The Kootenays are getting an opportunity to experience an exhibit from the Royal B.C. Museum. The Species at Risk travelling exhibition is a program that started last year to provide British Columbians the opportunity to learn about at-risk flora and fauna in their province.
“The Royal BC Museum is a provincial museum, but it’s based in Victoria. We try to be representative of all the province for collections of natural and cultural history. If you can’t get to Victoria, it’s hard for people to be able to see that. So that’s one of the reasons they wanted to start this outreach program” said Kate Adams, Species at Risk interpreter.
The exhibit will be coming to the Columbia Valley Wednesday, August 3rd to Thursday, August 4th with the first display at the Radium Hot Springs Pools and the August 4th display at Kinsmen Beach. The event at Kinsmen Beach is hosted by the Wildsight Invermere Branch and will also feature displays from Wildsight, Lake Windermere Ambassadors, and Groundswell.
“It’s a chance to see something that’s not often in the valley,”said Kim Urbaniak,Wildsight Invermere branch manager.
The Species at Risk travelling exhibition is a portable pop-up museum exhibit with a trailer, library, taxidermy, a kids corner and interactive activities. The program gives the public information about local species and at-risk animals and plants.
“Species at Risk in B.C. isn’t something people often hear about. When you think species at risk, people mostly think
panda bears and sea turtles and things like that. Not the incredible species we have close to home,” said Adams.
The display will be at the Radium pools in the southbound parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. The next day at Kinsmen Beach, it will run from 1 to 4 p.m. with a guided educational nature walk.
“At 2 p.m., we will be leading a little nature walk talking about some of the local flora and fauna see what we can find. Then we’ll talk about how the biodiversity of B.C. and how all the little bits and pieces that we see every day and the species at risk in our province combine to make a really rich diverse ecosystem, which is more stable and why that’s important,”said Adams.
The exhibit is free of charge and will have two interpreters on hand to answer and additional questions the public should have about B.C. at-risk flora and fauna.
To learn more about the Species at Risk travelling exhibition or to book an event for next year’s tour, visit http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/speciesatrisk/.