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<p><span style="font-size:23.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1E9B00">MEDIA ADVISORY</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img width="67" height="201" id="_x0000_i1033" src="cid:b4ee8132-7b10-4b91-b662-7c84a3927276" name="null"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">January 12, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
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<strong><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">New Royal BC Museum gallery
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
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<strong><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">shines a light behind-the-scenes
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">VICTORIA, BC –</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">
</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">The Royal BC Museum’s world-class exhibitions and permanent galleries are well known to visitors, but some of its most important work, and people, are found
behind-the-scenes, away from the public eye.</span></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><strong> </strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">Starting today, with the new Pocket Gallery, a newly redesigned “pocket” in Clifford Carl Hall, visitors will have a chance
to see, for free, a series of rotating exhibitions highlighting sides of the Royal BC Museum not often seen.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">The first Pocket Gallery exhibition,
<i>Finding Fishes</i>, features beautifully crafted replica fish and preserved fish collected from the BC coast, each selected for its importance or uniqueness within the Royal BC Museum’s collection.
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">Each fish tells a story when in the hands of Royal BC Museum’s expert scientists and researchers. Based on what it ate, how
fast it grew, where it was found and other unique characteristics, specimens can speak to the health of local ecosystems, the vitality of populations and the effects of climate change.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">“Our entire natural history collection is like a library with volumes of information in each specimen,” said Dr. Gavin Hanke,
Royal BC Museum Curator of Vertebrate Zoology. “The collection allows us to understand how nature has evolved and the impact of humans on British Columbia’s flora and fauna.”
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">Among the specimens on display is the Bony-eared Assfish, the first of its kind found anywhere in BC. Royal BC Museum scientists
caught this unique cusk-eel in 2006 during a deep-water survey in Queen Charlotte Sound, off the north end of Vancouver Island. This specimen, like many other “firsts”, highlights the need for ongoing collecting to understand biodiversity and our connection
to global ecology.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">The Pocket Gallery will feature new content every three months, continually highlighting different collections and research
at the Royal BC Museum. Future exhibition themes include a look at conservation efforts to treat fire-damaged artifacts from the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. The Royal BC Museum’s collections exceed seven million objects and specimens, each contributing
to the story of British Columbia’s past, present and future.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">“We’re truly delighted at the chance to showcase the world-class collections and pioneering research of the Royal BC Museum,” said Dr. Scott Cooper, Royal BC Museum Vice
President, Collections, Knowledge and Engagement. “This little gallery allows us to cast a bright light on the amazing array of collections, research and conservation work that our visitors rarely get to see.”</span></strong><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">About the Royal BC Museum</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">The Royal BC Museum explores the province's human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection.
The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Looking to the future, the Royal BC Museum will be a refreshed, modern museum, extending its reach far beyond Victoria as a world-class
cultural venue and repository of digital treasures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">- 30 -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""> </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">Media contact:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">Royal BC Museum Media Inquiries
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">250-387-3207<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><a href="mailto:news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca">news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca</a></span><u><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif"">
</span></u><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55","sans-serif""><a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalBCMuseum">@RoyalBCMuseum</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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