The Fluvarium, meaning "windows on a stream", is a public centre for environmental education, located in
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and is operated by the
Quidi Vidi
Quidi Vidi is a neighbourhood in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (pronunciations vary, even amongst longtime residents, but "Kiddy Vidi" is the most common). The village is adjacent to Quidi Vidi Lake (where the Royal St. John's Regatta is ...
/Rennie's River Development Foundation.
The lowest level of the Fluvarium features an underwater view of Nagle's Hill Brook through nine large viewing windows. Visitors can observe
brown trout and
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
living in their natural habitat. The center also has a series of natural water
aquariums
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, a ...
and
terrariums
A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life"; plural: ''vivaria'' or ''vivariums'') is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they a ...
that showcase
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
and
amphibian species found throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
History
Quidi Vidi/Rennie's River Development Foundation (QVRRDF) was established as a registered non-profit charitable organization in 1985. It was formed by a group of environmentalists and conservationists who were motivated to protect and enhance Rennie’s River, a major waterway flowing through the heart of St. John’s into Quidi Vidi Lake. The QVRRDF started with the goal cleaning up the polluted Rennie’s River and building a walking trail along its meandering path.
To clean up Rennie’s River, a series of projects were undertaken including
stream stabilization, general environmental restoration, and construction of a
fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as move ...
. Since its inception, over 7.5 km of walking trails, including boardwalks and look-out areas, were completed along the banks of Rennie’s River and around Quidi Vidi Lake.
In 1985, the foundation also received approval by the St. John's City Council to build an interpretation centre at
Long Pond with a
stream tank to "allow visitors to view, through a glass wall, the surface and bed of the river, where they will be able to observe trout spawning."
[Quidi Vidi Rennies River Development Foundation (December 2003) A Look Back. Ripples Newsletter. Vol 18, Number 1.]
By 1987, the QVRRDF began delivering environmental outreach programs to school children. The program focused on giving children a better understanding of the
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
of the
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
.
[
The foundation spent the majority of 1988 securing funding for the construction of The Fluvarium. In June 1988, Prince Edward "turned the sod" at the site where the centre would be constructed.][
In November 1990, The Fluvarium opened to the public with the goal to educate the public and in particular school aged children about the importance of watersheds and how to treat them properly. It was officially opened by The Princess Anne, on July 2, 1991. The opening celebrations included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, and a tour of the building and grounds.][
]
Exhibits
Water: Past, Present, and Future
The second level exhibit area features a view of the Nagle's Hill Brook and has a number of educational exhibits concerning freshwater environments. This includes interactive displays on water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
, glaciations
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
, wetlands, riparian zones
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
and water monitoring.
Fluvarium
The Fluvarium level features a panoramic view through nine large viewing windows, into Nagle's Hill Brook. A tributary of Rennie's River, this brook originates 3 kilometers north of The Suncor Energy Fluvarium, at Three Pond Barrens. It was diverted to flow past the "windows on a stream" for visitors to explore the life of a river and the ecosystem of which it is part.
The windows allow visitors to see typical areas in a river system, including deep pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a rocky po ...
, shallow pool and riffle
A riffle is a shallow landform in a flowing channel. Colloquially, it is a shallow place in a river where water flows quickly past rocks. However, in geology a riffle has specific characteristics.
Topographic, sedimentary and hydraulic indica ...
areas. The majority of the fish seen in the brook are brown trout, a species introduced into Newfoundland in 1884.Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sci ...
, http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/zone/underwater_sous-marin/trout/trout_e.htm Fish can enter and exit the diverted section using a fish ladder. During the fall, visitors can watch brown trout prepare their nests (redds
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquati ...
) and spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: ...
in the riffle areas.
The centre also houses a number of aquariums, fed with stream water from Nagle's Hill Brook. These contain species of typical freshwater fish and amphibians from around Newfoundland and Labrador, including Atlantic salmon, American eels, Arctic char
The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes and arctic and subarctic coastal waters. Its distribution is Circumpolar North. It spawns in freshwater and populat ...
, wood frog
''Lithobates sylvaticus'' or ''Rana sylvatica'', commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several nota ...
s and green frogs.
Partnerships
Research
The QVRRDF began its first research project at The Fluvarium, March 1992. Research into the pigmentation of rainbow trout flesh using ''Rhodotorula
''Rhodotorula'' is a genus of pigmented yeasts, part of the division Basidiomycota. It is readily identifiable by distinctive orange/red colonies when grown on Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA). This distinctive color is the result of pigme ...
'' in prepared diets was investigated in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology Aquaculture Unit.[Quidi Vidi Rennies River Development Foundation (March 2004) A Look Back. Ripples Newsletter. Vol 18, Number 2.]
From 1995-2002, The Fluvarium took part in an Atlantic salmon restocking program in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...
. Salmon eggs were incubated on site and each year about 8000 salmon fry were released into the Rennie's, Waterford and Virginia Rivers.[
In 1999, salmon were found in a fish trap at Quidi Vidi Lake. They were believed to be from the first batch of fry released in the system in 1995 and were the first salmon seen in the rivers since the 1930s.][
]
Salmon program
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium continues to play a small part in Atlantic salmon restocking with the Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is an international conservation organization established in 1948.
The Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well bein ...
's Fish/Friends program. Each spring The Suncor Energy Fluvarium delivers about 1600 salmon eggs to various schools that raise the eggs in special classroom incubators. In the late spring, classes go to The Suncor Energy Fluvarium to release salmon eggs into Nagle's Hill Brook.[
]
The Duck Race
The Annual Rennie's River Duck Race is a popular fundraising event for the Quidi Vidi / Rennie's River Development Foundation that helps to support their environmental initiatives.
An annual tradition since 1988, the event attracts large crowds to the banks of Rennie's River, to watch up to 2,500 "sponsored" yellow rubber ducks make their way down the river and through the city, to the finish line. The first three ducks across the finish line win prizes for their sponsor.[Quidi Vidi Rennies River Development Foundation (2010)Duck race information. Retrieved from http://www.fluvarium.ca/pg.php?p=19. Last accessed December 26, 2010.]
Gallery
Image:Entrance to Fluvarium, St John's.jpg, Entrance to The Suncor Energy Fluvarium
Image:Copy of Flvm Pictures2 025.jpg, Green frog (''Lithobates clamitans'')
Image:Green frog tadpole.jpg, Green frog (''Lithobates clamitans'') tadpole
Image:Fluvarium American toad.JPG, American toad (''Bufo americanus'')
Image:Fluvarium Brown Trout.jpg, Brown trout (''Salmo trutta'')
Image:Stickleback_Gasterosteus_aculeatus.jpg, Threespine stickleback (''Gasterosteus aculeatus'')
Image:Fluvarium Fossil, St. John's, Newfoundland.jpg, Fluvarium fossil
References
External links
The Fluvarium Official Website
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Fluvarium
Fluvarium
Fluvarium
Museums established in 1990
Nature centres in Canada
1990 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador