Overview

• Maharees Conservation Association volunteers Kate and Jon Gay found the weathered wine bottle on Scraggane Bay during an early July beach cleanup and revealed its contents at that evening’s community meeting.
• Unable to reach the number in the note, members posted photos on Facebook and heard from Anita Squires within an hour confirming authorship.
• Brad and Anita Squires married in 2016 and now live in Newfoundland with their three children.
• The conservation group is using the viral story to establish partnerships with Newfoundland counterparts focused on coastal erosion and sea-level rise.
• The Facebook post about the find has attracted widespread public interest and underscored the role of social media in linking personal narratives to environmental action.