People
Peter James Lovisek, CEO and Collections Manager
Peter is a natural history specialist, consultant and entrepreneur with over two decades of trade experience. Following in his parents' footsteps, he began trading fossils and other natural history specimens at a young age (13 years old). Through Fossil Realm, he has sold several thousand specimens, including a number of world class pieces. Peter is also a science communicator, marathon runner and cockapoo "doggy dad." Born in Toronto, he lives in Ottawa with his lovely wife, Helene, and rambunctious son, Jerome.
Exploring the natural world has been a lifelong passion for Peter. Some of his best memories include the numerous family outings to collect fossils or prospect for minerals. His enthusiasm for natural history continued to develop at his parents' summer camp - the Toronto Nature Centre - first as a camper, then as an instructor.
At the University of Toronto, he studied biological psychology and anthropology, yet his academic interests are far-reaching and include evolutionary biology, the philosophy of science and ancient history. Peter also strongly gravitates towards the visual arts - an inclination that greatly influences the objects he selects for the Fossil Realm Collection. With a keen eye for beauty, he always deeply considers an object's form, colour, composition, texture, size, and overall presentation.
Peter is a steadfast supporter of the museum and academic community. Along with his wife, Hélène, he has contributed philanthropically to the Royal Ontario Museum and formerly participated as a member of the Young Patrons' Circle, which supports the museum's varied initiatives. Peter and Hélène are also members of the "naturePatron" family at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.
Sparking a profound interest in the natural world - among young and old - is foundational to Peter's vision for Fossil Realm. He published Fossil Realm Magazine with the intention of promoting careers in the natural sciences. An online publication, it features interviews with researchers in paleontology, geology and related fields. In a similar vein, he developed hands-on workshops for elementary schoolchildren on the history of life on Earth and human evolution. Peter has also donated hundreds of fossil specimens to schools and educational institutions, such as the Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve.
Jim Lovisek, Toronto Nature Centre Co-Founder & Fossil Realm Advisor
Jim's role as scientific advisor and business mentor was indispensable in the early years of Fossil Realm. His enthusiasm for the natural sciences was singular and his eagerness to converse about animals (alive or extinct) was unrivalled.
Jim's professional life was coloured by a wholehearted fascination for the natural world and an adventurous entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to a decades-long involvement in commercial paleontology, he worked as a research scientist (zoologist), educator, nature camp director, and animal trainer/wrangler in the film industry.
After graduating from university in the mid-1970's, Jim ventured to the Amazon jungle to study the region's incredible wildlife firsthand. In Leticia, Colombia his fieldwork concerned the endangered Amazonian manatee. Later, his research focus shifted to the population biology and ecology of Caiman Yacare, a crocodilian in a remote region of the lowlands of Bolivia.
Upon his return from South America, Jim worked at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in the Ichthyology and Herpetology Department (Fish, Reptiles and Amphibians). During his 5 years at the museum, he was involved in many research projects, including a Mayan archaeological dig in Lamanai, Belize, where he analyzed faunal remains.
Educating the public was a high priority for Jim. For 16 years he co-directed the Toronto Nature Centre summer children’s camp with his wife, Liz. During this time he also presented hundreds of hands-on wildlife programs to children and adults across Canada. Without a doubt, "Dinosaurs Alive!" was one of his most popular presentations.