Improving Access and Storage for the University of Washington Bird Collections

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the University of Washington Burke Museum under the direction of Dr. S. Rohwer to improve storage and access to the research collection of birds. The grant is specifically targeted at increasing accessibility and upgrading storage conditions for three remarkable collections held by the Burke Museum: 1) the largest collection of avian spread wings in the world, 2) a unique collection of seabird skins and, 3) the 12th largest avian skeleton collection in the world. The collection of 25,000 spread wings at the Burke is unique and has supported several lines of research that would have otherwise been impossible. However, its rapid growth over the past 15 years has led to over-crowded storage conditions, which must be remedied to ensure longevity of the specimens. Similarly, many of the seabird skins and much of the skeleton collection needs re-housing to ensure the long-term safety of the collections. This grant will fund twenty new cases to re-house and expand the wing, seabird skin, and skeleton collections. In addition, many of the older skeleton specimens will be moved to archival quality boxes and re-labeled using computer-generated labels. The latter will require that all of the data from the skeleton collection be digitized and proofed. The digital database now contains about 9,000 skeleton records that were entered from old museum catalogs and ledgers, but have not been proofed to the original specimen labels. Included in the grant are funds to complete the digitization of skeleton specimen data, which will poise the Burke to make all data in the ornithology collection, including genetic resource data, available over the Internet. This will dramatically increase access to the collection for both formal scientific research and informal education at all levels. Additionally, this will prepare the collection for participation in a currently proposed project to geo-reference all avian specimens in North American collections. The broader impact of this grant is multifold, because the community of users is broad. Of greatest importance is the enhanced care of and access to collections that serve a national and international community of researchers, educators, and artists, as well as a vibrant program of undergraduate and advanced training at the University of Washington - one of the world's premier research universities. Because preserved specimens are our sole source of new data about past populations and extinct lineages, projects that improve their long-term care have many potential benefits to society. Examples abound, ranging from discovering that DDT caused eggshell thinning in raptors to documenting lost genetic diversity in the now fragmented eastern populations of Prairie Chickens. Beyond original research, our collections serve a diverse community of users, including state and federal agencies, conservation groups, wildlife artists and sculptors, and a growing program of K-12 educational outreach.