Nature

Monthly Archive: December Natu

A Spotlight on Illegal Pelt Trading, and What the ROM Has to Do With It

Posted: December 25, 2014 - 17:03 , by ROM
Tags on confiscated furs within the ROM Collections. Photo by Matt Jenkins

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

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.

Photography in the Field: equal parts business & pleasure

Posted: November 19, 2014 - 09:10 , by ROM
A large white bird (a giant petrel) comes in for a landing on a rough, rocky ridge; another such bird sits nearby.

Guest blogger Thomas Cullen shares his thoughts on photography in the field.

Unfrozen in Time: From the Erebus and Terror to the ROM

Posted: November 7, 2014 - 09:09 , by ROM
Watercolor of the grave of G.S. Malcolm A.B., who died of frostbite during the search for Franklin. Photo by Dorea Reeser

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?

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.

Blue Whale Update: Where is it Now?

Posted: October 20, 2014 - 14:43 , by ROM
A beached blue whale on the Newfoundland coast, strapped up and ready to be  transported to Woody Point for recovery. Photo by Jacqueline C. Waters

Guest Blog Posting by Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) student, Nila Sivatheesan

The "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" Lives On

Posted: October 17, 2014 - 14:28 , by ROM
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Eco-Woodturner, Michael Finkelstein, works on a set of nesting bowls in his studio. Photo by Justine DiCesare

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

Posted: September 18, 2014 - 22:41 , by ROM
a passenger pigeon mounted specimen sits in the Empty skies exhibit in front of the digitally restored 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

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.

Empty Skies: Behind-the-Scenes - Recreating Passenger Pigeon Habitat

Posted: September 5, 2014 - 00:08 , by ROM
ROM Artist Georgia Guenther gives a passenger pigeon mount a final check before installing it into the exhibit

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.