Since its founding in 1923, the HSU Vertebrate Museum has become the largest collection of vertebrate research specimens in the region. In addition to an extensive mammalogy collection, the museums Herpetology collection includes over 6,000 specimens from all over the world. The collection represents one of the largest holdings of Northern Californian reptiles and amphibians in the nation, in addition to specimens from the rest of the US and from international localities like Kenya and Costa Rica. Some of these specimens are skeletal remains, but the vast majority are whole specimens stored in alcohol.

Specimen preservation is always a constant effort in museums, but fluid preserved collections come with specific challenges. The jar lids currently used in the collection are made from an outdated type of plastic that becomes brittle with age and causes the lids to loosen over time, allowing the alcohol within to evaporate, putting the specimens at risk. The enhanced supplies that we will purchase with these funds will ensure that the specimens are well preserved for decades to come.

Collections like this one provide an invaluable resource to scientists and serve as a record of biodiversity. They deserve to be preserved. Having a herpetological collection at HSU gives our students easy access to specimens that can be used to answer a vast variety of scientific questions about reptiles and amphibians.

If 100 people give $50 then we've met our goal! With your donation, you will be supporting not only a precious scientific resource, but also the students and researchers who use the collection for research and education every semester.