Welcome

  Thank you for visiting the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens.

  My brothers, Jim and Jack, and I, and our families are pleased to have built and equipped this building and created the botanical gardens in memory of our parents, Kenneth Colin Irving and Harriet Lila Irving.  We are proud of them.

  We are pleased to be a part of Acadia University.  We hope you enjoy your visit and will come back often.

  Yours sincerely,

    Arthur Irving

The Big Picture:

  The K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre is a centre of excellence for the study of the natural environment, concentrating on the ecology of the native flora of the Acadia Forest Region, which includes all of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick plus parts of Quebec, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts.

  The Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens occupy more than six acres, and are home to nine native habitats from the Acadia Forest Region.  The Gardens feature a large collection of native plants, including rare and endangered species, which are displayed on site in their naturally occurring plant associations.

The K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre contains state-of-the-art research laboratories, greenhouses, a conservatory, and controlled environmental facilities.  A fully accessible, completely wired, 124-seat auditorium, a library and video conference centre, classrooms, lecture rooms, as well as meeting and conference rooms, also occupy these three floors.  The Garden Room is a special meeting and gathering place designed for both people and plants.

  The K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens were designed and built to be a place where nature, research, and technology come together in a peaceful and productive environment.

This magnificent gift includes:

• world-class research facilities
• six-acre native botanical garden
• gene bank of Atlantic Region (Acadian Forest) flora
• conservatory with work and display greenhouses
• 6 state-of-the-art phytotrons (green-house growth chambers)
• 3 wetland mesocosm benches (fresh-water or saltwater)
• 200,000+ specimen herbarium in compacting shelves
• the latest technological platforms
  meeting facilities
• teaching facilities
• video-conferencing and conference facilities