Anything but Dumb! A New, Exciting Hands-On Room for the Whole Family Photo : Jacques Lessard Do you love all animals except black flies? Are you wild about roast chicken but disgusted by duck hunting? Do you thrill to horror movies but fear the big bad wolf? We all see the animal world in our own way. At Québec City’s Musée de la civilisation, the Anything but dumb! hands-on room brings the world of human-animal interaction to life, until January 4, 2004. It’s educational and fun for the whole family! Developed through a partnership between Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec and Fondation de la Faune du Québec and presented by Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. In this new hands-on room, you’re invited to explore a host of different ways to see animals of all kinds—turtles, beavers, birds, fish, wolves, muskrat, moose, chorus frogs, black flies, and other creatures with whom we share Mother Earth. Guiding your discovery are an Amerindian, a pioneer, a trapper, an artist, a hunter, a fisherman, and scientists. Together, Aataentsic, Pierre “Esprit” Radisson, Pierre Canac-Marquis, Gisèle Benoit, Annie Préfontaine, Richard Adams, Roger Bider and Estelle Lacoursière have much to teach us about the history and science of animals and their living environments, needs, habitats, and biological diversity. Using games, pictures, mounted animals, and other objects ranging from jewelry and paintings to skins and bait, this engaging exhibit helps us understand nature as a renewable resource that must be developed and protected. Here, you’re encouraged to touch, compare, play, feel—even fish! It’s hands-on learning at its best. Photo : Jacques Lessard A little animal history Do you share the adventurous spirit of a pioneering coureur des bois? This hands-on exhibit opens with a historic overview of our relationship to animals. An ancient Wendat legend about the creation of the world introduces the topic. Then, trapper and woodsman Pierre “Esprit” Radisson presents an 18th century trading post and explains the key role the beaver played in the economy and the development of New France. Finally, Charles-Eusèbe Dionne, the pioneer of ornithology in Québec, invites us to classify birds, much in the way he did in his 19th century laboratory. Just for fun! Want to see the inside of a blind or go after a fish (not a real one, of course!)? You can do both in the second part of Anything but dumb! This section looks at wildlife from a recreational point of view, notably harvesting activities like hunting, trapping, and fishing as well as non-harvesting activities like observation and wildlife art. Through experiments, reading, and listening, visitors can also find out about some of our native wildlife species and their natural habitats. For the sake of science! Are you a researcher at heart? The last part of the hands-on room features games that illustrate the essential role that habitats play in the survival of a species. Researchers Estelle Lacoursière and Roger Bider and their team bring together science and education, explaining their work in an easy-to-understand way. These researchers work to protect species such as the spiny softshell turtle, the western striped chorus frog, and the Atlantic sturgeon of the St. Lawrence River, all vulnerable species. Visitors leave Anything but dumb! with the knowledge that they, too, are users of Québec parklands and that they must learn to reconcile their needs with those of the animals. It’s a matter of protecting wildlife and wildlife habitats for future generations! Educational activities Photo : Jacques Lessard For school groups Which animals walk, gallop, hop, or amble? How many species of vertebrate are there in Québec? Did you know that you can take part in road call count surveys to determine frog population and contribute to the l’Atlas des amphibiens et reptiles? Now offered in conjunction with Anything but dumb! are three educational workshops, Détective de la nature, Présence à la faune! et Territoire à partager. These workshops teach young audiences to recognize animal species and understand environmental realities. Presented by the Quebec Forest Industries Association and the Quebec Lumber Manufacturers’ Association. A new Place à la famille workshop Animals—Sharing our World Squirrels, marmots, bats, raccoons, black bears, larks… There are countless animals sharing our immediate environment, not to mention those we run into when we take to the woods as campers, foresters, hunters, and anglers trying not to be too intrusive. Beginning June 22, a new Family Center workshop will be presented in conjunction with Anything but Dumb! Come learn what attracts wildlife to our cities and understand the various aspects of our urban coexistence. Presented by Abitibi Consolidated Inc. Informations: Serge Poulin, [418] 643-2158 Relations publiques et communications Issued : February 28, 2002

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