Natural Science Collections Alliance
Our members are part of an international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums, universities and other institutions that house natural science collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and informal science education, and outreach activities.
NSC Alliance joined more than 1,100 local, state, and national organizations in sending a letter calling on Congress to reject arbitrary funding levels for non-defense discretionary appropriations, and instead fully appropriate the necessary funds to keep pace with rising costs and keep poison pill policy riders out of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending package. […]
The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the U.S. Culture Collection Network, has published a new Special Report in the journal BioScience providing guidance on implementing a specimen management plan requirement for research proposals that involve collecting or generating specimens. This requirement, which was first proposed in the National Academies report on biological collections […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA) and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History (SPNHC) have submitted joint comments on a proposed rule to modify the duration of certain permits and letters of confirmation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). “We support the changes in permit terms proposed by the National Marine Fisheries […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance is pleased to announce that we are once again joining with the American Institute of Biological Sciences to sponsor the 15th annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative is an opportunity for scientists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase […]
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) now hosts five key reports from the natural history museum community that were published in the 1970s and 1980s by the Association of Systematics Collections (now called Natural Science Collections Alliance). The series of key reports elaborate on the status of collections and their human resources, and describe plans for […]
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has selected Doug Jones, Director of the Florida Museum of Natural History and NSC Alliance Board member, as this year’s recipient of its award for distinguished service to museums. The award is considered to be the “most prestigious in the museum profession” and recognizes individuals who have made significant […]
The NSC Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding for programs that curate natural history collections within the Department of the Interior and Smithsonian Institution. “Scientific collections, and the collections professionals and scientists who make, care for, and study these resources, are a vital component […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, requesting Congress to provide the National Science Foundation with at least $11.9 billion in FY 2025. The testimony highlights the importance and role of natural history collections in improving public health, agricultural productivity, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and American […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has provided testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “The IMLS is the primary federal agency that supports public education programs at museums and an important source of funding for preserving scientific collections. Investments […]
Several members of the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA) Board of Directors, led by Barbara Thiers, Director Emerita at the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden, have authored a Viewpoint article for BioScience calling for “continued enhancement, not dissolution” of the Duke Herbarium. The article reads, in part: “We urge […]