As the year wraps up and we head into the holiday season, we invite you to take a look at NSC Alliance’s accomplishments in 2024. We engaged in a number of efforts to elevate the profile of natural history collections with policymakers, researchers, and the general public. A few highlights are presented below:
- Joined AIBS and SPNHC in co-hosting an educational webinar on repatriation, delving into the scope of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), recent updates to NAGPRA regulations, and how it relates to natural history collections.
- Provided joint comments with SPNHC in support of a proposed rule from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to modify the duration of certain Marine Mammal Protection Act permits. The revision makes it possible for NOAA to issue permits for longer than the current 5-year term.
- Provided congressional testimony in support of increased fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Institute of Museum and Library Services, programs that curate natural history collections within the Department of the Interior, and the Smithsonian Institution.
- Urged Duke University leadership to reconsider their decision to close their herbarium; helped garner support for a related petition that received over 20,000 signatures; and published a Viewpoint in BioScience calling for “continued enhancement, not dissolution” of the herbarium and urging transparent decision making.
2024 Year in Review