EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE ROYAL SASKATCHEWAN MUSEUM

Released on April 21, 2006

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is honouring Earth Day with a number of activities this weekend.

"Earth Day reflects our interest in sustainability and our commitment to inspire an appreciation and understanding of our world," Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Glenn Hagel said. "It is important that we preserve the beauty of our natural environment and take every opportunity to learn, experience, and savor all it has to offer."

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum will begin celebrations Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. by planting a tree in memory of Fred Lahrman of Regina, who was a dedicated naturalist and the museum's key dioramist, illustrator and photographer. He was an exhibit designer, a taxidermist and a foreground specialist. Lahrman started at the museum in 1947 and completed his last diorama in 2003. He is especially remembered for his quiet enthusiasm.

"Back from the Brink," a temporary lobby exhibit about the Whooping Crane and conservation efforts at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and elsewhere to save the species, will open soon to the public soon.

"The museum's 'Back From The Brink' exhibit demonstrates several things," Environment Minister John Nilson said. "It demonstrates how human activity can drive a species close to extinction and how human effort can bring a species back. But more importantly, it shows how effective education, consultation, commitment and co-operation can be."

Saturday afternoon will include family activities with an evening program starting at 7:30 p.m. The evening event will highlight two well-known speakers in the Whooping Crane world, Joe Duff of Operation Migration and Brian Johns with the Canadian Wildlife Service. A unique feature of the evening will be an interpretive dance of the Whooping Crane – a collaborative presentation by Robin Poitras of A New Dance Horizon Pelican Project Creation and performed by Joelle Arnusch and Robert Regala. Exciting door prizes and refreshments will follow.

Earth Day, which is commemorated each April 22nd, began in 1970. The goal is to raise awareness about humanity's growing ecological footprint and to stimulate positive actions aimed at local, regional and global issues. Earth Day is now the largest, most celebrated environmental event in the world, involving 500 million people in over 180 countries. More than six million Canadians, including nearly every school child, take part in Earth Day.

-30-

For More Information, Contact:

Penny Pedersen Culture, Youth and Recreation Regina Phone: (306) 787-2850