Laura

Sophia, Maggie and I ran the QLF Ocean Adventure Camp here in Blanc-Sablon. After being back for 2 days from the south coast, there was very little opportunity for rest. It was time to dive right back into action. We were a little worried when the weather forecast called for rain all week, since a lot of the activities we had planned for the camp involved being outside, but the weather gods must have been on our side because when Monday rolled around we had beautiful weather – in fact we had great weather all week.

There were 13 kids that showed up altogether: 4 girls and 9 boys ranging from six years old to twelve. They were all very eager to learn about marine animals and environmental conservation, and surprisingly already knew quite a lot about these things. On the first day, we divided the campers into two groups and had each come up with a team name and design a flag. The purpose of this was to get the kids to work together towards a common goal, it was a good way to add friendly competition, and I think the kids really enjoyed it. Of course, it was also very good for us, the counselors, because we could just as easily penalize teams if they were misbehaving.


We had many fun activities planned for our campers throughout the week. We did a scavenger hunt along the beach, made ocean globes out of recycled jars, paid a visit to DFO where the kids got to check out the zodiac boat as well as take home some neat gifts, we played animal Pictionary, went on a hike up Mont Parent overlooking the harbour and town, played Pin the Tale on the Whale, made sailboats out of popsicle sticks and foam (which they later got to test out on the river), and played all sorts of other great games. But by far the most exciting part of the week was our trip to Greenly Island, which is a migratory bird sanctuary located a few kilometres offshore that normally no one is allowed to visit. QLF was given special permission to stay there in order to educate the kids on the importance of this sanctuary and its purpose in preserving the local wildlife. We spent one night on Greenly with all the campers, watching puffins fly around us, learning about the island’s history, toasting marshmallows, and of course telling scary ghost stories around the fire. It was a fun day for all!

Laura

After La Poile, we took the ferry back to our cars in Rose Blanche and drove up and around to the town of Burgeo, connected by way of the Trans-Canada Highway. We again dropped off our cars and set sail for our next destination along the coast: Grey River – a small community of just over 100 people, peacefully nestled in the crook of two high mountains. We were welcomed into the home of the mayor, who was a magnificent cook and also kind enough to organize a meeting for us with the fishermen in town. These men had the same sad stories as in La Poile. There were only 9 fishermen remaining who continued to fish commercially, but again, it was not an easy life here.

On we went the next day to the town of Francois (pronounced “Fransway” by the locals. Oh how the French would cringe!). This town was my favourite stop on our journey. I think it was here that I realized this was the most spectacular place I’ve been to. The scenery far exceeded my expectations. One after another, we passed through these little villages that dotted the coastline every so often, built as if by accident in between towering cliffs or along narrow inlets. Can you imagine waking up to these views every morning? But, like in the other villages we went to, Francois was also feeling the effects of their fisheries’ downsizing.


Next on our journey was the town of McCallum, another very tiny community built between two small mountains in an enclosed harbour. We were met at the docks by the woman who was hosting us for the night. As we walked through town, people greeted us as if we were already good friends. We were given the name of a fisherman, Terry, that we were told would be very interested in speaking with us, and so we went searching for him. We made our way to his home and were warmly greeted by his wife and invited in for tea. We gave Terry one of our observer kits, and it was funny because the very next morning he pulled into the wharf with a small shark that had entangled itself in his nets and died. It was exciting! This was the first time I had seen a shark close-up. We examined it for a while, making measurements and taking note of its markings, but it was soon time for us to gather our things and head out again by ferry to our last stop along the coast, Hermitage.

Hermitage is one of only two towns along the ferry route that is connected by road. It has cars and lots of people in it – a strange and unfamiliar sight! The town has a large fish plant which employs most of the residents and processes all the fish that are caught along the entire southwest coast. It was bustling with activity when we arrived. Our stay there was very short, however. We had just enough time to meet with a few fishermen and tour the fish plant before we had to board the ferry again and begin our long journey back to Burgeo to find our cars. We spent one more night in Francois, and were taken on the most spectacular hike along the mountaintops overlooking the cliffs and town below. We were almost eaten alive by mosquitoes, but it was well worth it! I got some great shots!

The next morning we boarded two ferries and returned to Burgeo where we collected the cars and began the long drive back home and back to reality. The road from Burgeo was incredible, it really gave me a sense of just how isolated we’d been this whole time. It’s completely devoid of any towns, gas stations, even other cars much of the way. We were told to watch out for caribou, and I was a little disappointed when we didn’t see any (although I suppose thankful too, since they can be really dangerous!). We stayed overnight in Rocky Harbour, and got to explore Gros Morne the next morning – what a beautiful park! We kind of lost track of time though, and almost missed our ferry out of St Barbe that evening (we literally made it with only minutes to spare!). What a way to leave Newfoundland with a bang.

Now we are back in Blanc-Sablon, and continue to reminisce about our spectacular trip to the south coast. We met a lot of people with incredible stories, and saw some very unforgettable places. It was a pleasure to get to know Newfoundland in such a unique manner, and I really hope to return again one day.

Chris

Today is my last day at the office in Ipswich and tomorrow all of the interns are going up to Maine to spend the day. We are nearing the completion of the 15th Anniversary The Sounds Conservancy publication. Almost all of the images and illustrations have been purchased and Debbie, the graphics designer, is in the final stages of formatting the publication which she has done a great job on.

I am really pleased with how much I have learned this summer at QLF. It was a great opportunity and thank you Larry, Beth, Kevin and all of the interns for making my summer as enjoyable as it was!

Henry

Since I have returned from Canada, I’ve been working in the QLF office in Ipswich. I have been working on the Sounds Conservancy’s 15th Anniversary Publication, and successfully handed it off to the graphic designer early last week, which felt like a triumph since I have been working on it on and off for the last two years.

Last Wednesday, July 22nd, Chris O’Book, Megan Murley and I travelled down to Cape Cod to check in with a few 2009 Sounds Conservancy grantees. Our first destination was to visit Alison Andrews with her advisor Barbara Brennessell in Wellfleet, MA. We arrived at Indian neck, on the bay side of Cape Cod, around 10 AM ready to search for Diamondback Terrapins, a threatened species native to the salt marshes of the sounds region. It was towards the end of their nesting season, so we saw plenty of caged off nests, but no actual turtles nesting, which was a little disappointing, but understandable considering how late in the nesting season it was. It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity to stretch our legs, so the mission was successful. After a brief swim in the bay, we left Wellfleet around noon to our next destination of Provincetown, MA, at the very tip of the cape. We had a great seafood lunch in town, and then met Owen Nichols at the Center for Coastal Studies office, right next to the downtown, touristy section of Provincetown. He showed us around the office, talked about his project studying the longfin inshore squid, and also about working collaboratively with all types of fishermen and scientists. He then showed us a tank in the office they were using to raise larval squid, so we were able to see these tiny creatures feeding. It was a beautiful day and turned out to be very informative, as I knew little of either project.

On Thursday, July 23rd, the Sounds Conservancy held a luncheon at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point for all of the 2009 grantees, some of the TSC directors, some QLF staff, and several Avery Point staff. This gathering was very successful, as we had about nine grantees show up and talk about their presentations. It was great to put faces to the names and projects I have only read about and to meet these fascinating, dedicated people in person. We got a tour of the amazing Avery Point campus, which is located right on the coast in New London, CT, and also had a fantastic catered lunch in a beautiful conference room overlooking Long Island Sound.

On Wednesday, July 29th, Chris O’Book and I travelled down to southern Massachusetts to do a few more site visits for the Sounds Conservancy. We met 2009 grantee Tara Rajaniemi at 8:30 AM at a coastal salt marsh in Fairhaven, MA. This site used to be the location for the Atlas Tack and Nail Factory, so the site was contaminated with heavy metals for decades. The EPA has tried to restore it to its natural state, so we were out there collecting samples to see if the restoration has been successful up to this point. Tara and her colleague Rebecca had planted bags full of resin in the marsh about a month before and came back to collect them to determine the amount of nitrogen present in the ecosystem. The marsh looked to be fairly healthy, considering its history, and we had a great time tramping around collecting the samples. We then drove to Woods Hole, MA, the location of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and more importantly 2009 grantee Dr. Michelle Portman. We talked about a few of her previous TSC funded projects, one involving marine zoning on Cape Cod and the other looking at offshore renewable energy projects, and the regulatory framework differences between the US and Europe. She was incredibly nice, and I learned a great deal in our hour talk with her. We then went to a restaurant in Woods Hole and both indulged in a Lobster Panini, something completely new to me. How delicious it was!

Friday is the last day of my internship, and I soon will be headed to Colorado to start my sophomore year at Colorado College. It has been a great summer, and I cannot thank QLF enough for the amazing opportunities they provided for me this year!

Megan

I arrived in Boston in the beginning of June and have spent my summer interning at the QLF office in Ipswich. My primary job has been to assist the Executive Vice President, Beth Alling, with any work she needs completed. My different work has included working on a big grant proposal for a Middle East program, researching different conservation programs in the Middle East, participating and reporting on the Intern and Volunteer Program.

Just a few weeks into my internship, I was given the opportunity to travel up to the Newfoundland-Labrador and Quebec provinces for the Intern and Volunteer Program orientation. Along with a fellow intern from Ipswich, Henry Hatch, I flew into Deer Lake, where we met up with two other summer interns and the head of the Montreal Office, Adrienne Blattel. The five of us drove to Gros Morne National Park, the second largest National Park in eastern Canada, where we spent the night in cabins along the water. The next morning, we started our journey to Blanc-Sablon Quebec, but not without a quick morning hike in Gros Morne! We drove approximately five hours north of Deer Lake to St. Bart’s, where we hopped on board the ferry over to Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. After leaving Boston over 24 hours earlier, we finally arrived in Blanc-Sablon, where we were welcomed by the QLF staff and other interns with open arms.

The next three days in Blanc-Sablon absolutely flew by. In total, there were seven of us, interns and volunteers, and then three QLF staff who participated in the orientation. We spent the first day playing different ice breaker games to get to know each other and learning all about the history of QLF. This gave all of us a better understanding of why the Intern and Volunteer Program was such a crucial part of QLF and how much of an impact our work would really have on QLF. Since the environment and the general outdoors is such a leading component of QLF, we spent a great deal of our time outside and visiting different significant areas in and nearby Blanc-Sablon.

One of my fondest memories from this trip was being there for one of Quebec’s national holidays; St. John the Baptiste Day. The town constructed a massive bonfire on the beach, and at 11pm, the great fire was lit and everyone celebrated and danced the night away. The reason why this night left such a strong impression on me was because it was at the bonfire that I got the chance to meet all the children in the town, as well as many adults, and I began to grasp the magnitude in which QLF staff, interns, and volunteers have made an impact on these small, coastline towns, such as Blanc-Sablon. I realized that while I would not have the opportunity to work up in Canada for the summer, all of my work over the next two months would be making a profound difference in the lives of many.

Laura

I’ve been running around the past three weeks with little to no internet access and haven’t been able to blog, so I’ll try my best to catch up!

On July 7th, we left Blanc-Sablon to embark on an exciting 2 week-long journey across the southern coast of Newfoundland, with hopes of meeting and recruiting fishermen into QLF’s Marine Species at Risk observer program. It was a difficult task to plan this journey. If you have ever taken a good look at a map of Newfoundland, the first thing that may strike you is the complete lack of road connection along much of the island. I’m from Ontario, so even in the most remote of areas we have road access. Just the idea of this forsaken coast dotted with tiny outport communities that are only accessible by boat is completely fascinating to me. What would it look like? Who are these people living there and what are their stories? I couldn’t wait to find out!

So, after weeks of planning this trip, it was finally going to happen! We boarded the ferry to Newfoundland that Tuesday morning and drove the whole western coast in one day (it took over 8 hours). We had a short stop in Cow Head to meet with Stephanie for lunch, and continued on to Port-aux-Basques, where we checked in to a little bed and breakfast for the night. The next morning we drove along the coast to Rose Blanche, and were lucky to have a few hours to kill before our ferry left. We used the time to wander the little community and hike up the lighthouse – a beautifully-restored granite building perched high on a cliff keeping watch over the waters below.

It was soon time for us to leave behind our car and continue by boat on to the town of La Poile. I was bursting with excitement as we rounded a point and pulled into a narrow passageway that seemed to lead to nowhere. After a few minutes, though, the town came into sight, and it was spectacular! Tiny wood houses rose up from the water in tiers, built right onto the rock outcroppings. It was amazing!


We met with some local fishermen and learned of the sad state of affairs for the residents here. They told us that La Poile, like most other fishing settlements along the south coast, was quickly dying. Not so long ago these fishermen could put out as many hooks as they wanted in the water and catch all the fish they could manage, but now there are very strict regulations that limit the number of hooks, the length of line, and the weight and type of fish they are allowed to bring in. The government has made these regulations in order to prevent overfishing, but it has had a very profound effect on the traditional fishing lifestyle of the southwest coast. In places where fishing has not ceased altogether, it has been severely reduced. I could not believe it when they told me that for some of them, the fishing season is only a couple of weeks a year! It has forced their younger generation to look for work elsewhere in order to support themselves and their families – no longer can these people make a living off fishing. These communities are in such great decline. It’s sad to think that I am visiting these places now, but in a decade or two they may all be gone.

Stephanie

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing some older community members about living and growing up in Cow Head. The stories I heard while collecting this oral history were quite incredible.

I learned a lot about the hardships that the community faced throughout the winters. For a long time Cow Head was inaccessible by land and water for a good part of the year. Families were all very resourceful as they managed to survive with very little through long cold winters. There is a saying that goes “the long and hungry month of March” and it refers to the fact that people actually cut a meal a day from their diet in March to be sure that they would last through their winter supplies.

Through these stories I am made very aware of just how much Newfoundland has changed since it joined Canada in 1949. Life was hard in outport communities before then but I am told that despite the hardships that they faced people were happy even when they had very little.