Blogs Archives - Manitoba Museum

Posted on: Friday April 12, 2024

By Mika Pineda, Learning & Engagement Producer for Youth Climate Action.

Every year on April 22, we celebrate our home, the Earth, and all the wonderful things it provides us – from the food that nourishes our body, the shelter and clothing that keeps us warm, to the air and water that allow us to live and breathe.

An adult and two children working in a garden bed.

Here are just a few ideas that can do at home to celebrate Earth Day, every day:

Change up your commute: consider walking or cycling to your destination.
Lend a helping hand: gather some friends and start a community clean-up in your neighbourhood.
Get gardening: plant a tree or a wildflower garden this Spring to attract pollinators.
Conserve with care: take shorter showers to save water and turn off lights in empty rooms to conserve electricity.

Celebrating and appreciating the Earth doesn’t have to be a one day event; every little thing you do to help the planet makes a difference!

Get your hands dirty by planting a garden to celebrate Earth Day. © Kampus Production

Still looking for Earth-friendly activities?

Join us for Earth Days at the Manitoba Museum on April 20 and 21! Play “Planet vs Plastics”, a fun and educational board game led by our Youth Climate Alliance; check out our special planetarium shows: Atlas of a Changing Earth and We Are Guardians; explore the Museum Galleries on an Earth Days scavenger hunt; and stop by the Earth Day reflection Wall to ask yourself: What action will I take to keep our environment healthy?

Learn how we can protect our Earth together. © Manitoba Museum

Ask yourself “How do I want to see the future unfold?” at the Earth Day Reflection Wall. © Manitoba Museum

Find solutions to keep our waterways healthy in the Science Gallery. © Manitoba Museum/Rejean Brandt

Help us celebrate Earth and learn how we can better protect our future, together!

The tools that conservators use to fix, repair, and clean objects are pretty unique, in that many of these items come from different professions rather than being made specifically for artifact and specimen conservation. In this video, Senior Conservator Carolyn shows us some of the tools she uses to conserve the Museum Collection!

Click here to learn more about the tools found in a conservator’s toolbox in Carolyn’s blog post.

Did you ever grab a meal at the C. Kelekis Restaurant during its time as a Winnipeg staple?

In this video with Collections Technician of Human History, Cortney, check out some Kelekis memorabilia that was donated to the Museum after the restaurant closed.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, viewers across North America will have an amazing opportunity to experience the motions of the solar system in real time! On that afternoon a solar eclipse will be visible across the province and across the continent. Learn more in this video with Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young!

Click here to buy your certified eclipse glasses from the Museum Shop

Find further eclipse viewing details on our website here.

Posted on: Friday March 15, 2024

The tools Conservator’s use to fix, repair, and clean objects in a Museum collection are pretty unique, in that many of these items come from different professions or have been custom-made to suit the job. During a recent behind-the-scenes tour I was asked about the tools I had laid out in my tray, stuffed into foam to protect the sharp edges, and things that looked a bit like they came from another planet. I thought I would share some of the tools used in the Conservation lab, as a way to spark imagination and inspiration for anyone that has been stuck on a project not knowing what tool could be right for the job!

Two pairs of scissors on a white background with the left scissors having a purple handle and the right scissors having a pink handle.

Can’t touch this …

The first item that I am deeply passionate about are my purple and pink scissors. Everyone in the lab knows that if you borrow these purple and pink scissors to make sure to return it to the tray immediately, as I am very invested in these little tools! These small delicate scissors, come from the cosmetic industry and are mostly used by estheticians. Slightly curved, incredibly sharp, and a very fine pointed tip, these scissors work magic for repairing textiles, cutting extremely detailed molds and casts in reproductions, and any other work that needs an accurate slice.

Image of thirteen dental tools laid out evenly in a row. Tools are composed of stainless steel and have various tips on both ends

Say “aaaahhhhhh” …

Dental tools would be the next array of instruments that we use in the Conservation lab. Not only are dental tools good at cleaning your teeth but they are great for cleaning objects! Caution is used however when we pick-up these strong metal tools, because they can cause damage if used on an improper object. Dental picks and scrapers are often used on wooden objects, when there is something deep in cracks or crevices that needs to be removed.

Let’s get digital .. digital …

Diving into a different industry that Conservator’s seek tools from, would be the world of circuit boards and computer repair. The glass bristle brush is about the size of a pen, and has a fibre glass tip that is adjustable in height depending on the work being done. Archaeological metals, such as brass buttons or thimbles, are where these fine detailed tools work well to burnish or remove corrosion products. A few cautions are followed when using a glass bristle brush, including wearing a respirator, safety glasses, and protecting the body with a lab coat. The fine glass bristles break off as the tool is brushed back and forth, which is why safety is of utmost importance.

Five glass bristle brush dispensers, from left to right the handles are yellow, black, blue, blue and grey with a white twist bottom used to make the brush larger. On the left of the image are five glass bristle brush replacements with a gold coloured ferrule crimping the bristles together.

Bone folders, micro spatulas, tacking irons, brass rulers, tweezers, and scalpels are a small list of names of other unique tools that we reach for most often. It’s important that before we perform a conservation treatment on an object in the collection that we ensure the method we choose will be successful, causing no further deterioration then what has already occurred. This means, we really have to think outside of the box, not rush into a treatment, and make sure we have the right tool (wherever that is found) for the job!

Carolyn Sirett

Senior Conservator

Carolyn Sirett received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Manitoba, Diploma in Cultural Resource Management from the University of Victoria, and Diploma in Collections Conservation and Management…

Meet Carolyn Sirett

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

Collections & Conservation

Friday March 15, 2024

Join Science Communicator Adriana in the Science Gallery to check out one of our newest exhibits – the magnetic ball wall! Learn which forces are taught by this fun hands-on exhibit.

Plan your visit and try this exhibit today

The city of Winnipeg turns 150 this year! Join Curator of History Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery to learn some of the early history of the city of Winnipeg.

This series is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!

Plan your visit to the Winnipeg Gallery today

Trilobites tend to be well-preserved in the fossil record, but some of the fossil trilobites in the Museum Collection look like pieces of their head are missing. Why is this and what does it have to do with trilobite growth spurts?

Find out in this video with Curator of Palaeontology & Geology Dr. Joe Moysiuk!

Posted on: Friday March 1, 2024

The many natural history specimens in our exhibitions are familiar to Museum-goers. The dioramas and displays introduce Manitoba’s incredible diversity of life, impressing the need for conservation of our wild spaces to maintain a healthy planet. What is less familiar is that, behind-the-scenes, the Museum holds important research collections that scientists use to examine how and where organisms live. These discoveries influence public policy and help preserve our natural heritage.

Museum collections in the Boreal Forest Gallery might offer the first chance to see insects close up and develop a fascination with Manitoba’s incredible biodiversity. © Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland

The Manitoba Museum bird collection is a resource for exhibits and teaching, and for research by Museum scientists and others around the world. © Manitoba Museum

Collections Create Conservationists

For many visitors, the Museum collections on exhibit provide the first close look at an insect wing or cougar skull, the first chance to explore life underground, or to experience the wonder of just how many animal species live in Manitoba. Becoming fascinated with the natural world is a necessary first step in caring for it. A gallery exhibit influences attitudes towards our environment and can inspire the next generation of conservation advocates.

Collections Shape Conservation Policy

The Museum’s research collections – spanning millennia – are like a time machine that tells us about organisms and their environment in the past compared to today. This can determine if species are affected by climate change, habitat loss, pollution, or other factors. Collections are permanent archives of the distribution of organisms and an essential resource for scientific research at the Museum and for scientists around the world. They help assess a species biology, rarity, and any environmental threats, all critical to devise strategies and policies for responsible ecological stewardship.

Collections and our Future

Museum collections play a significant educational role in exhibits and programs encouraging champions for wildlife. From the scientific evidence they provide, we can better understand changes in our environment and plan conservation action. The Museum research collections of animals, plants, and their representative fossils furnish important data to interpret the past, understand the present, and consider the future of Manitoba’s natural world.

Analysis of feather samples discovered that some prairie songbirds overwinter along the Gulf
of Mexico. Protection of breeding and migration sites can now be planned. © Manitoba Museum

This orca tooth (MM 406) was chemically sampled to study food preferences in Arctic Ocean populations. © Manitoba Museum

Birds of different decades can be used to measure environmental contaminants over time. This ivory gull (MM 1-2-941) from 1926 was analyzed to examine changes in mercury levels to inform management plans. © Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland

Spring Break is back at the Manitoba Museum! March 23 through March 31, the Manitoba Museum is the place to be, with a week full of family-friendly activities, a brand-new planetarium show, a fun and interactive toddler zone, and more!

Plan your Spring Break today

Dr. Randy Mooi

Curator of Zoology

Dr. Mooi received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto working on the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Fishes of the Smithsonian Institution…

Meet Dr. Randy Mooi

Posted on: Friday March 1, 2024

March hosts the “first day of spring”, although someone forgot to tell that to the weather. Astronomically, spring begins when the Earth reaches a specific point in its orbit around the Sun – it’s an easily-measurable instant in time when the Sun rises due east, sets due west, and is in the sky for 12 hours a day. Usually, the weather takes several weeks to catch up to that, but so far Manitoba has had three “winters”, two “autumns” and a “spring” since January 1, so the equinox is becoming less useful as an indicator.

March is also when we “spring ahead”, moving our clocks forward one hour to the poorly-named “Daylight Savings Time”. (Spoiler: no daylight is saved, we just alter our schedule so that people who work 9-5 see a bit more of it after their work day is done.) The official change happens in the morning of March 10th: 1:59 a.m. Central Standard Time is followed by 3:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time. We lose an hour of sleep that night, so expect inattentive drivers, cranky coworkers, and other symptoms of poor sleep to crop up in your life for the following week or so.

The Solar System

The planets are described in the order they are most visible in this month’s Manitoba skies.

Solar System Highlights

There is a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25 which is visible across Canada. See the Calendar entry below.

Mercury is at its best evening visibility of the year for Canadians, peeking up above the western horizon in evening twilight about the 12th and rising higher each night until greatest elongation from the Sun with occurs on the 19th. It will probably easiest to see on the few days around March 16 when it is as its brightest and near its highest above the horizon.

Jupiter is visible in the west-southwest after sunset, and sets before midnight local time. Telescopic observers will want to catch it early before it sinks into the turbulent air near the horizon.

Uranus sits above Jupiter in the evening sky, in the direction of the Pleaides star cluster. Only easily spotted in binoculars or a telescope, Uranus looks just like a faint dot of light indistinguishable from any other star.

Mars is higher than Venus in the pre-dawn sky but much fainter, making it difficult to observe until near the end of the month. Mars will return to prominence in the second half of 2024 but until then it remains a less-than-impressive object.

Venus remains very low in the south-southeast just before sunrise, only visible because of its great brilliance. It passes very close to Saturn on the mornings of March 21 and 22, but the low altitude above the horizon makes this event probably unobservable for Manitobans.

Saturn is invisible for most of the month after its February 28 conjunction with the Sun. It reappears in the morning sky towards the end of the month, very low in the southeast before sunrise.

Neptune reaches solar conjunction on the 17th, and is unobservable for the month.

Celestial Calendar for March 2024

Sun Mar. 3 (evening): A celestial event on Earth – Bill Nye “the Science Guy” will be speaking live at the Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall on his “The End is Nye” tour. Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young will introduce Bill and moderate the Q&A session. Showtime is 7:30 pm.

Fri Mar. 8 (morning): The razor-thin waning crescent Moon is very low below Venus and Mars just before sunset, but all three are very low in the sky and likely invisible unless you have a very clear atmosphere and flat horizon to the southeast.

Fri Mar. 8 (evening): The monthly meeting of the RASC Winnipeg Centre, the Manitoba chapter of Canada’s largest astronomy club. Meetings are open to the public, and details can be found here.

Sat Mar. 9 to Sun Mar 10: Daylight Savings Time begins: Remember to set your non-internet clocks forward 1 hour late on Saturday March 9 or after midnight on Sunday, March 10, to ensure your circadian rhythms are as messed up as everyone else’s.

Wed Mar. 13 (evening): The waxing crescent Moon is to the right of Jupiter in the evening.

Wed Mar. 14 (evening): The waxing crescent Moon is close to the Pleiades star cluster, with those farther west seeing a closer approach.

Sat Mar.23: Spring Break begins at the Manitoba Museum! 10 days of programming, exhibits, and hands-on science, plus the premiere of a new planetarium show!

Sun Mar. 24 to Mon Mar. 25 (morning): A minor lunar eclipse occurs in the wee hours of the 25th. Not the “blood moon” of a total lunar eclipse, the moon only passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow. These penumbral lunar eclipses are easy to miss if you aren’t watching for them, since the bright Moon doesn’t look too different minute to minute and there are no major colour changes. Still, they are interesting to watch, and the Planetarium’s Dome@Home astronomy show will host a live-stream of the event beginning at 11:30 pm on the 24th.

Thu Mar. 28 (evening): Dome@Home, the Manitoba Museum’s award-winning online astronomy show, runs at 7 pm. Central time on the last Thursday of every month on the Museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. This episode will feature the April 8 solar eclipse, including how you can safely watch the event as it unfolds from anywhere in Manitoba.

Other Astronomy Resources

To learn when the International Space Station and other satellites are visible from your location, visit Heavens-Above.com and select the closest city or town to you.

For information on Manitoba’s largest astronomy club, visit the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Winnipeg Centre.

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.