On October 26, 2018, Cabox Geopark in Western Newfoundland commemorated the 250th Anniversary of James Cook’s ‘Chart of the West Coast of Newfoundland’. A large version of the map was installed at the Geopark’s new Saltbox Information Center in Benoit’s Cove on the south side of the Bay of Islands. Other copies of the Chart were (and will be) installed at key locations around the bay, including along the newly designated James Cook Heritage Trail in Blow Me Down Provincial Park in Lark Harbour.
Cabox Information Center Launches at New Saltbox Restaurant in Benoit’s Cove
On October 26, 2018, Cabox Geopark and the soon to be Saltbox Restaurant in Benoit’s Cove launched the first Cabox Geopark Information Center. Located approximately halfway along Route 450 on the south side of the Bay of Islands, the center will provide natural heritage and outdoor adventure information to both residents and tourists. Opening day included storyboards on renowned surveyor James Cook, who surveyed Newfoundland’s west coast in 1767, and the region’s diverse geology as mapped by a long list of geologists including Newfoundlander Harold “Hank” Williams who colored in Cook’s maps.
In Search of Stage One of the UltramaTrex
On the morning of June 23, 2018, IATNL members Ulrica Murley Pye, Sharon MacDonald Lahey, Delano Pittman and Paul Wylezol set off up Winterhouse Gulch on the northeast side of the Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park on a mission to identify and gps track the route for Stage One of the 4-stage UltramaTrex, a 7-9 day trek across the ultramafic sections of the four Bay of Islands Ophiolite Massifs. The first half-hour of the trek was on a well-trodden park trail that begins at the parking lot just off Route 431 above the town of Woody Point.
Canadian Geoparks Workshop in Ottawa
On June 4-5, 2018, the first national workshop of the Canadian Geoparks Network took place in Ottawa. The event was held at the Canadian Council for the Arts and included representatives from UNESCO Global Geoparks and Aspiring Geoparks across Canada, including Cabox. Special guest was Patrick McKeever, UNESCO Chief of Section at the Global Earth Observation division and Secretary of the International Geoscience Programme, including UNESCO Global Geoparks.
Geopark Reps Attend Drifting Apart Meeting
On February 25, 2018, representatives of the IATNL and Outer Bay of Islands Enhancement Committee (OBIEC) traveled to Iceland to attend the final meeting of the 3-year EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme funded Drifting Apart project. They were representing Cabox Aspiring Geopark. The two-day event began the evening of February 26 with a reception at Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark Visitor Center, with special guest Ms Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland.
IATNL Commemorates James Cook Survey
During summer 2017, the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland & Labrador in conjunction with Cabox Aspiring Geopark is commemorating the 250th Anniversary of British navigator, surveyor, cartographer and explorer James Cook’s survey of Western Newfoundland, his fifth and final year of Newfoundland surveys and tenth and final year in Eastern Canada. Commemorations include three new indoor exhibits and the re-designation of two trails on the south side of the Bay of Islands and began on June 21 with an official launch at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives, which has a permanent exhibit dedicated to Cook.
4th General Meeting of Cabox Aspiring Geopark Held at Grenfell Campus
On November 28, 2016, the 4th general meeting of Cabox Aspiring Geopark was held at the Atrium of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland in Corner Brook. In addition to updates on the past year’s developments and a preview of next year’s Canada 150/Cook 250 celebration, Grenfell History Professor Olaf Janzen gave a presentation on James Cook in Newfoundland. The meeting began with a presentation on the geology of Eastern Canada and Western Newfoundland by Alana Hinchey, Senior Geologist with the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, partner in the EU Interreg funded Drifting Apart project.
Work Continues on Base Camp at Back Cove, North Arm, Bay of Islands
During the spring, summer and fall of 2016, work continued on the IATNL hiking base camp at Back Cove on the north shore of North Arm, Bay of Islands. The two storey camp is well positioned to serve as the start or finish for a 2-3 day trek across the North Arm Hills to or from Trout River Pond in Gros Morne National Park and will serve as an intersecting point for the north and south halves of the planned Cabox Geopark. Restoration began June 4-6, when the IATNL’s Paul Wylezol, Arne Helgeland, Kevin Noseworthy and Caroline Swan were joined by Go Western’s Executive Director Mark Lamswood.
7th International UNESCO Geoparks Conference
On September 27-30, 2016, IATNL / Cabox Aspiring Geopark Chairperson Paul Wylezol attended the 7th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks at Torquay, England, where he learned more about the UNESCO Global Geopark programme and gave a presentation on next year’s 250th Anniversary of James Cook completing his surveys of Western Newfoundland and Eastern Canada. The conference began with an icebreaker reception at Torre Abbey’s Spanish Barn, which held 397 prisoners from Spanish Armada ships wrecked off the coast of southern England in 1588.
Cabox Geopark Chairperson Presents at UK’s Captain Cook Museums
On September 16 & 17, 2016, IAT and Cabox Geopark Chairperson Paul Wylezol was in England visiting the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Marton. While there he gave a presentation on the 250th Anniversary of James Cook completing his surveys in Eastern Canada, most noteably in Newfoundland. In the coming years, James Cook 250 will be a unique opportunity for the IAT and partner UK National Trails to promote their natural and cultural heritage across the North Atlantic and South Pacific.