ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ

The Biodiversity Festival

On September 24^th 2024, ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ groups and community organizations joined forces at the downtown and Mac campuses for the Biodiversity Festival, in celebration of ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s Biodiversity Plan. Over 1200 people enjoyed educational booths, nature walks and forest bathing, scavenger hunts, a trivia night, a mini speaker series and a biodiversity collage. They explored topics such as conservation and research, and discovered opportunities to get involved in community initiatives on biodiversity. The Festival also highlighted the intersection of art and science, through a captivating photo contest, hands-on cyanotype workshops, and an inspiring tour of the Blacker-Wood Natural History Collections.

From September 24^th to October 1^st, over 250 people observed and identified the rich diversity of species on ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ campuses for the project in iNaturalist. Among the over 300 species observed, highlights include spring peepers, various wildflowers, honey-bees and the campus’s famous eastern grey squirrel, which was spotted most frequently.

The Biodiversity Festival culminated on October 5^th, for an which welcomed over 1100 people! Participants learned about ongoing scientific projects, met experts, visited the Gault House, and explored the exceptional biodiversity of Mont Saint-Hilaire. .Ìý

Interested in getting involved in biodiversity initiatives on campus? Join the upcoming garden planting event on October 15^th or look out for new events on the MOOS website.

Thank you to our partners

On behalf of the Biodiversity Community Engagement Committee, we would like to thank our partners listed below who joined us for these events and made this festival possible!Ìý

Learn more about what they do by visiting their websites:Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;ÌýÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Office of Sustainability;Ìý;Ìý;ÌýMorgan Arboretum;ÌýMac Campus;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý;ÌýRare Books and Special Collections;ÌýRedpath Museum;Ìý;Ìý;Ìý.