The Fluvarium, is a public centre for environmental education, located in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

, and operated by the

Quidi Vidi Quidi Vidi is a neighbourhood in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Its pronunciations vary, even amongst longtime residents, but "Kiddy Vidi" is the most common. One theory behind the name is that it was named after a beloved cat named Vidi . ...

/Rennie's River Development Foundation. The Quidi Vidi/Rennie's River Development Foundation also operates Lilypad Childcare Center. 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 The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

and

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

living in their natural habitat. The center also has a series of natural water

aquariums An aquarium (: 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. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

and

terrariums A terrarium ( terraria or terrariums) is a glass container containing soil and plants in an environment different from the surroundings. It is usually a sealable container that can be opened for maintenance or to access the plants inside; howeve ...

that showcase

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

and

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

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 mov ...

. 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. FluvariumWindow

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) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

of the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

. 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 Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, 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 is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

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 betw ...

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

riparian zones A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...

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 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: Bodies of water * 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 roc ...

, 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; ) 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 scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

, 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 freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water (fresh or marine); the physical act is known as spawning. The ...

) and

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, 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: Armageddon' ...

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 The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

American eel The American eel (''Anguilla rostrata'') is a facultative catadromous eel found on the eastern coast of North America. Anguillidae, Freshwater eels are fish belonging to the Elopomorpha, elopomorph superorder, a group of Phylogenetics, phylogen ...

Arctic char The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes, as well as Arctic and subarctic coastal waters in the Holarctic realm, Holarctic. Distribution and habitat It Spaw ...

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 The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

flesh using ''

Rhodotorula ''Rhodotorula'' is a genus of fungi in the class (biology), class Microbotryomycetes. Most species are known in their yeast states which produce orange to red colony (biology), colonies when grown on Sabouraud agar, Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SD ...

'' 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; ) 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 scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

. 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 Fluvarium continues to play a small part in Atlantic salmon restocking with the Atlantic Salmon Federation'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 4800 "sponsored" yellow rubber ducks make their way down the river and through the city, to the finish line. Please visit The Fluvarium's website to learn more.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 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
{{authority control Fluvarium Fluvarium Fluvarium Museums established in 1990 Nature centres in Canada 1990 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador