Museum Climate Exhibits
Recently, several museums have introduced new exhibits raising awareness about current environmental and social issues. On June 25, The Field Museum of Chicago introduced a Climate Change exhibit (Open till November 28, 2010). Meanwhile, the Tree Museum has opened in Switzerland and is home for 2,000 trees of different species.
According to Museum Publicity, Chicago’s Field Museum’s new Climate Change exhibit showcases global climate change, likely the most urgent scientific and social issue of our century. The exhibit explains the science of climate change while also examining the social issues that will arise with future generations if the problem is not solved. The exhibit demonstrates that there is not just one solution – a necessary effort must be put in by individuals, communities, and governments.
The Field Museum’s exhibit on Climate Change was organized by the American Museum of Natural History along with The Field Museum and several others, reports the Chicago Tribune. The exhibit demonstrates how the warming climate has begun to melt polar ice, raise sea levels and alter weather patterns by warming the ocean and creating brutal storms while also changing ecosystems. Through interactive stations, dioramas and videos, the exhibit provides evidence that over the last 300 years human activity has altered the natural world.
The Climate Change exhibit is sponsored by HSBC-North America, Exelon Corporation, Motorola Foundation, Whole Foods Market and Jones Lang LaSalle. For every visitor to the Climate Change exhibition, Exelon Corporation will donate $1 to the exhibition up to a total of $200,000.
Also interesting, the Tree Museum recently opened in Switzerland, Inhabitat informs us. The collection of 2,000 trees showcased at the museum has been accumulated over 17 years. The trees have all been saved and now represent a museum of their own. Both the Tree Museum and sustainability-built headquarters are situated on 2.5 acres of a 14th Century monastery grounds. (Photo is of the Louvre).
The Tree Museum headquarters forms a backdrop that showcases the trees. The building’s sustainable features include efficient insulation, a green roof, a geothermal heating and cooling system and sustainably-sourced local wood. The trees are positioned against sandstone walls and contain 22 different varieties that range from English yew to Pinus sylvestris.
Together these museums demonstrate what museums can do to help inform people and solve major environmental and social issues. Whether working alone or as part of a community, we all have a role to play in solving climate change and related issues. Educational, informative and interactive, these museums have made a positive step forward.
A note to anyone heading for London’s Grant Museum of Zoology – According to Culture24, the museum will be closing for 6 months as of Wednesday June 30, 2010 and will reopen in January 2011.
Tags: Chicago, Climate Change, Exelon, exhibit, Field Museum, Grant Museum, London, museum, sustainability, Switzerland, Tree Museum
Wildlife Photos
The International Conservation Photography Award winners show the most incredible photos of an amazing subject – the wildlife of our planet. Several years ago I happened to be in Alberta during the summer when the Award winner’s photos were exhibited at the local museum. Over several weeks, I visited the display about 8 times and told everyone who would listen that they should go.
The Award seems to have expanded since then and now include landscapes, flora, communities at risk, and Puget Sound at Risk. They kindly post some of the winner’s photos online, and you can visit them at their website.
If you’re going to be anywhere near the Seattle area this summer, you have until September 6th to visit the display of Award winner’s photographs. The exhibit is at the Burke Museum, who is also kind enough to put a sampling of the photographs online. Burke’s selection is the same quality that I saw in Alberta, and it is exciting to see them in real life (versus online only). I mean, have you ever seen a photograph of a beluga whale or seal or giraffes look like that before?!
That’s not to say that looking at cool wildlife photographs online is anything less than fun. There’s a display of 99 of the best wildlife photographs as showcased by the National Geographic at Cool Pictures/Cool Stuff. National Geographic is a world leader in photography, and their best of the best shows it.
Altogether, each and all the photographs show us what an incredible world we live in.
Enjoy!
Tags: Award winners, Burke, Cool Pictures, International Conservation Photography, museum, National Geographic, nature, photos, Puget Sound, Seattle, Wildlife
Kranji Nature Trail
In a $50 million boost to conservation, Singapore’s Kranji Nature Trail will be developed to help handle the increasing volume of visitors keen to see the reserve’s over 220 species of birds. Soon to be known as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Park, the Trail’s development is a result of the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education’s desire to bring the public and nature closer together.
The Sungei Buloh was made a nature reserve in 2002 and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. According to a Straits Times article, a reference guide is available that features 70 species of birds and provides information about their migration patterns. In November 2008, a local birdwatcher even spotted a Nordmann’s Greenshank, a bird with only 600 to 1,000 individuals existing in the wild and generally not found in Singapore.
The $50 million will aid in improving conservation practices and controlling access to the 138-hectare reserve. To help manage the impact visitors have on the park’s wildlife, visitors will have to apply in advance to visit the reserve.
According to the Sunday Times, the masterplan for the completed reserve is to divide it into four zones. Access to two of the zones will be minimal, meaning that visitors will require the assistance of a certified nature guide or that it will be limited only to researchers. The other two zones will include floating boardwalks, outdoor classrooms, childrens play areas, and a new look out tower for birdwatchers. Construction is expected to start this year and finish in 2013. It is hoped the improvements will increase the number of visitors to 200, 000 per year.
Overtime, the Kranji Nature Trail and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve has received increasing support. In 1997, HSBC became the corporate sponsor for the reserve and created the Sungei Buloh Education Fund. By 2003, Sungei Buloh had become Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park.
The development of the Kranji Nature Trail and renaming of the reserve to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve marks the move toward a more educational site that will allow visitors to be more in tune with nature. The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve illustrates that conservation alone is only half the story – it is also important to educate the public.
Tags: bird, birdwatching, Conservation, Greenshank, Kranji Nature Trail, reserve, Singapore, Sungei Buloh, Wetland
Wildlife Parks and Tours
If you’d like to save money this year but still visit some of our world’s ecosystems and their animals, you can visit wonderful animal parks and wildlife tours while staying within North America.
I remember several years ago looking at the animals roaming the savannah at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and thinking I was in Africa. Even a wildlife researcher who was on the tour said it was realistic. This 1,800 acre wildlife preserve is home to over 3,500 animals from 260 species, and is also a botanical garden. If you’d like to learn and view the animals at night, the Park offers a Roar and Snore Sleepover.
I was only about seven years old when my family visited The Living Desert in Palm Desert, California, but it made such an impression on me that I still remember seeing some of the animals. Dedicated to life in the deserts of Africa and North America, The Living Desert is committed to wildlife conservation and increasing the number of slender-horned gazelles, sand cats, addaxes, and Arabian oryx, as well as other species, in our world. Desert species often have comparatively small populations due to the severe environment, and thus are more vulnerable to human activity than forest species.
Wildlife tours through national parks usually include enough sightings to keep passengers happy. While Denali National Park in Alaska has a wonderful assortment of moose, bears, caribous, foxes, dall sheep, and other animals, national parks such as Yellowstone are also home to a variety of animals. Both are best on trips of at least several days.
The Florida Everglades and the Louisiana swamps both offer tours. Manatees have recently been in the news, pictured huddling in warm springs to try to fend off the cold. If you’re going, look for tour operators who support The International Ecotourism Society’s policy of responsible travel that respects the local environment. That includes keeping a safe distance from manatees.
As well, if you go whale watching off the coast of California, Washington or British Columbia (Canada), look for responsible operators who respect the whales and avoid disrupting them. California Grey Whale watching season tends to be in December and April, and I’ve seen Humpback Whales off the California coast in September. Farther North, the Orca Whale watching season in British Columbia tends to be in the summer, perhaps because that’s when the weather is most favorable. Doing more research will uncover more whale watching opportunities for you.
If you’re looking for a whole world experience, then Disney’s Animal Kingdom may be the place to visit. You can see over 1,700 animals from 250 species on 500 acres. That’s one of the four Florida Disney parks, and the other three are fun for non-animal reasons.
There are other notable wildlife parks and tours, but I can’t include them all! If you have a favorite that didn’t make it onto this list, feel free to add a comment about it.
By the way, someone recently asked if I benefit from any organizations I mention on this blog. No, I don’t receive any compensation or products from any organization. This is a volunteer effort, with the only benefit to me being the satisfaction of helping you and our world. I hope you’re enjoying it!
Tags: Denali, Disney Animal Kingdom, Florida Everglades, International Ecotourism Society, Living Desert, Louisiana swamps, Manatees, San Diego, whale watching, Wild Animal Park, Yellowstone
