HANTS EAST: The Bay of Fundy has made the top 77 in the global New7Wonders of Nature Contest.

The Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign began in 2007, with more than 440 participating locations from over 220 countries. At the end of 2008, 261 participants qualified as national and multinational nominees. The second phase of voting, which ended on July 7, announced the Top 77 nominees by popular vote.

Terri McCulloch, Manager of Bay of Fundy Tourism was on cloud nine when the announcement was made.

“I’m pumped,” she said.

Although she knows they cracked the next stage, McCulloch doesn’t know how strong the support was for the local entry.

“I didn’t even want to know (the voter support), once we were on the list that was fine with me,” she said.

In the next stage of the contest, the New7Wonders independent panel of experts will select 28 final candidates. The 28 official finalists will be announced at the New7Wonders Foundation headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on July 21.

“The next three weeks the sites will be evaluated by an independent committee, and the top 28 will be chosen on July 21. Once the 28 are declared on (July) 21, it’s up for public voting again,” said McCulloch.

The Bay of Fundy is the only Canadian site to achieve Top 77 status in the contest.

“This is a very exciting time for us and all Canadians. It is an honor to be representing Canada in this contest. This is truly a historic milestone for Canada to have our own Bay of Fundy achieve such international recognition. We sincerely hope (the panel) will appreciate what a beautiful wonder of nature we have. We want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote for the Bay of Fundy. It is a true testament to all the support we have received,” said McCulloch.

For the complete story, please see the July 15 edition of The Weekly Press.