Exhibit celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region

Learn about the region’s amazing places July 8 to August 31 at the McMillan Arts Centre

The Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) turns 25 this year and to celebrate, an exhibit celebrating the natural beauty of the region will be on all summer. 

The 1,200-square-kilometre Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region was officially designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000. Vancouver Island University established MABRRI, the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute in 2014. MABRRI focuses on research and community engagement initiatives primarily within the biosphere region. 

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Amazing Places Project. The Amazing Places Project connects people with nature in Canada’s UNESCO biosphere reserves and educates residents and visitors about the ecological significance of well-loved outdoor spaces. The 10 locations in the MABR are: Top Bridge, Heritage Forest, MacMillan Provincial Park, Parksville Community Park, Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, Milner Gardens & Woodland, Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, Cameron Lake, Notch Hill and Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.

For the anniversary celebration, MABRRI connected with the Executive Director of the McMillan Arts Centre two years ago to begin designing the exhibition for the Arts Centre, celebrating the Biosphere Region and the 10 Amazing Places through an artistic lens. 

More information about the Ts’uliqw’ Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region summer exhibit can be found on the McMillan Arts Centre website. 

To learn more about the many research projects the institute is currently working on such as wetland mapping, habitat monitoring and building climate-resilient communities, visit the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute website.