Conservation

Monthly Archive: December Cons

How Drone Photography is Saving Wildlife

Posted: March 3, 2016 - 15:41 , by ROM
Research conducted by scientists from the NOAA Fisheries and the Vancouver Aquarium using the hexacopter to capture images of killer whales to assess their health. Photo from NOAA Fisheries.

Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Lisa Milosavljevic

A number of photos in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit make use of aerial photography techniques, including the use of drone photography. There is also a growing demand for its use in professional and academic fields as people are recognizing how drones can be a valuable tool in their work; one of these areas is wildlife conservation. Here we are going to look at the different ways in how drone photography is saving wildlife around the world, as well as some of the controversies and questions that this developing technology raises.

Blue Whale Update: From Trenton with Love

Posted: December 22, 2015 - 11:25 , by ROM
It took a team of seven people to lift the blue whale heart enough to finish wrapping it. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr

It’s that time of year where many of us are pretty focused on the holidays. Spending time with family and friends, baking and eating loads of treats, and - let’s be honest - the gifts. Finding them, buying them, wrapping them, and getting them to where they need to go, whether the destination is under the Christmas tree, or to be mailed to relatives somewhere else around the world.

So, given that everybody’s in this present-logistics state of mind, we have a gift-wrapping question for you… how do you ship a blue whale heart?

Padded Hangers 2.0: Revamping Storage for Fitted Jackets

Posted: December 14, 2015 - 12:33 , by royal
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The ROM recently acquired 6 fitted jackets by the designer Martin Margiela. We created additional support by adding creating padded forms for the body and arms that would fit over the polyethylene wire hangers.

Hopping Their Way to Your Heart

Posted: September 29, 2015 - 15:06 , by ROM
a toad sits patiently in the hand of a naturalist who holds it out for a young person to explore

Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Lian Jong

Lian sat down with ROM Herpetology technician Amy Lathrop to get some insight into the museum's vast Natural History collections, in particular, its reptiles and amphibians.

Blue Whale Update: A Whole Lotta Heart

Posted: September 23, 2015 - 19:22 , by ROM
Jacqueline Miller, Robert Henry and Paul Nader putting plugs in the major vessels of the blue whale heart. Photo by Sam Rose Phillips

Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sam Rose Phillips

 

Roads, Roads, Roads - Road Ecology in Canada

Posted: December 5, 2014 - 12:35 , by ROM
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Road Ecology experts stand with bright fluorescent safety vests next to Terry Fox Drive in Kanata, Ontario

November 27-28 brought 110 of the top Canadian road ecology minds together for a conference in Ottawa that started the conversation about this emerging science at a national scale.

Are you Afraid FOR Bats This Halloween?

Posted: October 30, 2014 - 20:53 , by ROM
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two little brown bats fly in a twilit sky over Rouge Park during the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr

I love bats. There’s just something about them that gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside everytime I see one. Now I know what you (and to be honest, a lot of people I know) are thinking - how can she like such a creepy little mammal like a bat? Don’t they suck your blood/get caught in your hair/give you the heebie jeebies? First of all, the answer to those questions is no.

Goddess Exposed: the ROM’s ‘Minoan’ Goddess is on display!

Posted: September 23, 2014 - 14:19 , by ROM
ROM 'Minoan' Goddess now on display

She’s been languishing in the Greek & Roman storerooms for years, but finally  the ROM Minoan Goddess is back on display.

To X-Ray an Egg: Behind the Scenes of Empty Skies

Posted: September 11, 2014 - 23:50 , by ROM
the flashing sign in the x-ray lab glows white with red text that reads "x-ray room in operation, do not enter"

“That egg is approximately one hundred and forty-four years old,” says Brad Millen, a technician who works in the ROM’s Natural History collections. Suddenly the large speckled shell that sits in the palm of my hand feels just a little bit heavier. I feel the weight of its place in the world - it is the egg of a passenger pigeon, and its species has been extinct for a hundred years.

Conservation Intern Spotlight: Natasa Krsmanovic

Posted: July 25, 2014 - 10:01 , by royal
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Natasa performing backing removal on an albumen photograph at her bench in the Queen’s conservation lab. Photo courtesy of Natasa Krsmanovic.

This spotlight post--featuring ROM paper conservation intern Natasa Krsmanovic--highlights her background, shares her perspective on current paper conservation practices, and discusses her treatment projects at the museum.