When walking through the Forests of the Coast exhibit, try to imagine what these forests might look like in the future. Will our forests be the same in 50 years? 100 years? 

With the creation of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 a head tax of 50 dollars was placed on all Chinese immigrants coming to Canada.  The head tax was subsequently raised in 1900 and again in 1903 to the cost of 500 dollars.  

The caption reads "A Heathen Chinese in British Columbia."  This is a cartoon from the Canadian Illustrated News, 1879.  How is the white male depicted compared to the Chinese male? What might their faces tell us about their character?  What is the significance of the sign in the top right corner?  What might this cartoon tell us about the author?

White sturgeon used to be plentiful in the Fraser River Delta. Now, due to over-fishing and local industrial projects, the white sturgeon population is declining. 

Along with the German consulate, the German club above the Dominion Express office was vandalized after the sinking of the SS Lusitania by a German U-Boat.  The SS Lusitania had a high proportion of British and Canadian passengers when it sank, and was carrying war munitions on board as well.

Damage to the German consulate in Victoria after the sinking of the SS Lusitania.  The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner which was sunk 18 kilometers off the south coast of Ireland by a German U-Boat.

Some species, such as magpies, gopher snakes, badgers, and black widows, will become more common in B.C. as temperatures rise and they are able to move further north. What effects might there be on existing species when these roaming species spread into their habitat?  (Image credit: Jerry Kirkhart) 

No, not that kind of alien. Alien species are plants and animals that are foreign to an ecosystem, usually brought by humans whether intentionally or unintentionally. Alien species affect the balance of the ecosystem and can be harmful to the lifestyle of native species. Scotch Broom (pictured) is an example of an alien species in B.C.