Fundy fingers crossed for shortlist

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

After an 11th-hour “vote-off” against 261 national and multi-national nominees, the Bay of Fundy is still in the running to be named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

July 9, organizers of the New7Wonders contest announced the bay, best known for the highest tides in the world, received enough votes to move ahead with 76 other destinations in the multi-phase contest.

The Bay of Fundy’s campaign to be crowned one of the new seven wonders of the world began in 2007, when it was named one of more than 440 participating locations from over 220 countries. After coming in a close second as the top Canadian site to Dinosaur Provincial Park in the first stage of voting, the Bay was thrust back into the national spotlight in mid-June as Canada’s entry in the competition when the Alberta attraction withdrew from the contest.

Bay of Fundy Tourism, promoting the bay in the contest, had little time to mobilize a voting network in time for the July 7 deadline, but manager Terri McCulloch was confident the organization’s well-established communication network would be able to get the vote out. “Once again, the public response was incredible,” McCulloch says, adding “we want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote for the Bay of Fundy.”

The next stage of the contest will be decided by a panel of experts representing the European-based New7Wonders organization, which will narrow the current field of 77 contestants to just 28 July 21. The shortlisted top international nature sites will be part of a worldwide tour and public voting will resume again throughout the rest of 2009 and into 2010 to declare the final top New7Wonders of Nature. “At this point, we have done what we can - all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that the Bay of Fundy gets the opportunity to continue in the contest when the next phase is announced July 28,” McCulloch says.