Author Archives: Kate Beresford

About Kate Beresford

As a Guest Services Host at the Museum of Nature since 2006, I get to see the visitor’s reactions to the museum first hand and speak with them about their experiences here; what they like and what they don’t! No two days are ever the same! My background is in Art and Culture and I’ve had the opportunity to work in a few different museums and galleries across Canada and in the UK, which has only increased my interest in and love for museums. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share some behind the scenes information with you all!

Pacific Aquarium Moves In

Posted on May 5, 2010

One of the live specimen components of the new water gallery is the Pacific Aquarium.  It will be located right at the entrance to the new gallery, and those of you who have visited the museum in the past few … Continue reading →

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Moving along…

Posted on April 13, 2010

This week in the water gallery, staff continues to work on multiple projects at once. The exhibit space is divided in two sections:  the wing area by the entrance to the exhibit which will be dedicated entirely to the subject … Continue reading →

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Tallulah is here, what’s next?

Posted on March 26, 2010

Since Tallulah is the largest component in the new water gallery it was important to get her into place first, and then move on to installing all the other sections of the exhibit around her. Although she was the largest … Continue reading →

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Assembling the whale puzzle begins!

Posted on March 16, 2010

Now that all of Tallulah’s parts have been safely moved into the Water Gallery, it’s time to start setting her up!  The first stages have gone relatively smoothly, just a few little technical difficulties with some of the equipment, but … Continue reading →

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Do you smell something?

Posted on March 11, 2010

It’s no secret that Tallulah has a bit of a body odour problem. Despite multiple treatments to try and prevent this from happening, Tallulah’s bones continue to leak oil because of the high amount of fat concentration found in whales. … Continue reading →

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Tallulah moves in

Posted on March 4, 2010

The process of moving Tallulah, the 65 foot blue whale that will go on display in the new Water Gallery, is complete and went off without a hitch! The move itself was contracted out to a professional moving company to … Continue reading →

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But where do the fish come from?

Posted on February 18, 2010

Since the upcoming water gallery has 3 aquaria featuring live creatures, you might be wondering where they all come from!  For the freshwater aquarium, staff members go out on fishing expeditions right here in Ottawa.  Most recently they went to … Continue reading →

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Water Gallery Diorama gets prepped!

Posted on February 11, 2010

There will be much more to the water gallery than the specimens; another component to the exhibit will be the Hydro-Thermal Vent Diorama.  Hydro-Thermal Vents are found deep down in the depths of the ocean, and the new water gallery … Continue reading →

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Getting Specimens Prepared for Display!

Posted on February 2, 2010

The Collections Department is hard at work getting close to 120 specimens prepared for display in the Water Gallery.  The specimens, which will include Whale Tape Worms, A Squid Tentacle, Starfish, Jellyfish and Urchins, among many others, will all be … Continue reading →

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Canada’s Waterscapes – A Traveling Exhibit

Posted on January 19, 2010

“Canada’s Waterscapes” is the name of the traveling water exhibit that was on display at the museum until this past weekend.  This exhibit is a branch of The Water Project which includes new school programming from the Education and Research … Continue reading →

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