Testimony of George Sparks, President & CEO

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

In support of the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center, S. 1449

Before the Subcommittee on National Parks

Of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

United States Senate

November 8, 2007

**I. Introduction to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science**

Since its founding in 1900, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS)
has been the principal natural history museum between Chicago and Los
Angeles that preserves the rich natural resources and cultural treasures
of the Rocky Mountain Region. The Museum holds and cares for more than a
million archaeological, anthropological, paleontological, zoological and
geological artifacts and archival documentation from the Rocky Mountain
region.

A significant portion of the collections were recovered from public land
managed by the Federal Government, and the Museum has been designated as
the repository for those collections by Federal agencies. Less than two
percent of the collections are currently on exhibit or accessible to the
Museum's audiences. Each year, the Museum attracts a regional audience
of more than 1.3 million visitors. More than 70 million people have
visited the Museum since its opening.

In 1899, pioneer naturalist Edwin Carter sold his comprehensive
collection of Colorado fauna to a group of prominent Colorado citizens
who established the Colorado Museum of Natural History, now doing
business as the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. In addition to the
Carter collection, impressive collections of butterflies, moths, and
crystalline gold formed the nucleus of the Museum, which was established
to encourage and aid the study of natural science. The bird and mammal
collections grew over the decades through expeditions to all parts of
the United States and to every continent except Antarctica, but with a
continued focus on Colorado fauna. In 1915, the Museum conducted its
first fossil collecting expedition in central Colorado. In 1926,
fieldwork at the Folsom archeology site brought international
recognition to the Museum: for the first time in North America, human
artifacts were discovered with extinct bison, thus establishing the
early history of humans on our continent. This discovery later received
recognition as one of the top ten archeological discoveries of the
20^th^ century.

In 1968, the Museum obtained the Crane American Indian Collection, one
of the premiere private collections documenting Native American culture
from the 1800s into the first half of the 20^th^ century. Geology
collections continually expanded, and today include the world's largest
collection of Colorado minerals and gold. The Museum displays the best
non-gem mineral specimen in the world, the "Alma King" rhodochrosite
specimen from Colorado's Sweet Home Mine. In 2006, the Museum received
the best known aquamarine specimen from North America, discovered only a
few years ago on Mount Antero, Colorado. Each year, the Museum's
wide-ranging scientific research expeditions, continue to add
significantly to the collections with new acquisitions of archeological,
anthropological, paleontological, zoological, and geological artifacts
and archival documentation. And each year, the Museum serves as a
repository for more and more collections held on behalf of federal
agencies.

Object-based collections provide the fundamental infrastructure for
contemporary and future scientific advancements, and they are the
touchstone of the museum experience. They are the essence of
exhibitions, the visual texts of learning in the museum setting. A
museum's artifacts invite discovery and exploration and investigation.
They fill in the scholar's gaps in understanding, and they entice young
learners to look more closely and ask more questions. Objects ground us
in the real world. Learning from real objects motivates us to be more
careful guardians of our heritage. Safeguarding collections for the
future is critical and is the cornerstone of best practices in the
museum community. Collections connect people to culture, art, science,
and history, making them critical resources for a nation of learners.

The Denver Museum's collections document the natural history,
biodiversity, and cultures of the Rocky Mountain Region and include
comparative collections from other parts of the United States and the
world. The Museum's collections evoke local, national, and international
interest as they represent much of what fascinates people about the
American West---from the spectacular geology of the Rocky Mountains to
the amazing dinosaur fossils and unique wildlife to indigenous
prehistoric and historic peoples, such as the Plains and Southwestern
Native American tribes. Together, the Museum's collections, library, and
archives provide the foundation for understanding the science and
natural and cultural history of the region and serve as the primary
resource for informal science education to Colorado schools and
families. Through its collecting efforts, the Museum promotes
opportunities for the public to analyze, interpret, and evaluate issues
focused on stewardship of our natural resources and the improvement of
human and planetary wellness.

**II. U.S. Collections are at Risk**

Housed in 49 different locations around the Museum, collections are at
risk due to crowding, lack of environmental controls, lack of adequate
modern fire suppression systems, and substandard security systems. This
inefficient storage arrangement results in limited access by visitors,
school students, and scientists to collections, and it limits the
ability of the Museum to grow these important collections. Current
storage conditions jeopardize the long-term care and preservation of
collections. Increasingly, federal agencies are evaluating the
conditions in repositories caring for federal collections against
current standards in the museum community for the preservation of
collections.

Only a fraction, less than 2 percent, of the collections are available
to the general public through exhibits and educational programs. Online
access to collections, organized primarily for the Museum's research
audience, is minimal. The public has high interest in using and seeing
the collections and learning about the Museum's behind-the-scenes
activities both through visits to the Museum and through online
learning.

**III. Solution: The Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center**

Beginning in 2005, the Museum's Board of Trustees initiated the
processes of strategic planning, master facility planning, and gathering
information from museums that have taken a leadership role in
demonstrating best practices in collections storage and public access.
From this work, they established the strategic intent of the Museum to
become the world's best regional nature and science museum, with the
primary focus on the Rocky Mountain Region, and the critical need for an
on-site, secure collections facility that achieves current museum
standards for collections storage and associated functions discussed
below. The Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center (RMSCC) will be a
central part of establishing this level of excellence for Colorado.

**Collections Storage Areas:** A stable, secure, safe environment is
essential to continuous preservation of the collections. Improper
temperature, humidity, light, and air-quality systems and poor security
result in deterioration of the collections and potential loss.
Collections storage spaces will be consolidated from their 49 current
spaces into a single location that also contains associated functions
such as preparatory labs and processing areas. Compactor storage
systems, the most efficient available, will house the archeological,
anthropological, paleontological, zoological, and geological artifacts
and archival documentation. The entire facility will be designed to
minimize risks to long-term preservation through modern security, proper
storage equipment, and stable environmental controls.

The facilities will be designed to allow the public to tour behind the
scenes with Museum professional staff. The public and school audiences
will be able to view secure collection spaces and get first-hand
experiences with the breadth of the collections. Visitors will be
exposed to collections and scientific research activities to increase
interest in science and critical thinking skills and provide greater
opportunities for families to learn about and appreciate the world
around them.

Secure, culturally sensitive areas will be constructed for the storage
and private viewing of sacred cultural collections. Particular attention
will be paid to the security of extinct and endangered organisms and
high valued collections objects through security zones and vault
systems.

**Collections Processing Spaces:** In addition to the collections
storage areas, the Museum will design and build collections processing
spaces for the preparation, documentation, and cataloging of the
collections. These areas will be equipped with special equipment, such
as fume hoods, microscopes, dissection tables, and freezer units, to
facilitate the efficient processing of collections.

**Research Laboratories:** Well-equipped laboratories for scientific
analysis of the collections will be built. These laboratories will
include research and collections work areas for staff, volunteers, and
researchers. Viewing windows into the laboratories and related public
programs will be designed to highlight use of the collections in
research work conducted by the Museum. Scientific equipment, such as
light and electron microscopes with digital viewing screens, digital GIS
and imaging stations, specialized freezers, and wet-lab equipment, are
needed to modernize the Museum's research facilities and to showcase
modern scientific methods and techniques to our visitors. Computer
workstations will be associated with the laboratories for staff and
visitors to increase access to in-depth information on the collections
and new developments in science.

**Conservation Laboratory:** Caring for and maintaining collections is
critical work to assure that the Museum's treasures survive into the
future. The Museum uses a preventative conservation approach for the
care of its collections, ranging from providing the proper environmental
conditions in storage areas to selecting inert supplies and materials
used for treatment. A new modern conservation laboratory will include
microscopes, a freezer, a fume hood, vacuum chambers, equipment for
materials testing, safety equipment, a water distillation unit, and
other major pieces of equipment. This new lab will raise our collections
preservation standards to meet best practices and provide the public
with knowledge of steps they can take to preserve their own treasures.

**Library** **Facility:** The Museum's library is a specialized science
information center with more than 40,000 cataloged volumes, including
2,500 rare books, more than 9,000 scientific journals, and a section of
children's publications. The collection focuses on the intermountain
west in the Museum's scientific areas. The Museum's library is dispersed
in 12 different areas on three floors of the building, preventing
efficient access to the collections by researchers and museum visitors.
Its main browsing room is also located in an area that is very difficult
to find. The library has limited work space, and handicapped
accessibility is a problem. New library facilities will be more
conveniently located and will include a new circulation desk that is
handicap accessible, computer workstations for research and access to
the Museum's library and collections catalog, media work stations to
view DVDs, reading and study areas, a conference room, a collections
processing area, and a centralized room with a compactor storage system.

**Online Resources:** Our technology plans for the RMSCC will enable
students of all ages to access the Museum's unique collections and
provide in-depth information and research resources on natural history
and science topics. Enhancing the Museum's information technology
infrastructure will support broad and varied content, a commitment to
physical and intellectual access, and a delivery system that can support
urban, suburban, and rural needs. Improving the collections information
online will require modifications of the existing database and the
development of new software and new hardware that will be tested for its
effectiveness with audiences. Data available through different security
levels will include images of objects, object identifications and data,
and links to additional background information.

**IV. Benefits of the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center**

The Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center (RMSCC) will establish a
level of excellence in Colorado as a state-of-the-art collection
facility with proper security, emergency preparedness, and preservation
controls while improving public access to collections. This facility
will improve the storage and security of current collections and provide
for future growth by consolidating collections and associated functions.
Onsite collections facilities, offsite programs, and new exhibits will
be tied together through electronic and other media design to ensure
maximum utilization of the significant collections of the Museum.

The RMSCC will engender a strong network of collaborations with
educational and community organizations and federal and state agencies
to support an appreciation for the rich natural and cultural resources
of the state and region. This Center will provide a basis for people of
all ages to be involved in the science used to reveal the wonders of our
state. The RMSCC will use collections, interpretive exhibition, and
electronic media to showcase the rich heritage, natural resources, and
cultural history of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.

Museum collections are significant to our primary constituents**:**
families, school groups, tourists, and researchers. The collections
complement school curricula and serve as a primary resource for informal
science education to Colorado school audiences. More than 370,000
children each year have the opportunity to learn about Colorado through
the collections and exhibits. Currently more than 125,000 children also
participate in outreach science visits to their schools and community
centers in every Colorado county and in surrounding states. Outreach to
rural areas and lower-income communities where travel to the Museum may
be difficult or financially prohibitive reduces geographic, demographic,
and economic barriers to science education for many Coloradans. Each
year, scientists and artists from around the world use the Museum's
collections for their work.

Situated adjacent to the Museum, the RMSCC will significantly improve
storage, security, and environmental conditions of the collections in
order to optimize space utilization, to ensure the long-term
preservation of the collections, and to improve public access to the
collections. When collections are relocated to the RMSCC, prime areas in
the Museum will be available for new, cutting edge exhibits. In addition
to these new exhibits, the Museum will be in the position to provide
better access to the collections by inviting the public into what are
traditionally behind the scenes areas, by integrating research
activities and science literacy efforts, and by expanding educational
programs to reach new and underserved audiences. Emergency response and
salvage plans that ensure long-term preservation will be more easily and
effectively executed in the RMSCC. Measures taken to improve storage
conditions of collections are in most cases, the same measures that will
increase access to collections.

The Museum is a world leader in creating opportunities that allow the
general public and volunteers to participate in authentic scientific
research. In 2006, 1,680 Museum volunteers devoted more than 200,000
hours to promoting science learning and interpretation to Museum
visitors and the general public. Over the past 20 years, the Museum's
amateur scientists have had more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific
papers published and presented at professional scientific meetings. DMNS
leads the world in amateur participation in science among natural
history museums. Accessible collections and research labs with the
appropriate equipment will allow the Museum to build for the benefit of
the public on this success.

Today, current science and technology education is even more critical in
our rapidly changing world. The RMSCC will provide a basis for people of
all ages to be involved in the science used to reveal the wonders of
Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. It will ensure adequate care for
current and future collections for several decades to come.