The National Park Service (NPS) is planning for the 10th annual celebration of National Fossil Day, which will take place on October 16, 2019. National Fossil Day is a nationwide celebration that will include paleontology activities planned by partner organizations across the United States. NSC Alliance has once again partnered with the National Park Service to promote the event.

NPS and National Fossil Day partners are sponsoring an art contest as a part of the celebration. The contest theme is “Extinct Giants and Survivors of the Last Ice Age.” For details about participating, go to: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/art-contest-2019.htm

If your institution or organization is planning to host a National Fossil Day event or is interested in joining NPS as a partner, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/index.htm.

The Natural Science Collections Alliance was honored to receive a Special Service Award from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) for its advocacy and lobbying on behalf of museums. The NSC Alliance President Dr. John Bates accepted the award during the annual SPNHC business meeting which was held at The Field Museum of Natural History on May 31, 2019.

The NSC Alliance greatly appreciates this recognition and looks forward to further collaborations with SPNHC in the future.

The Natural Science Collections Alliance has worked collaboratively with its member institutions, SPNHC, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and other scientific organizations to increase the profile of natural history museums, botanic gardens, and other organizations that hold natural science collections. In recent years, NSC Alliance advocacy and outreach has restored funding for federal programs that support collections-related care, research, and education, articulated forward-looking national agendas that leverage the resources of collections, and ensured that orphaned collections are not lost. The NSC Alliance has briefed members of Congress, as well as federal and international program officials.

The NSC Alliance invites all scientific collections to participate in its campaigns by becoming a member.