The Maine Chapter of the International Appalachian Trail (MCIAT) is pleased to announce that Dr. John Calder, of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has accepted the MCIAT invitation to deliver the keynote address at the International Appalachian Trail North American Annual General Meeting on June 5-7, 2014 at the Twin Pine Camps, Millinocket, Maine.
Dr. John Calder, a Research Geologist, received his Bachelor of Science degree at Saint Mary’s University and his PhD at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. Throughout his productive career, John made many research contributions to Appalachian geology and is a leading authority on the newly recognized international Geoheritage program. He is an active member and officer of the Atlantic Geoscience Society, the Geological Society of Canada, the Mineralogical Society of Canada, and the Geological Society of America. He is the recipient of the Provincial and Territorial award, the Premier’s Award for Excellence, the Gesner Distinguished Scientist Medal and the E.R. Ward Medal of the Geological Association of Canada. His publications are too numerous to be mentioned here.
John is a strong leader and proponent of “ Geoheritage” a descriptive term applied to sites or areas of geologic features with significant scientific, educational, cultural, or aesthetic value. He sees Geoheritage as a path by which we can bridge the deep chasm that separates the knowledge possessed by geoscientists and the public. He says that the term offers an important message: that we share a common history on Earth, and perhaps more importantly, that we also face a shared and uncertain future that presents humanity with very real challenges.
John is recognized as a principal for the famous and newly established “Joggins Fossil Cliffs” World Heritage Site in Nova Scotia.
John may be joined by Dr. Randy Miller, Research Curator and Head of Geology and Paleontology at the Department of Natural Science, New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB who took the lead on the establishment of the first GeoPark (Stonehammer, NB) in Canada and recent recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Atlantic Geoscience Society .
