The museum is currently closed and will be reopening in the fall of 2010.
New Exhibits to open October 2010
The Idaho Museum of Natural History is working on a suite of new exhibits to showcase our collections in Anthropology, Archaeology, Paleontology, Geology, and all the Natural Sciences. We plan to have a grand opening of the new gallery by mid-October this Fall when the visitor might see an example of the famous Trackways collection of fossil footprints, an exhibit on Traveling the Snake River Plain with beautiful examples of traditional saddles, moccasins, and other artifacts, and a showcase presentation of the Late Ice Age in the region with fossils, plants, and archaeology. These are just a few of our ideas and we will provide more details later this summer. We recognize that many of our supporters have missed the gallery but construction delays and changes in staff have pushed our opening later than expected. We apologize for these unavoidable delays.
Although our gallery is currently closed, IMNH's collections are available by appointment as always to students, faculty, and outside researchers. Please contact the discipline appropriate Collections Manager or the Registrar.
IMNH has a New Director
Anthropology Research Professor and IMNH Anthropology Division Head and Curator Herbert Maschner was named the new Interim Director of the Museum. Herbert Maschner is a internationally recognized researcher specializing in interdisciplinary studies that integrate most of the social, natural, and physical sciences. His 90 publications include 10 books and articles in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, history, ecology, fisheries, geology, fractals, networks, and geographic information systems.
A specialist in the peoples and cultures of Alaska and the Arctic, he has also conducted archaeological research throughout western North America, Europe, and Central America. His research has generated over $7 million in grants to ISU. His current research involves the creation of virtual museums that can be visited on-line by anyone at anytime. He believes that the future of the museum enterprise is public outreach, both in the gallery, and across the internet.
Idaho Geology Outreach Teacher Workshops
The Idaho Museum of Natural History was awarded funding for the IGO Project: Bridging the Natural History Gap for 2009 – 2011 by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The IGO project focuses on 13 school districts including: Bear Lake County District #33, Butte County Joint District #111, Cassia County Joint District #151, Challis Joint District #181, Grace Joint District #148, Mackay Joint District #182, North Gem District #149, Preston Joint District #201, Soda Springs District #150, Salmon District #291, South Lemhi District #292, Oneida County District #351, and Westside Joint District #202.
Idaho’s diverse and rich geologic past makes teaching Earth Science a natural if you know where and how to “see” the geology on the land. The primary goal of the IGO Project is to provide 5th & 8th grade educators with professional development in teaching Earth Science utilizing Idaho’s rich geology and the resources of the Idaho Museum of Natural History and the ISU Department of Geosciences. To spread the word about Idaho's rich geology three teacher workshops are planned during the Summer of 2010.
The IGO Teacher Workshops are being held: July 28 - 29, 2010 Mackay, Idaho; August 3 - 4, 2010, Preston, Idaho; August 10 - 11, 2010 Albion, Idaho. Complete information and a registration form are found in this flyer. For further information, please contact Rebecca A. Thorne - Ferrel at (208) 282-2195 or at thorrebe@isu.edu.
This site is under construction
This site is under construction. Please check back later to see our progress! If needed, you can contact the museum staff through the "Contact Us" page. Thank you for you patience.