Smart Collection Update

Published February 2008
Story Source: Christine Tew

The School of Natural Resources' Anheuser Busch Building is home to a group of birds more than 45 years old.

The 287 preserved specimens in the Glen Smart Waterfowl and Upland Game Bird collection represent 238 different species.

Native species from all continents except Antarctica are included.

Updates for the collection began summer 2007, with a new case for a portion of the birds, funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Bass Pro Shops.

"We have such a great collection, and the cases should be equally as nice," said Walter Wehtje, Ph.D, curator for the Glen Smart Collection.

The new cases also created an opportunity for interactive learning for students and visitors.

Touch-screen technology allows people to interact with and learn from the display, Wehtje said. A monitor beside the new case provides photos and history for each specimen.

The new cases are also better for the preserved mounts, he said. "There is better protection. They are better sealed, lighted and the lights have UV filters to prevent the mounts from fading."

Seven additional cases and screens are planned to house the entire collection, but that expansion is dependent on further funding, Wehtje said. The current grant does not provide for the entire project.