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Open house and puppet show
On Saturday, September 11, visitors to the temporary aquarium will be rewarded with free admission between the hours of 1 and 2 p.m. It’s an opportunity for local residents to come and see the plans for the new discovery centre, see some images of construction so far, and enjoy the only showing this year of the Sunbury Shores puppet show, A School Day in Passamaquoddy Bay.
For more information on the event or the aquarium, contact (506) 529-1200.
End of an era
The old aquarium, built in 1972, was demolished March 10 to make way for construction of the new discovery centre. A temporary aquarium will be created for visitors for the 2010 tourist season.
Designs for new centre
The new discovery centre at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre moved one step closer in early March with some new designs created by architects Comeau MacKenzie.
Construction of the new facility, which will include a new aquarium, theatre, classrooms and a lab, will begin in the spring, with the aquarium set to open in June 2011. The cost of the new centre is $8 million, with $5 million of that contributed from the federal and provincial governments, and the remainder being raised by the Huntsman. With $1 million already raised through previous fund-raising, the Seal the Deal campaign was launched in October to find the additional $2 million needed. That campaign has already reached the $600,000 mark, and efforts to reach the goal are ongoing.
The designs for the 20,000 square-feet, two-storey building are still subject to some minor changes prior to construction beginning, the start of which will be the tear down of the old aquarium in mid-March. The old aquarium was opened in 1972. There will be a temporary aquarium at the Huntsman for the 2010 season, with the main attractions of the lobsters, harbour seals Loki and Snorkel, the sturgeon and the touch pool all available for visitors to see.
New Brunswick architects Comeau MacKenzie have been working closely with renowned aquarium designer Bobby Poole and with Huntsman staff on creating a building that is both attractive and meets the needs of the organization as it continues to grow in its key areas of education, research and innovation.
 
ARC wins 2009 Gulf of Maine Visionary Award
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The Atlantic Reference Centre was the recipient of the group category for the 2009 Gulf of Maine Visionary Award. Here Lou Van Guelpen, left, receives the award from provincial Environment Minster Rick Miles. (CNB photo)
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(CNB) Two awards recognizing innovation, creativity and commitment to protecting the marine environment were presented December 15 in Fredericton by Environment Minister Rick Miles and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet.
The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Visionary Awards were presented to Peter Etheridge of Millbrook in the Individual category, and to the Atlantic Reference Centre in St. Andrews in the Group category.
"Every year the Gulf of Maine Council gives two Visionary Awards to New Brunswickers, one to an individual and one to a group," said Miles.
"The council believes in the importance of recognizing the hard work people do to protect the coast and waters of the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine, and the Visionary Awards are an example of this. I am certainly pleased to present these awards to these deserving New Brunswick recipients."
The Gulf of Maine council on the Marine Environment is a collaboration of provincial departments in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and state departments in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, that aims to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine.
“Each of the New Brunswick recipients has contributed to furthering sustainable resources in the province," said Doucet.
"As fisheries minister, I am very proud of the work they have done, and congratulate them for the positive impact they have made to the environment."
 Nancy wins the Cup!
Anyone who has eaten at the Huntsman on a course, or been to a Huntsman function where there is food knows that Nancy Leavitt’s cooking is a bit more than spectacular. And now, there’s proof! The Indulge weekend was held in St. Andrews in October for the second time, and a part of the extravaganza is a competition to find out who has the finest seafood chowder in the town. As if there was any doubt, the 2009 winner was our very own Nancy Leavitt.
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Nancy Leavitt from the Huntsman won the Indulge event’s 2009 Chowder Cup in St. Andrews on October 17. Left to right are Courtney Squires, Nancy, Josie Pickard and Kim Fillmore. Courtney and Josie are first year NBCC Culinary Arts students, Kim is the instructor.
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Successful PRIMER course to run again
The very successful and popular PRIMER course, focusing on statistical analyses of species assemblage data in ecological context, will be taught once more at HMSC the week of 19-23 April 2010. Organized by HMSC's Dr. Gerhard Pohle, this hand-on workshop using real-world data will be taught by world authority Dr. Bob Clarke, the pioneer of many of the techniques now widely used and considered standard in the scientific community. Unlike many such courses, this one does not assume prior statistical knowledge. Registrations are being accepted on a first-come first-served basis. The registration form, which contains contact information and instructions, is available here.
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