Fundy figures as a finalist in world’s top 28

The bay is the only Canadian site and one of three on the continent to proceed to the final phase in the New7Wonders of Nature contest.

The 28 finalists were announced at New7Wonders Foundation headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

A New7Wonders international panel of experts identified the top 28 natural wonders from the campaign’s recent top 77 natural sites (identified by popular vote on July 7).

The top 77 sites were evaluated by the panel against such criteria as: unique nature features, diversity of landscapes, rock formations, national parks, preserved areas, seascapes, ecological significance, and geo-location.

The 28 finalists are now competing by popular vote to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Public voting opened immediately following the announcement.

Voting in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign continues throughout 2010 and into 2011. During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit each of the 28 finalists to allow each to present itself to the voters across the globe. The final declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature will be in 2011.

Voters can go to votemyfundy.com to place their vote in this final and important stage of the contest. “The Bay of Fundy regions of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have received a great deal of recognition since this campaign started in 2008 when over 450 natural attractions were in the running. Since the start, the public has shown remarkable enthusiasm for Bay of Fundy,” said Terri McCulloch, manager of Bay of Fundy Tourism. “The New7Wonders Foundation is expecting over one billion votes before the campaign ends so we need everyone’s continued support to help Bay of Fundy make history,” she said.

The Bay of Fundy is best known for the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in marine biodiversity, to the Amazon rainforest. The bay is the summer feeding area for half the world’s population of endangered North Atlantic Right whales and 12 other whale species. It is home to the world’s most complete fossil record of the ‘Coal Age’ (300 million years ago) as well as Canada’s oldest dinosaurs.

UNESCO recently recognized the upper Bay of Fundy as a Biosphere Reserve and Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World Heritage Site.