Fort St. John North Peace Museum Update: Discussing birds, bats and frogs in May

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Literally, things have been batty around the museum the past few weeks. We’ve been busy gearing up to release our free take home bat kits for kids ages three and up.

Funding from Epscan Industries Ltd. has made it possible to give away 200 kits. We are also thankful to our friends at the Charlie Lake Conservation Society for helping us with the fun fact sheet about local bats.

The kits also contain instructions and materials for two crafts: flapping bats and bat rockets. These bat kits are available at the museum starting April 12 as long as supplies last.

We’re continuing our natural history theme and partnership with the Charlie Lake Conservation Society (CLCS) into May.

On May 4, get ready for FROG FUN! In partnership with the CLCS and Fort St. John Public Library, we’ll be hosting families for a drop-in frog talk, frog crafts, and frog activities. Learn about our local frog and toad species, make a craft, and try our frog scavenger hunt.

If you’re an adult and are missing out on all the natural history fun for kids, don’t worry! Members of the CLCS will be offering two presentations for teens to seniors at the museum—one on birds on May 14 at 7 p.m. and the other on bats on May 23 at 7 p.m. These presentations are free, though donations are welcome.

We’re already booking lots of school tours and programs. Our most popular program remains Wild Animals of the North Peace, followed by our Minding the Fort Fur Trade Program.

Our guided tours are available for any age. We have a new program on mushrooms to go with our special travelling exhibit this summer. Our programs and scavenger hunts are aimed at school groups, camps, and daycares. For more information, visit the museum’s website or email fsjnpmuseum@fsjmail.com for a PDF of our educational programs.

The first draft of our newest cemetery tour, Women of Woodlawn, is complete. This tour looks at some of the amazing women who called North Peace home, the challenges they faced, and the ways they contributed to our community. The tour will premiere at Woodlawn Cemetery on Thursday, May 30, and will repeat on Tuesday, July 30.