.

The World Heritage Committee decides which heritage sites are inscribed on the World Heritage List, reviews the state of conservation of existing sites, allocates financial assistance through the World Heritage Fund, requests that participating States Parties take action to enhance the protection and management of threatened World Heritage Sites, and reports its findings to the General Conference of UNESCO.

Canada's existing World Heritage Sites:

• L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nahanni National Park, Northwest Territories
• Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta
• Kluane/Wrangell - St.Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukon and British Columbia (and Alaska)
• Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Alberta and British Columbia
• SGang Gwaay, British Columbia
• Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta
• Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta and Northwest Territories
• Historic District of Old Québec, Québec
• Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
• Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta (and Montana)
• Miguasha National Park, Québec
• Rideau Canal, Ontario
• Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia
• Landscape of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
• Red Bay Basque Whaling Station, Newfoundland and Labrador

2015 03 13                              1:50 p.m.