A River Runs Through It: Traveling exhibit brings nature to museums

We began collaborating with the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science last year on an exhibit that will travel to cities across Canada over the next five years. We wanted to create an exhibit that would be both fun and educational, and to teach people of all ages about the importance of protecting our freshwater resources, both for people and for all of the unique species that depend on healthy river ecosystems.
It was awesome to be involved with the creation of the messages for the exhibit and to have the chance to include some of the things I personally find so fascinating about fresh water. And best of all, to know that we would be sharing these cool tidbits of information with Canadians from coast to coast. I even found a way to incorporate my favorite freshwater species, the Lake Sturgeon (the largest freshwater fish in Canada, and one of the world’s most ancient species that has existed since the time dinosaurs roamed the Earth) in a section featuring “Impressive travelers” – fish that migrate great distances to spawn. Sturgeon are also a priority species for WWF freshwater programs around the world.

The Lake Sturgeon – a giant prehistoric fish that is in great decline in lakes and rivers across Canada. © Eric Engbretson Underwater Photography/WWF-Canada
We had the opportunity to visit the museum during the construction stage of the exhibit back in February, and for me it was like being in Santa’s workshop! The exhibit was in various stages of design and construction, which gave us an insider’s look into some of the challenges of putting together a project of this kind, such as adding electronic voices to water droplets that tell “secrets” to the visitor when they are picked up, and building sturdy levers and pulleys that could withstand hours of kids pulling and tugging on them.
One of my favourite features of the exhibit is the large salmon dam game in the centre of the exhibit, in which the visitor is faced with the challenge of navigating up a “dam” (a series of steps), which mimics the same challenge that salmon face during spawning and migration. The skilled children that make it to the top of the stairs are rewarded with a fun trip down a slide, to symbolize the salmon’s successful return to the sea!

A River Runs Through It officially launched at the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science on March 17 during Canada Water Week. Tony Maas (Director, Freshwater Program) and Marie-Claude Lemieux (Regional Director, Quebec) attended the launch and were thrilled at the reaction from the first visitors through the exhibit.

We would like to thank our friends at the Sherbrooke museum for creating this fantastic exhibit, and for working with us to incorporate many green initiatives, such as reusing portions of old exhibits and using environmentally friendly materials and printing processes.
Stay tuned for the official tour dates for the exhibit… hopefully coming soon to a city near you!