Coyotes, raccoons and bears, oh my.
That doctored quote from the Wizard of Oz describes the experience of many Tri-City residents who live beside green belts and regularly see wildlife in their neighbourhood.
And now, Port Coquitlam Heritage and Cultural Society, which operates the city's museum, is looking for photos and videos that capture urban wildlife for a new natural history exhibit.
Steve Smith, who is organizing the 2016 Carol Hubbard Memorial Natural History Exhibit, said the idea is to reveal the different ways wildlife has adapted to human habitation.
"Overall, it's not a good news story for the animals. We don't want to focus too much on the negative aspect. We want to strike a balance: What has been the impact and what animals have seemingly benefited?" said Smith, a photographer, noting that coyotes, for example, were unheard of in PoCo until the arrival of farms and agriculture.
The name of the exhibit, to open in September, is "(Un)Natural Selection: Adapting to an Urban Environment."
"It's a play on [Charles] Darwin but instead of natural selection, it's overall looking at the impact of urbanization on wildlife in the area," Smith explained, and he encourages people to think beyond bears to all the other animals that have adapted to the suburbs.
He hopes to see a wide selection of images with volunteers choosing the best to be included in the exhibit.
The deadline for images or short videos is Friday, Aug. 5. For more details on image specs and the process for submission, visit www.pocoheritage.org, email [email protected] for the poster or call 604-927-8403.
