We’ve got a challenge for you! We’ve looked through our natural history collections and found some very cool specimens. But here’s the twist, we’re only going to show you close-up […]
More Than Just an Intern: the Important Implications of Robust Museum Collections
Our collections can have unimaginable benefits in the coming years, so we must keep detailed and rich records to ensure that any future use is possible.
Reintroducing Smooth Greensnakes
July 25, 2018, was an exciting milestone for our conservation team. We initiated our first reintroduction effort of the threatened smooth greensnakes into a privately owned restoration site, managed by the Barrington-based Citizens for Conservation.
Priority Species Update: A Museum Full of Smooth Greensnakes
We have been surveying for Smooth Greensnakes in sites in Lake, DuPage, Cook, DeKalb, and Grundy Counties. Some sites are part of a long-term population monitoring study and some are previous release sites for headstarted snakes.
Learn About Butterflies Day – the Regal Fritillary
The Judy Istock Butterfly Haven is a great place to learn about all types of exotic butterflies and moths (especially on a cold, snowy day like today!), but what about our native butterflies? Check out this video to all about one of our native species.
Behind the Scenes: The Chicago Academy of Sciences Collection
Ever wish you could get an insider’s look at our Collections facility? In honor of International Museum Day, we’re giving you that chance!
Behind the Scenes: Foundations of a Story
Museum collections are filled with all types of objects – fish in jars, textiles, oil paintings, mammal skins, fossilized plants, historic photographs. These tangible items, the specimens and artifacts, are very cool. But, the really good stuff is something more intangible.
Cataloging the Zoology of Illinois with Robert Kennicott
One hundred seventy-nine years ago today, one of the most important figures in the history of the Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum was born – Robert Kennicott. His work lives on through the Nature Museum, but did you know that even before the birth of the Academy, his work helped naturalists and biologists better understand the zoology of Illinois as a whole?
A Unique View: The Motion Film Cataloguing Project
As part of the Collections Inventory Project, Collections staff with the Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (CAS/PNNM) conducted an inventory and preliminary condition survey of the museum’s motion film collection in 2011.
Bird Collections – Looking Up Close
Bird watching is a popular activity and one where there are few barriers to participation. Both young and old can participate and from any geographic location; you can watch birds in your backyard through kitchen windows or venture out to more wild areas. With this ready access to living birds, what role do bird collections play?
Do you ever wonder how a butterfly gets its colors? Or how turtles hibernate? Do you wonder how birds know where to migrate each year? For over 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has served a unique role in the city of Chicago connecting children of all ages to nature and science through immersive exhibits, fun family events, important conservation research and in-depth education programs, inspiring the wonder in all of us.