Hope, Peter R.

"I received a B.Sc. in biology from Acadia University in 1969 and studied 1 additional year of geology.) I worked as a geology student for the Geological Survey of Canada in 1967 (in Schefferville Quebec) and in 1968 in Inuvik, NWT. First worked for National Parks as a Seasonal Park Naturalist at Cape Breton Highlands, Ingonish side, under Chief Park Naturalist Wayne Neily in 1969. (There was Wayne Neily, myself and two other summer staff that year.

In 1968 there was Wayne Neily and Roger Wilson who worked as a summer staff member.) I worked as a Geologist for the Iron Ore Company of Canada in Schefferville, Quebec from May 1970 until the end of March 1971 - I knew I had the parks job so left Schefferville. In May 1971 I was appointed as the first Park Naturalist (the only one, so perhaps I was Chief) at Gros Morne National Park and I reported for work there in mid July having worked the 2 previous months out of the Regional Office in Halifax. (The same competition that appointed me to Gros Morne sent Blair Stevens to Terra Nova, Rick Howie to PEI, confirmed John MacFarlane in Fundy, although I believe he was there since February, and staffed Greg Gemmell to Georgian Bay." In 1972 he was an Affiliate Canadian Member of the Association of Interpretive Naturalists in the USA.

In 1973 he was one of the participants in the organizing meeting at Dorset ON for the Association of Canadian Interpreters (the fore-runner of Interpretation Canada.) "In April 1974 I was appointed as Chief Park Interpreter to Kejimkujik - that's where I still am and my title is the same." "I still have a number of canoes; including three made by Harold Gates. I don't get out on many overnight trips but I do a lot of day trips or two hour outings. I still like to get outdoors so do some birding, fishing, a bit of hunting and enjoy photography. Still take a lot of photos at work but there seems less time available. It is fun to look at that cumulatively though. In the 24 1/2 years I have been here I have added greatly to the photo collections so that we now have at least 25,000 slides; 2000 black and white images, 700 + historic images, and say 3000 large format colour transparencies. It all added up. I enjoy looking back over the years to see what has been created here at Kejimkujik. The park remains fascinating and there is more work than I can get done. There still are a few stars to reach for and perhaps enough time to catch one or two. "