The open dioramas of the Life Sciences Gallery treat visitors to a more realistic experience, so that they feel almost as though they are traipsing through the woods, leaving their own footprint in the snow alongside those of the deer and the rabbits.

But how can the displays remain fresh when an overly enthusiastic visitor really does leave a footprint or more likely, a hand print, in the artificial snow? Or how do you remove a gum wrapper from the far reaches of the grasslands exhibit without crushing the fragile plants and insects in the foreground? What about the dust that accumulates on the surface of the beaver pond, ruining the illusion of real water?

After much discussion that involved suggestions of suspending a staff member from a hang-gliding harness, creating special stilts that would leave only nail-sized holes in the sod, and devising a system of trap doors and hidden passages, RSM staff found the answer in the construction of a ‘gang plank’.

Fortunately there is a lot of ingenuity and talent on staff at the RSM. Eventually the gang plank was produced. A very trusting and lightweight staff person agreed to test it and lo and behold, there was success. So, if you’re visiting the galleries and notice an innocent looking person walking the plank, she didn’t do anything wrong . . . she’s working hard to ensure that the dioramas look fresh and realistic every day that the RSM is open.