KEEPER OF THE CLIFFS

Joggins is a Canadian rural community located in western Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. On July 7, 2008 a 15 km length of the coast constituting the Joggins Fossil Cliffs was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List.  Getting that designation was the culmination of work by a committee, of which our own former Honary Member, the late Dr. Laing Ferguson was a member.  The fossil cliffs in Joggins N.S. were a large part of Laing’s life. He took many students there on field trips as well as many public groups and organizations. In 1988 Laing wrote “The Fossil Cliffs of Joggins”, a popular book that was reprinted several times. Laing was also involved in the committee that succeeded in getting the fossil cliffs designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. His research was a critical part of the application to UNESCO.  In recognition of Laing’s significant and continued contribution to the Joggins Fossil Institute he was made an Honorary Lifetime Member and named a “Keeper Of The Cliffs” in 2009.  

There has been a surge in interest in Joggins over the past two decades. Recent geologic work has been primarily coordinated by Martin Gibling, Professor of Sedimentology at Dalhousie University.  During this interval, Gibling supervised and mentored a number of PhD students and postdocs including John Calder, Howard Falcon-Lang, Sarah Davies, and Mike Rygel.

Amateur fossil collectors have also made major contributions to our knowledge. For example, Don Reid, a long-time resident of Joggins, donated his entire collection of Joggins fossils to the Joggins Fossil Institute. Many of his specimens are on display in the Joggins Fossil Centre. 

In 2009, palaeontologist Melissa Grey was hired as the first scientific curator for the Joggins Fossil Institute.   The Joggins Fossil Institute continues to conduct and foster research at the site and hosts international paleontologists and geologists and conference field-trips. JFI also has a Science Advisory Committee comprising scientists from Maritime universities and government departments. This is a volunteer committee whose mission is to: provide expert and comprehensive advice and support to the JFI on scientific matters respecting the development, conservation and management of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs property, the content of the Joggins Fossil Centre's programs, scientific research related to the fossil cliffs, and scientific issues arising from the site's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Committee also assists in reporting on the status of monitoring programs and state of conservation of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs property.