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5 Reasons 2014 was Awesome at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is Vancouver’s natural history museum. We work to promote a greater understanding of, and collective responsibility for, the biodiversity of BC, Canada, and the World.

Beaty Biodiversity Museum The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is Vancouver’s natural history museum. We work to promote a greater understanding of, and collective responsibility for, the biodiversity of BC, Canada, and the World. Come visit us on UBC campus - we’re located at 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC. You can find more info at beatymuseum.ubc.ca. Follow us @beatymuseum on Twitter & Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Things have been pretty awesome here at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Here's why:

 

1. Because Cake!

 A hug across the Wallace Line.A hug across the Wallace Line.

Every February we celebrate Darwin's birthday with a little thing we like to call FestEvolve. This beautiful birthday cake is titled "A Hug Across the Wallace Line." Inspired? In 2015 FestEvolve will be February 11-15th (enter the evolution themed cake contest on the 12th).

 

2. And a hummingbird named Precious.

 Precious - a hummingbird that is part of our Backyard Biodiversity exhibition.Precious – a Rufous Hummingbird that is part of our Backyard Biodiversity exhibition.

Precious is the name of one of the stars of our Backyard Biodiversity exhibition that opened in September (and runs until February). She is a hummingbird who had a special display made by our brilliant Mount Maker. Precious and her hummingbird friends are shown posing on honeysuckle which is tied to a metal frame made especially for this piece. A work of art and science.

Our writer-in-residence Aislinn Hunter was inspired by Precious and wrote a poem about her.

 

3. And because we love #ThingsOrganizedNeatly.

 Things organized neatly - mushrooms from our mushroom walk instagrammed by us.Things organized neatly – mushrooms from our mushroom walk instagrammed.

We have a new series called Campus Walks where we explore UBC campus with experts on different plants and animals. Our Mushroom Walk this fall had a huge turnout of awesome people. Plus we've added instagram to our social media roster this year and are having a lot of fun with it. Follow us @beatymuseum.

 

4. Because animals like to take selfies too.

 New donations are off to the freezer but first let me take a selfie...Animals like taking selfies too…

We had an exciting new donation of four wild sheep and a muskox. We were moving them into the museum, putting them into the freezer to get rid of pesky pests but first had to take a few selfies.

 

5. And We remembered what it's all about.

 A Passenger Pigeon - once an abundant species brought to extinction by humans.A passenger pigeon – once an abundant species brought to extinction by humans.

September 1st marked the 100th year anniversary of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and the first time humans realized that we caused a huge population of birds to disappear forever. Although it is sad it does remind us why we do what we do and why our work is awesome. We, with your awesome help, are promoting a greater understanding of biodiversity so that we value and protect it.

 Feeling festive at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum!Feeling festive at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum!

Want to share in our awesomeness? Have annoying relatives you need to get out of the house? Want to escape the holiday madness yourself? All good reasons to come visit Big Blue (our blue whale skeleton) and our 2 million animals and plants over the holidays. We are open every Tuesday-Sunday except December 25th.

Read our Director's Holiday Message for more reasons why 2014 was Awesome at Vancouver's quirky Natural History Museum.