This was the Expo 67 official symbol. It was given as a gift from the United States for the World Fair as it was going to be in the US's pavillion. After a fire burned its outer cover in 1976, the city of Montreal banned visitors from the site. However, on November 14, 1994 the Biosphere's new role was announced. It was the country’s first museum on the subject of water, and was dedicated to the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence ecosystem.