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Friday, June 23, 2006
Printed in The Manitoulin West Recorder
GORE BAY - Historically, Manitoulin
Island has provided a perfect outdoor
laboratory for geologist and rock hounds
of every stripe. But now, thanks
to a new publication entitled Manitoulin
Rocks!, even non-professionals will be
able to appreciate the unique fossils
and land forms of the
LaCloche-Manitoulin area.
The authors of the recently released
guide, all affiliated with University of
Waterloo, travelled to Gore Bay on June
21 for the official launch of the book.
For Mario Coniglio, Associate Dean of
Science for undergraduate studies, the
five-year project has proven
challenging. Since the goal was to
make the material accessible for the lay
person, he found himself reviewing every
phrase several times.
"We wanted to avoid incomprehensible
jargon," he noted during Wednesday's
reception at the Gore Bay Museum.
"We want people to understand geological
processes so we tried to use common
everyday analogies and examples.
The book provides a snapshot of what
happened over billions of years of earth
history and gives people an appreciation
of the Island's natural history."
Mr. Coniglio's colleague, Peter Russell,
admits the publication was complicated
to put together, but he believes both
Islanders and visitors will find the
guide useful. Russell, along with
many other Ontario university
professors, has been bringing geology
students to Manitoulin for decades.
"It feels wonderful to have the project
completed," he said. "We are glad
to share the information with visitors.
The first part of the book allows the
reader to get comfortable with the
terms. And the rest of the guide
offers 50 possible field trips
throughout the area."
Above all, he encourages people to take
their time on narrow Island roads and
enjoy the exploration of unique rocks,
fossils and landforms.
Paul Karrow, the third member of the
publishing team, worked at Waterloo's
earth sciences department from 1965 to
1999. In his view, Manitoulin
Rocks appeals to all types of readers,
from the highly academic to the
beginning fossil hunter.
"You can get just a glimpse of geology
if you prefer or you can explore
further," he noted. "Education is
a life-long venture so it's important
for people to know more about their
environment and appreciate the unique
things we have here."
Although the guide exposes outcrops,
alvars, cobble beaches, hills, sinkholes
and drumlines from South Baymouth to
Meldrum Bay, Karrow says tourists are
not likely to impact the treasures.
"by and large what we have here is
relatively durable," he said. "But
we always need to have respect for what
we have here so we don't spoil it for
the future."
Nicole Weppler, Gore Bay Museum curator,
agrees the publication is timely.
Although the museum has an existing
fossil collection from Manitoulin and
the Bruce Peninsula, an even more
impressive exhibit will be on display in
2007.
"The book is important because we are on
the threshold of getting a splendid
fossil collection," she revealed.
"The collection has all been sorted and
labelled. The scientific panels
have all been designed as well.
The museum is in the process of
acquiring the necessary display
cabinets."
Also on hand for the book signing was
Bill Caesar author of Manitoulin
Fossils, A Story of Our Past Told in
Stone. An avid rock collector
since childhood, Caesar looks forward to
seeing Manitoulin specimens stay on the
Island.
"It is important to have a record of our
unique fossils in our local museums," he
said. "We don't want to have to go
to Toronto or Chicago in order to see
our heritage."
Manitoulin Rocks is published by the
Earth Sciences Museum, University of
Waterloo, in partnership with the
Geological Association of Canada and the
Gore Bay Museum.
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