The Bay of Fundy, a national but largely unknown ecological treasure, could rise to international prominence if it garners enough votes in an online competition by the New 7 Wonders Foundation to choose the world's seven greatest natural wonders. Naturalists, Canadians and anyone who has ever cheered for an underdog should rally to the cause.
Unlike its more famous rivals in the competition - including the Galapagos, the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon - most of the Bay's wonders do not lend themselves to epic photography.
But few ecosystems can boast such richness in such a small area; the Bay area, which separates New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, is a rich gathering place: for migratory birds, for whales, salmon and other marine wildlife. It also boasts fossils and forests, including the world's oldest known red spruce. Tiny Fundy National Park, outside Alma, N.B, allows visitors to discover the Bay's full set of marvels in a single day.
The jagged, towering Hopewell Rocks formation was carved by the repeated batterings of Fundy's epic tides against stone and earth. Indeed, the tidal surge, measuring up to a world-leading 16 metres high, has long inspired awe, as captured by the poet Bliss Carman in "Low Tide on Grand Pré," which concludes: "The night has fallen, and the tide … / Now and again comes drifting home, / Across these aching barrens wide, / A sigh like driven wind or foam: / In grief the flood is bursting home."
The Bay of Fundy teems with life; it is a majestic wonder, worthy of support and recognition. Cast your vote for the Bay of Fundy at www.new7wonders.com.