Office of Biodiversity Programs 



December 1994 saw the publication ot "The National 

 Biodiversity Infotmation Center: A Consensus Paper Prepared 

 by the National Biodiversity Information Center Advisory 

 Planning Board." 



A major symposium, "Measuring and Monitoring Forest 

 Biodiversity: The International Network of Biodiversity 

 Plots" was held at the Smithsonian in May 1995. 



In 1995, a number of courses were organized by the Office 

 of Biodiversity Programs, among these "Ecology of Amazon- 

 ian Rain Forests;" "Museum Techniques in Botany;" and a 

 workshop devoted to an initial survey of Pelican Cays in 

 Belize. 



The Office began the establishment ot surveys and inven- 

 tor)' programs in Burma, China, and Cuba. 



Dr. George Zug from the Division of Reptiles and Amphib- 

 ians, with a colleague, Dr. Robert Reynolds, NBS, taught at 

 the Department of the Interior Wildlife Inspector Basic Train- 

 ing Program for newly appointed Wildlife Inspectors with 

 the Division of Law Enforcement. 



Museum Exhibits in 1995 



Special exhibits were a highlight of 1995 at the Museum. "Spi- 

 ders!" completed it successful debut at the Museum in Janu- 

 ary and began a North American tour that will continue until 

 1998. In April, "Ocean Planet" opened with the generous sup- 

 port of Times Mirror Magazines, the National Science Founda- 

 tion, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Motor Co, and 

 Motorola. A new permanent exhibition, "Exploring Marine 

 Ecosystems," opened in May, followed by the traveling show 

 "Royal Tombs of Sipan" in June. Later in the year, the 

 Museum's first outdoor exhibition — a butterfly garden began 

 attracting butterflies. 



"Ocean Planet" — This exhibition, organized by the SI Of- 

 fice of Environmental Awareness, opened to the public on 

 April 22nd and continued through January I, 1996. At that 

 time it began national circulation by the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition was pro- 

 duced with the intention of promoting celebration, 

 understanding, and conservation of the world's oceans. In as- 

 sociation with the show, Times Mirror Magazines, Inc., devel- 

 oped a CD-ROM titled "Ocean Planet Explorer" for children. 

 The Discovery Channel also produced a CD-ROM for general 

 audiences. 



Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- 

 tration helped develop an on-line version of the exhibition, 

 which became available in May over the Internet. Because of 

 these and other partnerships, "Ocean Planet" is considered the 

 most widely distributed exhibition and education effort cre- 

 ated by the Smithsonian to date. 



"Exploring Marine Ecosystems" — Upon its opening on 

 May 19th, "Exploring Marine Ecosystems," a completely reno- 

 vated exhibition, will introduce visitors of all ages to the com- 

 plexity and importance of natural ecosystems. The exhibition 



features living models of two of the many ecosystems con- 

 tained within the Earth's oceans: a tropical coral reef and a 

 temperate rocky shore. A life-sized blue whale in her entirety 

 is also on display as a permanent feature. 



"The Royal Tombs of Sipan" — This special exhibition 

 was organized by the Fowler Museum of Cultural 

 History at the University of California at Los Angeles and 

 Bruning Archaeological Museum under the auspices of the 

 National Institute of Culture, Peru. It opened to the pub- 

 lic on June 2, revealing the riches excavated from the 1,700- 

 year old burials in a Moche pyramid in Peru. Displaying 

 more than 100 artifacts in gold, silver, and other precious 

 materials, the exhibition introduced visitors to the Moche's 

 remarkable jewelry, weaponry, regalia, and sacred ceremo- 

 nies. The exhibition closed September 4, 1995 and returned 

 to Peru. 



Smithsonian Butterfly Garden — The Museum's first out- 

 door exhibition is located on the Ninth Street side of the Nat- 

 ural History Building. Four distinct habitats — wetland, 

 meadow, woods' edge, and urban garden — encourage visitors 

 to observe the partnerships between plants and butterflies. 

 The garden is a joint venture of the Horticulture Services Di- 

 vision and the Museum, with partial funding from the 

 Smithsonian Women's Committee. The garden, on view at all 

 times, serves as a valuable complement to the O. Orkin Insect 

 Zoo on the second floor of the Museum. 



"Seminole Interpretations" is an expanded exhibit on the 

 Seminole Tribe of Florida on view in the Native American 

 halls. Additions to the previously existing display include a 

 two-sided kiosk presenting Seminole culture in the 1990s. 

 The Museum also collaborated with the Seminole's Ah-Tha- 

 Thi-Ki Museum in Florida to develop an interactive com- 

 puter program from which visitors can learn about facets of 

 tribal life such as crafts, language and architecture. 



Education, Public Programs, and Outreach 



The National Museum of Natural History, in association with 

 the National Zoological Park, NASA's John C. Stennis Space 

 Center, and Mississippi State University have agreed to work 

 together to create a multimedia information system to give 

 teachers and students greater access to the vast scientific edu- 

 cational resources of the Smithsonian and the NMNH in par- 

 ticular. The initiative will focus on teaching, research, and 

 technology, with an emphasis on inquiry-based classroom re- 

 search and interactive multimedia designed in accordance 

 with the ongoing research within the participating organiza- 

 tions. Referred to as the "Natural Partners Program," this 

 project expects to encourage, as one of its many goals, respon- 

 sible decision-making about the conservation and the use of fi- 

 nite natural resources, while presenting NMNH scientists 

 and their research in relevant ways to encourage students to 

 become future scientists. 



The Museum's premier program for national and inter- 

 national undergraduates, the Research Training Program 

 (RTP), had another successful year. Since its inception in 



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