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.
On March 4, 2025, NSCA joined the American Institute of Biological Sciences and 50 other scientific societies and organizations in sending a letter to congressional leaders urging them to oppose recent executive actions that are harming the U.S. scientific enterprise. “Recent actions have disrupted vital scientific research, impeded scientific meetings and review panels, delayed salary […]
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: Read the full annual […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has finalized a rule change for Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) permits in support of which NSCA and SPNHC jointly submitted comments earlier this year. The revision makes it possible for NOAA to issue permits for longer than the current 5-year term. The joint comments are mentioned and […]
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time / 1:00-2:00 PM Mountain TimeThis webinar will be recorded. Please join us for an information session about repatriation and how it relates to natural history collections, including zoological, botanical, paleontological, and geological collections. Speakers, including National NAGPRA Program Manager Melanie O’Brien and others, will discuss the […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which NSC Alliance is a member, has sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators urging them to fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) at no less than $11.9 billion in the finalized fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. CNSF is an alliance of over 140 professional […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which NSC Alliance is a member, has issued a statement urging House appropriators to strengthen support for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the final fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. CNSF is an alliance of over 140 professional organizations, universities, and businesses that advocates for the […]
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 […]