July 4, 1928 – February 28, 2017
Huber Moore was a BC community scientist and collector originally from Milton, Ontario. His father was a farmer and taught Huber the local birds and plants, sparking his interest in the natural world. Though he had no formal education, he had a keen interest in birds, butterflies, vascular plants, and mosses. In his later years, Huber did not maintain a permanent residence anywhere, but traveled back and forth between Vancouver and the Okanagan seasonally to collect. With limited resources of his own, he relied on public library identification keys to identify the specimens he collected. He dedicated his time to meticulously pressing, mounting, and identifying his finds. He found creative ways to store his collection with the resources he had available, such as rice-a-roni boxes and jam jars. His beautifully preserved specimens can be used to both further scientific research and inspire artists.
Assortment of Huber Moore’s containers for his specimens.
Long time hiking companion of Huber Moore and fellow naturalist, Terry Taylor, describes Huber as collecting anything unknown to him, his curiosity and dedication driving his work. He recalls detailed field notebooks Huber kept about their excursions. Without these notebooks, the collection tells only a partial story about these plants and their collector. With no fixed address and limited resources, it is safe to say this is only a fraction of what he collected over his lifetime and a large portion of his collection has been lost over time.
Notes found within the collection to help make this collection valuable for science.
The container and assortment of specimens within an individual box.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
Contribution to the UBC Herbarium
The collection he donated to the Beaty Museum before his death contains hundreds of vascular plant and moss specimens and one butterfly collected between 1980-2005. Within the collection there are 3 red-listed species and 4 blue listed species. The documentation of species at risk can inform conservation decisions and help prevent species extinctions. The work of community scientists can aid in the expansion of databases and furthering scientific research.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections.
Huber’s collection exhibits the importance of community collectors for science and art. With no formal education in sciences, his work shows that higher education is not necessary to be involved in the scientific community. Our goal is to showcase his unique collection and make it accessible for scientists, artists, and all those who may be inspired by his life’s work.
The invaluable notes from Huber Moore about his collections
To learn more:
Exhibit link:
The Huber Moore Shadowbox
Paper link: (add)