Natural History Galleries

A Slice of Life Program

In partnership with:

To celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity, the ROM has partnered with the Ministry of Natural Resources to create A Slice of Life, a multi-platform program.

All Ontarians depend on biodiversity; they have a role in protecting our biodiversity and using biological resources in a sustainable manner. For the duration of 2010, relevant programming will engage visitors to connect and understand Ontario’s biodiversity, and identify what we can do to slow and even reverse its loss.

A longitudinal “slice” of Ontario forms the framework for visitors to explore and understand biodiversity. This slice cuts through all four of Ontario’s Ecozones, between the 83rd and 82nd longitudes. These zones will form a framework for experiencing Ontario’s natural beauty, to gain an appreciation for our rich diversity of living things through the Hudson’s Bay Lowlands, over the Canadian Shield, crossing through the Mixedwood Plains, and flowing into the Great Lakes.

This program comprises four areas: community outreach, workshops, lecture series, and professional development for teachers.

Community Outreach
As part of the ROM’s accessibility platform, the museum will create and host Virtual Visits to identified regions across the country, focusing on regional and seasonal opportunities to promote exploring our ecosystems.

Curriculum-based, bilingual educational kits concerning Ontario biodiversity and specifically relating to the Slice of Life Program will also be available in the Fall 2010. These kits can be borrowed by schools, and if available, could connect with ROM teachers via the new Virtual Visit Program.

Friday evening events in the Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity will highlight the ROM’s partnerships with the local community organizations involved in biodiversity-related fields. These evenings will connect ROM visitors to advocacy groups, providing opportunities for active participation in protecting Ontario’s biodiversity.

Workshops: Free to all ROM visitors, weekly workshops celebrate unique characteristics of Ontario’s ecological zones as well as commonalities and interactions between ecozones, conservation actions, species/habitats-at-risk, etc.

Lecture Series: Throughout April and May, based on highly successful series at the ROM, lectures will be planned surrounding the themes of the Slice of Life Program.

Teacher Professional Development: The ROM will deliver three professional development workshops for teachers (in Toronto and northern Ontario). These sessions will promote awareness of Ontario’s biodiversity and provide teachers with resources to apply in their own classrooms.