Nature
Monthly Archive: December Natu
A Spotlight on Illegal Pelt Trading, and What the ROM Has to Do With It
Guest blog post by Environmental Visual Communication alumnus Matt Jenkins.
Celebrating its centennial birthday this year, the ROM has always stood as a place of education, family enjoyment and research. That is why I found it surprising that the ROM identifies nearly one quarter of its roughly one thousand pelts as ‘seized’ or illegal. Fear not though, as I learned, they are at the museum with the proper permits and have actually played integral roles in assisting the prevention of illegal pelt trading.
Roads, Roads, Roads - Road Ecology in Canada
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.
Photography in the Field: equal parts business & pleasure
Guest blogger Thomas Cullen shares his thoughts on photography in the field.
Unfrozen in Time: From the Erebus and Terror to the ROM
Today’s blog post is a glimpse of a tale that is largely untold. It is the story of the exploration of the Canadian Arctic, as seen by Adam White in his botanical scrapbooks. These scrapbooks were donated to the University of Toronto, and came to the ROM together with what is now the ROM’s Green Plant Herbarium. What do these scrapbooks have to do with Franklin, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror? It’s a fantastic story!
Are you Afraid FOR Bats This Halloween?
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.
Blue Whale Update: Where is it Now?
Guest Blog Posting by Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) student, Nila Sivatheesan
The "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" Lives On
A year after a storm toppled the famous "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" in Leslieville, Toronto-based artisan and Eco-woodturner Michael Finkelstein wanted to help preserve this beautiful, 150-year old silver maple tree for future generations to enjoy through his artwork.
Empty Skies: Resurrecting the Passenger Pigeon Backdrop
A long time ago, in a ROM gallery quite different from today’s, there was a diorama that showcased a migrating flock of passenger pigeons....
To X-Ray an Egg: Behind the Scenes of Empty Skies
“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.
Empty Skies: Behind-the-Scenes - Recreating Passenger Pigeon Habitat
Come behind-the-scenes with environmental visual communication students/guest bloggers Justine DiCesare and Vincent Luk to take a look using photos and video to see how the flowers and scenery were created for the new exhibit: Empty Skies: The Passenger Pigeon Legacy.