University of Colorado (University of Colorado Museum of Natural History)

The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History will preserve its collection of more than 320,000 insects (ants, bees, wasps, beetles, and grasshoppers) systematically collected across elevations in the Rocky Mountains. The project includes support for additional staff including undergraduate students who will curate, barcode, and rehouse the specimens with archival materials into new cabinetry, which will prevent the deterioration and loss of these specimens and their associated data. Specimen data will be updated and published in Symbiota, GBIF, and iDigBio online portals for public accessibility. This preservation project advances the museum's research, education, and public-oriented missions, as well as represents a positive synergy between vertebrate and entomology sections.