Leap Into Spring at the Royal Ontario Museum

Immerse yourself in the world of water and celebrate Nature Month this April at The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). All month long, families and visitors of all ages can discover the secrets of water with hands-on activities and workshops, unforgettable lectures, and multimedia displays. Learn what you can do to help protect our blue planet while exploring the ROM’s Water Exhibition and featured Nature Month programming. Special highlights include an evening with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, the 2011 Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest, and a provocative series of lectures, panels and debates addressing timely and controversial issues around one of the world’s most precious and finite resources - water. Mid-month, the ROM celebrates Earth Weekend on Saturday, April 16 and Sunday April 17 with special musical guest Mr. Something Something and Water exhibition-related programming.

Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity

An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall

Saturday, April 2; 7:30 Lecture only; Members $60; Public $65; Reception SOLD OUT

Acclaimed primatologist, environmentalist & UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall marks the 50th anniversary of her pioneering research on the behaviour of chimpanzees, with stories from her time in the field, reflections on conservation issues, and reasons for hope for the planet’s future. For more information and tickets please visit click here.

Bringing Nature Home with Douglas Tallamy

Friday, April 8; 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm; FREE with museum admission

Everyone knows our ecosystem is in crisis, but we can bring back the natural order of things, one garden at a time. That’s the hopeful, empowering message Douglas Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, delivers as he shows us how to look at our gardens in a completely different way. His unbridled enthusiasm for

the beauty and usefulness of helpful bugs and critters and the native plants that support them will make you change your mind about what belongs in your patch. Don’t miss this engaging speaker who has been wowing them on the US lecture circuit.

FAMILY PROGRAMS

ROMkids Sleepover: Come see the new Water exhibit!

Friday, April 8; 5:00 pm; Child $75.00, Adult $75.00, Adult - Member $67.50, Child - Member $67.50, Adult - Group 10+ $67.50, Child - Group 10+ $67.50

Experience the ultimate backstage museum pass at the ROM. Start the night off right with a special movie screening. Afterwards, wonder at this once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy exclusive, after-hours access to the new Water exhibit and discover our world's most precious natural resource. Then, build a sea animal for home, before bunking down for a giant sleepover (after PJ karaoke and a midnight snack of course) and dream of our friendly neighbours who live in the great deep blue. Wake up to explore the great diversity of life on Earth by visiting the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity and the newly renovated Bat Cave.

Sleepovers are for children 5 years and up. Children are required to be accompanied by an adult (19 years or older) throughout the sleepover. We require a supervision ratio of one adult (19+) to 5 children.

2011 Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest

April 16 - 17, 12 pm - 4 pm; FREE with museum admission

Renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman invites all Canadian youth to go outside and "get to know" their wild neighbours. This contest encourages young people to develop a deeper appreciation for their wild neighbours by getting outdoors and creating art, writing, digital photography, and videos. At the ROM’s contest launch, our facilitators will be on hand to help visitors participate by giving them tips on photography, drawing and writing, and explaining contest details.

Participants can win all kinds of wild prizes from the Get to Know organization. The contest launches during National Wildlife Week, April 10 - 16.

Earth Weekend

Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17; Three shows each day at 11:30 am / 1:30 pm / 3:00 pm;FREE with museum admission.

Saving the environment can be fun and as easy as riding a bike. The ROM welcomes special musical guests Mr. Something Something. You don't want to miss their incredible Sound Cycle Show and you won't be able to stop yourself from moving to their groove. The ROM celebrates the environment with music, film, crafts and games all weekend long and shows you ways to save our planet all year long.

Mud Creek and the Secret Life of Water in the City:

Friday, April 29; 6—8pm; FREE with museum admission

They are lost but not forgotten! Discover the little creeks that once cut across the city to feed the Don and Humber Rivers. Now mostly buried in pipes and sewers, they peek out here and there in fragments of ravines or ditches and sometimes come back to haunt us in our basements! Take a virtual tour of lost Mud Creek and find out more about the creeks under your backyard through this mini-lecture and interactive learning stations.

A Nature Walk in the Heart of Toronto:

Friday, April 22; 6–8pm; FREE with museum admission

Built from the surrounding bedrock and inhabited by native and far-flung flora and fauna, a city hides its natural origins in plain sight. Take a virtual nature walk from Queen and John to King and Simcoe Streets through images and interactive learning stations. Discover how nature unfolds amid towers and taxicabs. Become an urban naturalist and see the city with new eyes.

Saturday Morning Club:

Eco Ambassadors (Ages 11-14)

Saturdays, April 2 - June 4 (excludes Apr 23 & May 21); 9:00 am - 12:00 pm; Public $215; Members $195

We all have a part to play in the care of our planet. Through the ROM’s galleries, learn how life is diverse, interrelated, and in crisis. Travel through ecosystems and study the interconnections of species and habitats. Visit the new Water exhibit and learn all about this precious resource. Then see how your daily decisions can make a difference in the conservation of our environment. How can you be an ambassador for the environment every day?

Mighty Mariners (Ages 6-7)

Saturdays, April 2 - June 4 (excludes Apr 23 & May 21); 9:00 am - 12:00 pm; Public $215;Members $195

Ahoy there, mateys! It’s time for an ocean adventure! Using the ROM’s galleries and the new Water exhibit, we’ll discover the secrets of the waters that cover most of our planet. Join us as we explore all things ocean, including underwater creatures, birds and the legends that only such a wild frontier can hold.

LECTURES, PANEL AND DEBATES

Downstream: The Oil Sands Industry and The Athabasca River

April 13, 2011 at 7 pm; Public: $15; ROM Members: $12

Learn of the controversy over the role of pollution from the oil sands industry in causing cancer deaths in Fort Chipewyan on the Athabasca River in Alberta, what action has been taken, and the issues that must be addressed by future monitoring in order to develop the oil sands without jeopardizing the river or people downstream.

Waterlife Conference

April 21, 2011; 1 – 6pm; FREE, Does not include Museum admission

Curators and scientists share their research on aquatic ecosystems from around the world with keynote speaker Dr. John P. Smol, FRSC Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change at Queen's University and Editor, Environmental Reviews.

Toronto’s Don River - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Friday April 15; 6-8pm

Once pristine glacial meltwaters, the rivers that flow through Toronto into Lake Ontario have suffered heavily during the “good old days” of the last two centuries. This interactive presentation focuses on one river, the Don and its numerous tributaries through images and interactive learning stations. Discover how government, organizational and individual initiatives are improving conditions and how you can help. Then together, we will glimpse into the promise of an even better tomorrow.

Alien Planets with Ray Jayawardhana

Wednesday, April 27, 7:00 - 8:00 pm; Public $15.00, Members $12.00

One of Canada’s leading astronomers investigates the new space hunt that could redefine what it means to be human. After thousands of years of musings and a century of false claims, astronomers have found hundreds of planets around other stars since 1995. These surprising discoveries have challenged many previously held views. Is life filled planet Earth the exception or the norm? Astronomers expect to find alien earths by the dozens within the next few years. If they succeed, the ramifications for all areas of human thought and endeavour will be revolutionary.

GREEN GASTRONOMY CELEBRATES WATER: THE EXHIBITION

April 28 and June 23

The ROM partners with the Ocean Wise program* to pair celebrity chefs with local fisherman and wineries spotlighting sustainable fish and seafood production.

Thursday, April 28: Jamie Kennedy Celebrates Ontario Whitefish

Chef: Jamie Kennedy, renowned Canadian chef/farmer and social activist, owner/operator of Toronto based Jamie Kennedy Kitchens and Gilead Café. 2010 recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Celebration of the Nation’s Table and the Order of Canada for his activism and promotion of Canadian cuisine and use of organic, sustainable and locally sourced foods.

Fisherman: Andrew Akiwenzie, fisherman/owner of First Nations commercial fishing and fish processing company located in Wiarton, Ontario on the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nations Reserve. He offers only wild caught, deep water Georgian Bay whitefish and lake trout using artisanal catch and smoke production methods.

Vineyard: Stratus Vineyards, a sustainable, innovative winery located in the heart of Niagara wine country dedicated to growing and producing limited quantities of premium wine in the VQA Niagara Lakeshore appellation. Viticultural practices adhere to the principles of rigorously low yields and a harvest mandate that relies on handpicking and meticulous attention to fruit selection.

Charles Baker Wines, a garagiste single vineyard wine producer, based out of Stratus Wines focusing on expressions of Riesling grown on the Niagara escarpment.

Thursday, June 23: Rob Clark celebrates British Columbia Spot Prawns Chef

Chef: Rob Clark, Chef/activist, Executive Chef of C Restaurant, Vancouver and culinary ambassador of British Columbia sustainable seafood and agri-food. Winner of the coveted 2010 Vancouver Gold Medal Plates Chef Award.

Fisherman: Steve Johansen, fisherman/owner of Organic Ocean Seafood, a small collective of independent fisherman who believe in sustainability, direct contact with the harvest and the chef customer. Winner of the Best Producer/Supplier of the Year Award as awarded by the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia.

Vineyard: Featured artisan wines grown and produced in British Columbia by sustainable boutique wineries.

$85 menu, tax & gratuities included, $125 menu, paired wines, taxes & gratuities included

ROM Members receive 10% discount on food and non alcoholic beverages

*Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise works directly with restaurants, markets, food services and suppliers ensuring that they have the most current scientific information regarding seafood and helping them make ocean-friendly buying decisions. The options are highlighted on their menus and display cases with the Ocean Wise symbol, making it easier for consumers to make environmentally friendly seafood choices. The Ocean Wise logo next to a menu or seafood item is an assurance that the item is a good choice for keeping ocean life healthy and abundant for generations to come.