[BCMA] We Have Aliens Among Us!

Tue Aug 27 12:44:34 PDT 2013

For Immediate Release

August 27, 2013

The Aliens Have Landed at the Fraser River Discovery Centre

New Westminster BC - Did you know the American Bullfrog arrived in British
Columbia to supply a frog leg industry that never took off?  
Or that approximately 200 million European Starlings in North America are
here thanks to a Shakespeare fan?

Aliens Among Us is a travelling Royal BC Museum exhibition on British
Columbia's invasive species.  The exhibition runs from September 28 to
December 7, 2013 at the Fraser River Discovery Centre and invites visitors
to interact with some of the province's best-known and least-loved invasive
species.  

The Fraser River Discovery Centre would like to invite the public to the
opening of their second floor on Saturday, September 28 during RiverFest:
Inspired by the Fraser.  Guests will have the opportunity to speak with and
learn more from the Royal BC Museum's Curator of Invertebrates, Dr. Melissa
Fry during an 11:00am presentation in the Discovery Centre's Canyon Theatre.
Aliens Among Us will be one of the three new exhibitions displayed in the
Upper Gallery of the Fraser River Discovery Centre. 

"There are over 4,000 alien species in the province and that number
continues to grow each year," says Gavin Hanke, Curator of Vertebrate
Zoology at the Royal BC Museum.  "Some of these aliens are invasive - they
spread quickly, threaten native wildlife and are hard to control."

American Bullfrogs, Scotch Broom, Smallmouth Bass and Purple Loosestrife are
just a few of the species featured in Aliens Among Us.  The exhibition tells
the stories of how the invasive species arrived in the province, what
individuals can do to protect their communities and how these aliens fit in
- or don't fit in - with their environments. 

"We hear most often about invasive introduced species, which are incredibly
harmful," says Kathleen Bertrand, Exhibit Coordinator. "But I like that this
exhibit covers all kinds of 'aliens' including species I thought of as
native. I was surprised to learn that much of our commercial grains, fruit,
farm animals and garden plants are actually introduced to BC."

Aliens Among Us was created by the Royal BC Museum and has been travelling
throughout British Columbia since 2011. After visiting museums in
Parksville, White Rock, Kelowna, Prince George, Kitimat, Penticton, Nelson,
and Richmond, the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster will be
the exhibition's final stop before it is dismantled for the last time. 

A companion website and a mobile application have been created to accompany
Aliens Among Us.  Both allow visitors to track species using Google Maps.
Visitors can upload the location of an alien sighting, images and field
notes. The website also offers the opportunity to ask questions of one of
the Royal BC Museum curators or collection managers.  You can access the web
and mobile app here:  http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibitions/travelling.

Support for the Aliens Among Us exhibition has been provided by BC Hydro and
the Royal BC Museum.  

The Fraser River Discovery Centre is an interpretive centre connecting
communities in the discovery and celebration of the living, working Fraser
River. Located along the Westminster boardwalk at 788 Quayside Drive, New
Westminster, the Discovery Centre is open 10:00am to 4:00pm, Wednesday to
Saturday.  Admission to the galleries is by donation.  For further
information visit our website at www.fraserriverdiscovery.org or call
604-521-8401.

-30-

Photo Information: American Bullfrog-cute but a nasty invasive (photo
provided by Royal BC Museum)

For more information contact:

Cindy Sale, Communication & Events Coordinator

Fraser River Discovery Centre

E: csale at fraserriverdiscovery.org 

P: 604-521-8401 x 103

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