ALBANY, NY – The winter issue of Historical Archaeology features an article, co-authored by several local archaeologists, on the health conditions of past Albanians, representing the largest available database for the study of parasitic infection in colonial-era American cities.

Much of the data in the journal article, published in late December, was gathered during the large-scale archaeological excavations in downtown Albany over the past 10 years, for projects such as the DEC headquarters building on Broadway, the SUNY headquarters parking garage on Maiden Lane, the Quackenbush Square parking garage on Orange Street and the Pearl Street Reconstruction Project, among others.

The lead author of the paper, Dr. Charles “Chuck” L. Fisher, the State Museum’s former curator of historic archaeology, passed away in February 2007. Before his untimely death, Dr. Fisher worked to mount the current exhibition at the Museum featuring the artifacts collected from many of the downtown Albany excavations -- Beneath the City: An Archaeological Perspective of Albany. The exhibition gallery was subsequently named The Charles L. Fisher Gallery.

The Journal article -- Privies and Parasites: The Archaeology of Health Conditions in Albany, New York -- was co-authored by Dr. Karl Reinhard of the University of Nebraska, and Matthew Kirk and Justin DiVirgilio of the local archaeological firm Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.

The article cites microscopic evidence of parasite eggs in various archaeological deposits, indicating widespread, endemic disease in Albany’s population, from as early as the 1640s to the 1880s. High numbers of parasite eggs were noted in the late 18thcentury as the city’s population expanded, but the availability of clean drinking water, adequate sewage systems, and efficacy of modern medicines lagged. As time went on, the government equipped the city with facilities to provide for clean water and proper sewage. As a result, the number of parasite eggs in archaeological deposits decreased, despite rapid population expansion. Although not a major health threat in and of themselves, the wormy parasites indicated in the archaeological record suggest that other, more serious, fecal-borne diseases persistently plagued city residents into the 20thcentury. These included E-Coli, Salmonella and Cholera.

Historical Archaeology is the scholarly journal of The Society for Historical Archaeology. Additional information is available at www.sha.org.

Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. is New York State’s largest privately-owned archaeological firm, providing a full range of archaeological services for all phases of cultural resource management. Over the past 30 years, Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. has completed over 5,000 cultural resource studies throughout New York State and New England -- a recognized leader in the field with offices in New York City, Rensselaer, N.Y., Albany, N.Y. and Putney, Vt.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

In conjunction with the observance of Archaeology Month in October, the New York State Museum has issued a new publication - People, Places and Material Things: Historical Archaeology of Albany, New York.

The Museum also is presenting a series of archaeology-related lectures this month, with the next two on excavations conducted by museum archaeologists, including one on October 15th on the "Albany Almshouse Cemetery Excavations: One Year Later." They are part of "The Museum Series" and are held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

People, Places and Material Things is edited by Charles L. Fisher, the director of the Museum's Cultural Resources Program, and includes chapters written by Fisher and others locally prominent in the archaeology field. Fisher notes that the last decade has been a period of archaeological activity in Albany unlike any other in the city's history, in terms of the size and quantity of investigations that were completed. This publication presents some of the results of recent archaeological excavations in Albany to archaeologists and others with an interest in the material remains of this city's past.

The initial chapters provide a brief overview of the history of Albany relevant to archaeological studies and a history of archaeology in Albany. As the oldest continually inhabited European community in the original 13 colonies, Albany is an excellent subject for historical archaeology. The first permanent settlement was established in 1614 on Castle Island and continuous settlement began in 1624 with the establishment of Fort Orange. By the 1650s, the major streets of what was then the town of Beverwyck - Broadway, State and Pearl streets - were laid out to the north of Fort Orange and surrounded by a palisade.

Succeeding chapters in the book relate to daily life in the past: people, places, and material things. The book points out the importance of archaeology to modern scholars who are aware of the need to consider every available source of information in their efforts to develop a detailed picture of individuals' daily lives -- how they interacted with others and how they constructed the world around them. Archaeological evidence has continually revealed in new ways that early Albany was a multicultural community. The subjects of archaeological studies featured in the book include the illegal traders outside Fort Orange in the 17th century, the persecuted religious minority, the cottage industrialists who made wampum, soldiers of the colonial wars, servants, and a middle-class lawyer. Although historic documents have provided names for some of these individuals, other information on their daily lives must come through archaeological exploration, says Fisher.

The material things that were created, used, exchanged, and discarded by the people of Albany, at specific places, are the primary sources of these archaeological studies. Places in the landscape of historic Albany may be considered as larger material objects created for a variety of reasons. Gardens, yards, cemeteries, military structures, pottery dumps, and the development of the waterfront have come to light through archaeological investigations, which provide new perspectives on daily life and the way that the urban environment was created and then shaped people's lives.

The final section of the book includes chapters concerned with Battles and Breakthroughs or challenges that archaeologists in Albany have faced in the process of investigating this city.

People, Places and Material Things: Historical Archaeology of Albany, New York is available for purchase for $29.95, plus $4 shipping and tax for New York State residents. Credit cards can be accepted via phone or fax. Contact Brad Seymour, Publications Sales, New York State Museum, 3140 CEC, Albany, NY 12230, 518-402-5344, fax 518-474-2033, nysmpub@mail.nysed.gov. The book also will be available at the Museum Series lectures on Oct. 15th and 22nd.

The State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

ALBANY – The New York State Museum will host free lectures in March on historical archaeology and African-American history and also offer an encore presentation of two popular lectures on “Global Warming” and “Peak Oil.”
State Museum Geologist Dr.Taury Smith, curator of oil and gas, will present “Global Warming – What Can Be Done to Stop It” on Thursday, March 1 at noon in the Carole F. Huxley Theater. Most scientists agree that the earth is warming and that the burning of fossil fuels has been a major contributor to that warming. Smith will review the possible consequences of further warming and what needs to be done to slow or stop it, including significantly reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
On Thursday, March 8 at noon in the Huxley Theater, Smith will present a lecture on “Peak Oil.” Several recent studies suggest that world oil production will peak in the near future and start to decline, possibly leading to a worldwide economic catastrophe. Smith will discuss the past, present and future of oil production, the concept of peak oil and the issues surrounding this controversial topic.
Jennifer Lemak, an African-American historian and curator at the State Museum, will present a lecture on “The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey” on Tuesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. in the Huxley Theater. Lemak will also provide an artifact tour on Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Artifacts from Black Capital: Harlem in the 20s will be featured.
The other lectures are part of the March Museum Series and will be held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Huxley Theater.
The schedule is:
• “Shoes, Wheels and Tools -- a Blacksmith's Business in St Lawrence County” on March 7, presented by Martin Pickands, Cultural Resources Survey Program archaeologist. Pickands will describe excavations on the site of the Parishville Center blacksmith and wagon shops that highlight the self-sufficiency of this remote farming community in the early 1800s. 
• “The Rhodes Site: At home on the D&H Canal” on March 14, presented by Scott Cardinal, Cultural Resources Survey Program archaeologist. He will describe his 2004 investigations of a mid-19th century household adjacent to the Delaware & Hudson Canal National Historic Landmark in Orange County.
• “Before Albany: An Introduction” on March 21, presented by archaeologist and author James Bradley. He will highlight some of the findings presented in his new book “Before Albany: An Archaeology of Native-Dutch Relations in the Capital Region, 1600-1664.” Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing. 
• “Archaeological Research at Fort La Presentation, Ogdensburg, New York” on March 28, presented by Cultural Resources Survey Program archaeologist Aaron Gore and Museum geologist Andrew Kozlowski. They will highlight ongoing historic and archaeological field research at Fort La Presentation, a French fort and mission established in 1749, and evacuated in 1760. The location was subsequently used as a fort by the British (1760 to 1796) and the United States during the War of 1812. 
The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.
# # #

"Holy Ground: The Jewish and Spiritual Songs of Woody Guthrie featuring Arlo Guthrie and The Klezmatics" will be presented live on stage at the New York State Museum's Clark Auditorium on Saturday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. The performance precedes a nationwide tour of "Holy Ground" and kicks off the Museum's campaign to upgrade its Bitter Hope exhibition that chronicles the experiences of 982 Jewish refugees - the only refugees that escaped the Nazis and came to the United States during World War II.

Holy Ground features the recently discovered words of Woody Guthrie set to music by son Arlo Guthrie and The Klezmatics. "Dust-Bowl Balladeer" Woody Guthrie's lyrics were deeply inspired by his mother-in-law, outspoken Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. His passion for Jewish spirituality was the topic of much of his writing. He loved to delve into the connections that bound different peoples, races, religions and cultures. "Holy Ground" continues to investigate disparate religious and spiritual worlds, always with Guthrie's keen insight and good humor and explores everything from Hanukkah to the Holocaust or, as Woody Guthrie said it, "from the sweet to the sour."

Special guest vocalist Susan McKeown of Dublin, Ireland will join the Klezmatics on stage. Also performing with Arlo Guthrie will be his son, Abe, providing supporting vocals and playing keyboard and string virtuoso, Gordon Titcomb, playing banjo, guitar and mandolin. The Klezmatics are a six-piece group featuring Lorin Sklamberg (vocals, accordion, keyboards, guitar), Frank London (trumpet, vocals, keyboards), Lisa Gutkin (violin, vocals), Matt Darriau (winds), Paul Morrisset (bass, vocals, violin, brass) and David Licht (drums, percussion, vocals).

Since their founding in New York City's East Village in 1986, the Klezmatics have celebrated the ecstatic nature of Yiddish music with works which are, by turns, wild, spiritual, provocative, reflective and danceable. The Klezmatics appeared with Itzhak Perlman on his Emmy Award-winning PBS special "Great Performances: In the Fiddler's House." They also have appeared on "Late Night with David Letterman," "CBS Nightwatch," and are regular guests on NPR's "New Sounds Live"," Soundcheck" and "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keilor.

Arlo Guthrie first performed at age 13. His career exploded in 1967 with the release of "Alice's Restaurant." Over the last four decades he has toured throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He plays the piano, six and 12-string guitars, harmonica and a dozen other instruments.

The concert launches the Museum's fundraising effort to update its exhibition - Bitter Hope: From Holocaust to Haven that tells the story of refugees who excaped Nazi death camps and sailed to America. They lived out the war years at Fort Ontario, a decommissioned Army base. Although isolated and without legal status, these refugees lived safely for 18 months. Following the war they became American citizens.

This exhibition has been seen by millions of visitors since opening in the mid 1980s. But high traffic has taken its toll and the exhibition is in serious need of restoration. The Museum's goal is to restore the exhibition by the end of 2005, to update and improve curricular materials for use in the schools and to encourage more educators to use the exhibition in history lessons.

In conjunction with the fundraising effort, concert tickets will be sold at various sponsorship levels and those who buy at the $250 per pair level and above will be invited to a special reception immediately following the performance.

The base ticket price for the concert only is $40 for members, $45 in advance for non-members and $50 at the door. For tickets and further information call (518) 408-1033.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, NY - A Celebration of Armenian Heritage Family Fun Day will be held Saturday, October 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the New York State Museum.

Visitors will be able to:

• create a traditional Armenian paper doll to take home, Bird Hall, 1 to 4 p.m.
• make rubbings of traditional Armenian designs and images, Bird Hall, 1 to 4 p.m.
• watch the Sipan Dance Group performing traditional dances of Armenia, Collections Lobby, 1:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.
• tap to the traditional music of Armenia with members of the Hye Yeraz Band and join in a sing along, Collections Lobby, 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
• listen to stories for all ages by the entrance to the Discovery Place, 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.

Guest storytellers include: Vickie Smith Foston from California, author of "Victoria's Secret: A Conspiracy of Silence"; Laurie Karian of Delmar and Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, pastor of St. Peter's Armenian Apostolic Church of Watervliet.

For more information, call the State Museum's public programs office at 473-7154 or the main information desk at 474-5877.

The New York State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The state museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

The Art of African Women: Empowering Traditions, a major exhibition that presents an unprecedented survey of African artistic traditions passed down from mothers to daughters for centuries, will open Friday, October 8th in the New York State Museum's West Gallery.

The exhibition, which will be at the Museum through February 27th, features more than 140 photographs by internationally acclaimed Namibian-born photojournalist Margaret Courtney-Clarke. The photographs are complemented by dozens of objects - pottery, textiles, beadwork and other decorative arts - some of which have been photographed with their creators.

Captured during her 20-year quest to document traditions in the South, West and North Africa, the images in the exhibition pay homage to the beauty African women have created in their lives despite social, political and economic upheavals. Courtney-Clarke, who was born and raised in Namibia, introduced this body of work in her award-winning books - Ndebele, African Canvas and Imazighen: The Vanishing Traditions of Berber Women. Her books have been translated into French, German, Italian and Dutch and have generated worldwide interest in these vanishing arts.

She also co-authored a series of juvenile books with Maya Angelou in 1994. In 1999 she released Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living, a tribute, comprised of revealing photographs and interviews of the poet laureate and friend.

The exhibition surveys traditional interior and exterior housing design, pottery, weaving and other decorative arts. It includes three components -- an introduction to African women and their art forms, a section exploring the various motifs that appear in their work and a children's component, African Kids, designed to expose young people to traditional art forms and introduce them to the children from the South, West and North.

In recent years, Courtney-Clarke has devoted her time to the Ndebele Foundation, fundraising, building a Cultural Centre for Women and Children in South Africa and teaching the art of African women to the next generation.

A free teacher workshop is offered by the State Museum on Thursday, October 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. The workshop includes an exhibition tour, resource materials and a related art activity. Reservations are required and may be made through the Capital Region Center for Arts in Education at (518) 442-4240.

Also in connection with this exhibition, ICM Artists, LTD will present Sweet Honey in the Rock in Concert Friday, October 29th at 8 p.m. Courtney-Clarke is expected to appear at a pre-concert reception, which begins at 6 p.m., to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. The reception is for Museum members and advance ticket holders for the concert. Further information is available at (518) 408-1033.

Other programs, planned to complement the exhibition, include the African Drum Making Workshop Saturday, November 6th and Saturday, November 13th and the Henna Workshop on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005. To register and obtain additional information on these programs call (518) 473-7154.

The Art of African Women exhibition is organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library. The New York State Museum expresses its gratitude to Capital District Physicians' Health Plan and the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center for their support of this exhibition and associated programming.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Museum will present a PBS documentary December 11 about the Scotia-based New York Air National Guard Airlift Wing’s journey to Greenland with a team of international scientists investigating global warming.

“Arctic Air: A Greenlandic Journey with the 109th” will be shown free-of-charge at 2 p.m. in the Museum’s Huxley Theater. Following the film there will be a question-and-answer session with Amy Manley, the film’s producer and Lt Col Kurt Bedore, a navigator from the 109th Airlift Wing.

The documentary was produced by WCNY, a PBS television station in Syracuse, which traveled alongside American and international teams of scientists as they were transported to Greenland by the 109th Airlift Wing in the summer of 2009.

Flying the United States Air Force's only ski-equipped C-130 Hercules cargo planes, the Wing provides vital support for polar researchers working in the Arctic and Antarctica. “Arctic Air” captures the Wing members' commitment as they face many challenges in a frozen land that is both beautiful and dangerous. The skilled pilots and their crews transport supplies, cargo and staff to and from Greenland in temperatures that threaten to freeze their planes' fuel and hydraulic fluid.

The film shows the camps where American and international teams of scientists seek to unlock mysteries of the past buried deep within the polar ice cap to help provide answers to some of today's most important questions about climate change and global warning. Lack of pollution, unique topography and untouched flows of glacial ice have made the Greenland ice sheet an ideal laboratory for this research. The 109th Airlift Wing missions have made it possible for scientists from around the world to gather the critical data that is now shaping political, environmental and economic policies on climate change.

WCNY is also providing an online teachers’ guide to the documentary with grade-appropriate activities and links to educational resources for classroom and student research use. The suggested activities focus on the topics introduced in the film including scientific Arctic exploration, Arctic aviation, climate control, global warming, life in Greenland, and unique career opportunities for students to explore.

Funding for “Arctic Air: A Greenlandic Journey with the 109th” is provided by CH2M HILL and Lockheed Martin. More information on the documentary and the teachers’ guide is available at www.wcny.org/arcticair. The film is one of a series of programs planned in conjunction with the Museum’s Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century exhibition, open through March 2011. The exhibition is also online on the Museum’s website.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further

information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – During the week of April 8th, New York State Museum geologists will collect sediment cores in the Esopus Valley and its tributary valleys to conduct research relating to climate change and provide a unique educational experience to the Onteora High School Earth Science students.

Students observing the research project will have an opportunity to better understand glaciation, geologic time, rock and mineral identification and how streams and rivers change the landscape.

The research project is funded by the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program, a partnership of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ulster County, the Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It will involve mapping the location and thickness of clay deposits in the Esopus Creek watershed. The clay was deposited in large lakes dammed by glacial ice during the most recent retreat of the continental ice sheet from New York State between 20,000 and 12,000 years ago. During their existence, the glacial lake basins accumulated thick deposits of layered silt and clay that record information about climate change. Geologists hope to extract paleo-climate data from the recovered sediments to help determine the timing of the lakes' existence and the ice retreat.

The second, and more pragmatic reason for locating the clay deposits in Esopus Creek watershed is because Esopus Creek water flows into the Ashokan Reservoir, one of the Catskill water supply reservoirs for New York City’s drinking water. Floods in the Esopus watershed have caused stream bank erosion and landslides that expose these lake clay sources and increase the amount of clay suspended in the water, causing turbidity.

Because of the importance of identifying the distribution of these potential turbidity sources in the Ashokan watershed, experts with the State Geological Survey of the New York State Museum were funded in 2009 and 2010 by the National Cooperative Geological Mapping Program of the

United States Geological Survey. Knowing the location and extent of clay deposits will aid the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program’s proposed management strategies for improving the quality of New York City's drinking water.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

(EDITORS NOTE: Media wishing to cover the high school students working with researchers at the drilling location should contact Joanne Guilmette in advance at (518) 474-8730.)

# # #

ALBANY, NY – Overnight camping will be the theme of the New York State Museum’s next Family Fun Weekend, August 16 and 17.

The Family Fun Weekend takes place from 1- 4 p.m. both days. Activities, which are free of charge, are held in and around Adirondack Hall, on the Museum’s first floor.

Both days, model camp sites will be set up to help children and their families prepare for an overnight trip. Children will be able to make a craft to take home.

On Sunday only, Leave No Trace, a national organization that acquaints young people with the principles of enjoying the outdoors responsibly, will present materials and games. Ted Beblowski, a member of the Museum staff who is the state advocate for Leave No Trace, said lessons include the need to recycle and the many years it can take for materials to decompose when they are disposed of outdoors. He will also use games to illustrate how human interference affects wildlife.

“We want to help people develop ethics around being outside, whether it’s the back country or your own yard,’’ said Beblowski, who leads programs across the state. “The principles of Leave No Trace include helping us to reconnect with wildlife and work with other people.”

Family Fun Weekends offer theme-based family activities on the third weekend of the month.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible.

Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum Web site at http://www/nysm.gov/calendar.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – On July 1, the New York State Museum will present the Emmy award-winning HBO documentary “Baghdad ER,” followed by a reunion and discussion between the producer and the first wounded soldier to appear in the film.

Following the 6:30 p.m. film presentation, producer/director Matthew O’Neill will be reunited with Staff Sgt. Craig Macy from Buffalo, a New York National Guard Soldier who was wounded in Iraq in 2005. Macy will speak about his experiences as a wounded veteran, appearing in the documentary and his continuing membership in the National Guard.

The program is being held in conjunction with the new Museum exhibition “Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century,” open in Exhibition Hall through March 2011.

When it was released in 2006, “Baghdad ER” was the most honored documentary of the year, winning four Emmy Awards for its “unflinching” look at the cost of war. It also won a Peabody Award, the Overseas Press Club Award and the Alfred I. duPont Columbia Award. The groundbreaking documentary chronicles the day-to-day lives of doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers and chaplains in the Army's premier medical facility in the combat zone. O’Neill and producer Jon Alpert were given unprecedented access to the Army’s 86th Combat Support Hospital during a two-month period in 2005.

The film captures the skill, dedication and heroism of military medical professionals as they work to save lives from their trauma center in the middle of war-ravaged Iraq. It also shows the sacrifices endured by America’s wounded warriors. The film is not suitable for children. It includes graphic scenes that are at times disturbing and when the film first came out, the Army was concerned about the emotional impact it might have on troops and military families. Instead, the film became almost required viewing for all members of the military medical community and went on to receive critical acclaim from both inside and outside the U.S. military.

Macy was serving with the National Guard’s 1st Battalion 69th Infantry in Iraq in 2005 when he was struck by a sniper as he was handing out candy to Iraqi children. Thanks to his comrades who rushed to his aid, and the expert medical care he received at the trauma center, Macy survived his ordeal, recovered and returned to duty with the National Guard. He volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 with nearly 1700 New York National Guard troops. While still a member of the National Guard, Macy is now a police officer with the City of Buffalo. He recently became a new father and has named his son after one of the soldiers who pulled him to safety in 2005.

This program is the first in a series of special programs that the State Museum is hosting in conjunction with the “Citizen Soldier” exhibition. The exhibition recounts the history of the New York National Guard and those who carried out its mission through wars and battles, natural disasters and national emergencies. The National Guard is based on a tradition dating back to colonial times in a state that has always been guided by the principle that its defense lies in the hands of its citizenry. Citizen soldiers are everyday people who put their lives on hold to defend, aid and protect their communities and their country.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – On July 1, the New York State Museum will present the Emmy award-winning HBO documentary “Baghdad ER,” followed by a reunion and discussion between the producer and the first wounded soldier to appear in the film.

Following the 6:30 p.m. film presentation, producer/director Matthew O’Neill will be reunited with Staff Sgt. Craig Macy from Buffalo, a New York National Guard Soldier who was wounded in Iraq in 2005. Macy will speak about his experiences as a wounded veteran, appearing in the documentary and his continuing membership in the National Guard.

The program is being held in conjunction with the new Museum exhibition “Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century,” open in Exhibition Hall through March 2011.

When it was released in 2006, “Baghdad ER” was the most honored documentary of the year, winning four Emmy Awards for its “unflinching” look at the cost of war. It also won a Peabody Award, the Overseas Press Club Award and the Alfred I. duPont Columbia Award. The groundbreaking documentary chronicles the day-to-day lives of doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers and chaplains in the Army's premier medical facility in the combat zone. O’Neill and producer Jon Alpert were given unprecedented access to the Army’s 86th Combat Support Hospital during a two-month period in 2005.

The film captures the skill, dedication and heroism of military medical professionals as they work to save lives from their trauma center in the middle of war-ravaged Iraq. It also shows the sacrifices endured by America’s wounded warriors. The film is not suitable for children. It includes graphic scenes that are at times disturbing and when the film first came out, the Army was concerned about the emotional impact it might have on troops and military families. Instead, the film became almost required viewing for all members of the military medical community and went on to receive critical acclaim from both inside and outside the U.S. military.

Macy was serving with the National Guard’s 1st Battalion 69th Infantry in Iraq in 2005 when he was struck by a sniper as he was handing out candy to Iraqi children. Thanks to his comrades who rushed to his aid, and the expert medical care he received at the trauma center, Macy survived his ordeal, recovered and returned to duty with the National Guard. He volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 with nearly 1700 New York National Guard troops. While still a member of the National Guard, Macy is now a police officer with the City of Buffalo. He recently became a new father and has named his son after one of the soldiers who pulled him to safety in 2005.

This program is the first in a series of special programs that the State Museum is hosting in conjunction with the “Citizen Soldier” exhibition. The exhibition recounts the history of the New York National Guard and those who carried out its mission through wars and battles, natural disasters and national emergencies. The National Guard is based on a tradition dating back to colonial times in a state that has always been guided by the principle that its defense lies in the hands of its citizenry. Citizen soldiers are everyday people who put their lives on hold to defend, aid and protect their communities and their country.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, N.Y. – Seeing Ourselves: Masterpieces of American Photography from George Eastman House Collection opens February 12 at the New York State Museum as the next exhibition in the Bank of America Great Art Series.

On view through May 9 in the Museum’s West Gallery, the exhibition is the 22nd installment of the Bank of America Great Art Exhibition and Education Program, which brings art from New York State’s leading art museums and collections to the State Museum.

Seeing Ourselves introduces American audiences to historical and contemporary photographic masterpieces. Proving the power of photography, more than 155 images and artifacts tell the story of America over the last 150 years. Through this specialized photography collection of faces, places, events and actions, many visitors will see themselves. The photographers range from professionals such as Lewis W. Hine, Dorothea Lange, Matthew Brady and many others, to several who are unidentified. The images capture America and Americans in various ages and stages. They depict grandeur and simplicity, joy and anger, beauty and grit. A limited number of brochures on the exhibition will be available at the gallery entrance, made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The exhibition is drawn entirely from the collection of George Eastman House. It is arranged into five sections: “American Masterpieces,” “American Faces,” “America at War,” “America the Beautiful” and “American Families.” Each section addresses key photographic works documenting the American cultural experience.

The “American Masterpieces” section displays photographs that show outstanding artistry, skill or workmanship. They show that American masterpieces cover a broad spectrum of subject, format, and history. Some photographs began as intentional works of art while others began as something else – propaganda, information, aide memoire, or novelty — and only later achieved iconic status. This section will include “The Steerage” by Alfred Stieglitz, “Nautilus” by Edward Weston, and “Yosemite Valley, Summer” by Ansel Adams.

In the “American Faces” section visitors will see photographs of people that have been used to create celebrity, establish identity, and influence our perceptions. Photographers who have captured these American faces include Mathew Brady, Richard Avedon, Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange, Edward Steichen, Mary Ellen Mark, and Gordon Parks.

The “America at War” section reminds visitors that of all the information that photography brings us, little is more pressing than news about war. Since the beginning of photography, images have defined our understanding of conflict. Images will include “A Harvest of Death, Gettysburg” by Timothy O’Sullivan; David Douglas Duncan’s “Combat, Korea”; “Reaching Out, The DMZ” by Larry Burrows; and “Vietnam Memorial, Washington, DC” by Hiroshi Watanabe.

Timeless photographs that exemplify the beauty and power of nature and an expanding America are included in the “America the Beautiful” section. On display will be William Henry Jackson’s “Mt Sopris, from Junction of Rock Creek,” “Refugio Beach” by Ansel Adams, “Dunes” by Edward Weston and “Desertscape, Death Valley” by Marilyn Bridges.

The “American Families” section explores the role photography can play in helping to put our own family experience into context and define “family” for ourselves. Included are “Tenement Penthouse” by Weegee, “Italian Family, Ellis Island” by Lewis Hine, “East Harlem” by Helen Levitt and “The Damm Family in Their Car” by Mary Ellen Mark.

Forty-minute Interpretive Tours of Seeing Ourselves, and an open discussion focusing on several photographs, will be held at 1 and 2 p.m. on February 13-14, 27-28, March 20-21, April 24-25 and May. 8-9.

A podcast is available at http://podcast.eastmanhouse.org/discussing-seeing-ourselves/.

In addition to the George Eastman House, the New York State Museum also expresses its gratitude to Bank of America, the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly for making the Seeing Ourselves exhibition possible. Additional support is provided by the Times Union and CBS6.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

French Painters of Nature: The Barbizon School, Landscapes from The Metropolitan Museum of Art debuts at the New York State Museum on May 22.

Open through August 22 in the Museum's West Gallery, the exhibition is the 4th from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collections and the 12th installment of the Fleet Great Art Series, which brings art from New York City's leading art museums to Albany.

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art is pleased to continue its long-standing tradition of collaboration with the New York State Museum with this presentation of French Painters of Nature," commented David E. McKinney, president of the Metropolitan Museum. "We hope that this exhibition of beautiful 19th-century landscapes from the Metropolitan's extensive collection will bring to art lovers in upstate New York a greater exposure to the works of the Barbizon School and to yet another facet of the Metropolitan's vast holdings."

The exhibition, organized by The Metropolitan, features 70 paintings and works on paper by a group of mid-19th century landscape painters in France known as the Barbizon School. This group was named for its association with the hamlet of Barbizon and the Forest of Fontainebleau, a popular destination for artists and a sanctuary for the growing leisure classes located 35 miles southeast of Paris. This pioneering generation of artists, including Théodore Rousseau, Camille Corot, and Jean-François Millet, turned to their native scenery to commune with nature and record their direct experience. It was a radical departure from the academic tradition of painting that stressed carefully composed historical landscapes and scenes of antiquity. Some artists worked their canvases to a meticulous finish, while others preferred spontaneous brushwork. This dedication to the immediate experience of the outdoors, combined with looser brushwork, led later generations of artists and critics to acknowledge the Barbizon School as the precursor to Impressionism.

Comprised of 42,000 acres of dense woods, meadows, and rocky gorges, the Forest of Fontainebleau offered a varied landscape for artists to explore and interpret according to their interests. The meadows and wide variety of tree specimens were a great attraction for Théodore Rousseau, who spent more time in the Forest than any of his fellow artists, often guiding them to his favorite haunts.

Jean-François Millet moved his family to Fontainebleau to escape a cholera epidemic following the Revolution of 1848. Millet found his subject matter in the woodcutters and farm laborers of country hamlets, painting them with blunt realism and quiet dignity.

One of the most influential French landscape painters of the 19th century, Camille Corot never settled in Fontainebleau, although its rocky outcroppings and majestic trees were depicted in his early paintings.

Charles-François Daubigny, another accomplished painter, worked in the Forest of Fontainebleau in his early years. Daubigny supported many Impressionists in their early years and urged their inclusion in the Salon exhibitions in Paris.

Dita Amory, associate curator of the Robert Lehman collection, curated the Barbizon exhibition. The New York State Museum expresses its gratitude to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fleet Bank, First Lady Libby Pataki, the New York State Senate, and the New York State Assembly. Further information on the Museum is available at (518) 474-5877 or www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY – Two elaborate, beaded traditional Iroquois outfits, completed by hundreds of people

in workshops across the United States and Canada, will be the centerpiece of an exhibition that

opens at the New York State Museum on Nov. 4.

Ska-Ni-Kwat (The Power of the Good Mind): Iroquois Beadwork will feature the

newly made man’s and woman’s outfits, along with dozens of examples of traditional

beadwork. The exhibition, which runs through April 15, 2007 in Exhibition Hall, represents

work ranging from the most inspired to the most commercial.

Iroquois women, and some men, have been using beads for more than 200 years. During the

Victorian era, beaded purses, pin cushions and brooches became highly collectible. The practice

moved further from its roots later, as pieces were made to sell to tourists.

“In the early- and mid-1800s, bead workers were making work based on spiritual

beliefs, using designs from nature,’’ said Sam Thomas, an Iroquois bead worker and

educator who created Ska-Ni-Kwat. “Later on, they were making whatever would sell

for $2 or $3 and they had no real sense of what it meant.’’

For nearly 30 years, Thomas has worked to revive and preserve the Iroquois beading

tradition. Through such efforts, it has recently been recognized as a legitimate art form. A

growing number of artists work in both the older, ornate designs and in contemporary,

simpler styles. Today, the emphasis is on artistic expression, not commerce, said Thomas,

-more-

-2-

a member of the Lower Cayuga Band of the Iroquois Nation, Six Nations of the Grand

River Reserve, in Canada.

In 2002, he and his mother, Lorna Thomas-Hill, used grants from the W.K. Kellogg

Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council to conduct workshops in museums and cultural

centers across the U.S. and Canada, where approximately 2000 participants then used

what they learned to sew beads on two Iroquois outfits. The elaborate garments, which

include leggings, moccasins and capes, resemble what a woman and a man wore during

the post-Colonial era. They are embellished with yokes, cuffs and purses beaded in red,

white and blue. As many as 2000 people of all ages, ethnicities and nationalities put more than

1500 hours into the project, which Thomas says underscores the rich cultural life of Native

Americans in eastern North America.

“We want to show that it is possible for people from different backgrounds to come

together to create something,’’ Thomas said.

Dozens of beaded objects from his collection and the collection of Dolores Elliott, a

consultant to the Iroquois Studies Association, will be displayed along with the outfits.

They will be arranged in themes that address the use of color, common patterns and

themes, traditional items and those made for tourists.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York

StateEducation Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in

Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving,

Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible.

Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518)

474-5877 or visiting the Museum Web site at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – A New York State Museum scientist is part of a team that is the first to use tiny radio transmitters to track bees over long distances in a forested habitat, yielding new insight into the role of bees as pollinators in tropical forest ecosystems.
The bee study conducted by Dr. Roland Kays, the Museum’s curator of mammals, and the other team members, was published in the online journal PLoSONE and is available online. PLoSONE is an interactive open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research. 
Armed with radio antennas, Kays and the other researchers worked at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, to track unique signals from 300 milligram transmitters glued to individual orchid bees. Although transmitters were recently used to track bees in open areas, this is the first time it has been used in forested habitats, which offers additional tracking challenges. The research opens the door to future studies of bees in temperate forests, such as those in New York State.
Bees are important pollinators for plants worldwide. Pollination is critical for plants to make fruits and seeds, including domesticated edible fruits, as well as inedible species that are found in most New York State forested habitats. However, little is known about the movement of bees because they are so small and difficult to track. 
Researchers, sometimes tracking from a helicopter, discovered that the orchid bees traveled surprisingly long distances, zipping through tropical forest and across rivers and lakes as they moved pollen between rare orchids and other flowers that grow miles apart.
People disrupt plant pollination as they disturb and destroy forests,” said David Roubik, senior staff scientist at STRI and co-author on the paper, “Radio-tracking significantly improves our understanding of bees and the plants they pollinate. Now we can track orchid bees to get at the distances and spatial patterns involved—vital details which have completely eluded researchers in the past.” 
The researchers chose 17 iridescent blue-green orchid bees called Exaerete frontalis -- fairly common in the forest. They are larger than New York state honeybees but similar to some of the state’s other large bumble bees. “These bees easily carry a 300 mg radio transmitter glued on their backs,” said Martin Wikelski, co-author of the paper and director of the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology and a STRI research associate. “By following the radio signals, we discovered that male orchid bees spent most of their time in small core areas, but could take off and visit areas farther away. One bee even crossed over the shipping lanes in the Panama Canal, flying at least five kilometres, and returned a few days later.”
In the past, researchers have struggled to determine the distances that bees travel, following individuals marked with paint between baits, or using radar, which doesn’t work when trees are in the way. “Carrying the transmitter might reduce the distance that the bees travel, but even if the flight distances we recorded are the minimum distances that orchid bees fly, they are impressive, long-distance movements,” said Kays, who is also a research associate at STRI. “These data help to explain how orchids these bees visit can be so rare and still get cross- pollinated.”
STRI, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the New York State Museum and the National Geographic Society provided support for the bee study. Other co-authors are affiliated with the University of Arizona, Tucson; Cornell University and EcolSciences, Inc. 
In addition to hand tracking bees, Wikelski, Kays and colleagues have set up the Automated Radio Telemetry System at STRI’s research station on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal. The system is available to interested researchers and is capable of tracking up to 200 different animals, 24 hours a day, at any given time.
A unit of the Smithsonian Institution, STRI furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. More information is available at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

ALBANY – On June 11 the State Museum will unveil a new exhibition, Beneath the City: An Archaeological Perspective of Albany, which shows how archaeological research has led to a more complete understanding of the history and development of one of North America’s oldest European cities. 

Through archaeological research stemming from scientific excavations over the past 40 years, the exhibition connects visitors to the everyday lives of Albany’s past residents. Objects found during excavations beneath the city’s streets, sidewalks, backyards and buildings, will be on display, revealing information about the people who created and used them. Although documents are important historical records, they are most often associated with the literate and wealthy. Beneath the City provides insight into the lives of ordinary people – some very poor—through the things they threw away or left behind.

The exhibition provides lessons about Albany’s past through the exploration of the 17th-century Dutch settlement, an 18th-century rum distillery, late 18th-early 19th-century commercial activities, and the 19th-early 20th century county almshouse. Beneath the City is located in the Charles L. Fisher Gallery, dedicated to the Museum’s former curator of historic archaeology, who planned the exhibition but died in February before he could see it completed. 

The excavations resulted from the development and expansion of Albany. Federal and state laws require archaeological exploration prior to most major construction. 

A timeline in the exhibition traces Albany’s earliest history back to 1614 when a post was established on Castle Island. Continuous settlement began in 1624 with the establishment of Fort Orange, near the present-day junction of Routes 787 and 20. The town of Beverwyck, which grew adjacent to the fort, became Albany after the English peacefully took over the Dutch colony in 1664. As a Dutch settlement among Native Americans and then a Dutch settlement under English rule, Albany is a distinctive American city with a unique heritage. 

One of the most striking elements of the exhibition are two seven-foot diameter fermentation vats that were once part of a rum distillery built in 1758-59 near the Hudson River, just outside the city limits. Archaeologists discovered the vats and other remains of the colonial rum distillery in 2001during excavations at the location of a proposed city parking garage in Quackenbush Square. The two vats, among 21found at the site, were treated at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Conservation Laboratory in Vergennes, Vt., through funds donated by Alan Goldberg and George McNamee. The vats illustrate the story of the rum industry in colonial Albany, which was a vital part of the economy. Rum was an important element of colonial social life and a favorite of soldiers. The distillery was built outside the city limits to avoid a city ordinance that prohibited selling rum to soldiers within the city boundaries. 

Fort Orange, built in 1624, was the most important archaeological discovery in Albany, chronicled in the exhibition. Dr. Paul. R. Huey and a team of archaeologists identified the remains of a moat, stone wall and four houses they uncovered in 1971during excavations prior to the construction of Interstate 787. Before this discovery, scholars did not believe evidence of the fort or other early Albany sites still existed.

Another widely publicized excavation, which led to important new archaeological information, was at the Albany County Almshouse site. Archaeologists excavated the site in 2002 prior to the construction of a medical research facility on New Scotland Avenue. In existence from 1826 until 1926, the Almshouse cared for the very poor who needed temporary public assistance due to injuries, illness, old age or hard luck. Scientists studied the 1,205 individual remains that were excavated, before they were reburied at Albany Rural Cemetery. Facial reconstructions were completed for nine of the burials, restoring features to an urban underclass that was once unseen, and providing a way to tell individual stories of people unknown to history. Some of those reconstructions are on exhibit. 

Another significant excavation was at the Lutheran Church Lot (c. 1670s-1820) on Pearl Street, carried out in 1998. Archaeologists unexpectedly uncovered the remains of several skeletons not removed when an early cemetery was relocated, including that of a woman whose face was reconstructed from a cast of her skull. Now part of this exhibition, it was formerly on display in the Museum lobby. Objects from the site, dating from the late 1600s to the mid-1700s, include a coffin and a delft wall tile depicting a church. 

Artifacts from China were discovered at the site where Stewart Dean’s house and well were once located. Dean was a merchant and Revolutionary War hero. After the war, in 1785, he sailed to China in a ship he built that became the second U.S. vessel to enter the important trading port of Canton. Dean’s waterfront property was excavated in 1999 prior to the construction of the SUNY parking garage off Broadway. Objects uncovered from the well include an extremely rare sandware teapot with a Chinese cartouche and an ivory cricket cage from China, where people often carried crickets for good luck. 
Beneath the City is made possible with major support from The Bender Family Foundation, Alan Goldberg, George McNamee, Hartgen Archeological Associates, the Office of the Governor of New York State, the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

ALBANY – The annual Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum Sunday, May 4 showcasing the work of SUNY’s top student artists from across the state.

The sixth annual exhibition, open through September 1, contains art works from 24 SUNY campuses. It is a juried show featuring more than 60 works of art selected from more than 200 artistic pieces submitted to the SUNY student art exhibition at the State university Plaza this past academic year. The works for the fall 2007 and spring shows were chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s 64 campuses. The traditional areas of drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture are enhanced by the addition of digital imaging and mixed media installations.

Three student artists in the Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition will receive “Best in Show” awards of $1,000. “Honorable Mention” awards of $500 will be given to three other students

The SUNY student art shows were started in 2002 so that the work of SUNY’s most talented student artists would be seen by a wider audience. This will be the third exhibition hosted by the State Museum

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the nation, educating more than 427,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit SUNY.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

# # #

ALBANY – The annual Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition, formerly held at the State University Plaza, will open at the New York State Museum Saturday, May 13.

The student artwork included in this fourth annual exhibition was created using the traditional media of ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture as well as mixed media and digital imagery. This year’s exhibition, open through Sunday, August 6th, contains 61 works of art from 27 SUNY campuses.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with SUNY, one of our fellow University of the State of New York institutions, in showcasing this outstanding art work,” said State Museum Director Dr. Clifford Siegfried. “As the recent state Summit on Education demonstrated, it is collaborations of this kind that strengthen education in New York State and serve to encourage and inspire talented students. This exhibition recognizes their achievements.”

SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan said, “I am pleased that SUNY student artwork will be on display at the museum for the duration of the summer. The fact that the New York State Museum has agreed to host the exhibition this year speaks volumes about the quality of the artwork of our students and the gifted faculty who teach in the arts. The exhibit’s placement in the Museum also ensures that our student artwork will be viewed by an audience almost the size of the State itself.”

SUNY’s System Administration coordinates three SUNY-wide art shows each year. The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition represents the best artwork from the fall and spring student exhibits held over the past academic year at State University Plaza in Albany, as judged by a panel of artists and art educators.

Three student artists in the Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition will receive “Best in Show” awards of $1,000. Three students will receive “Honorable Mention” awards of $500. Judging for these awards is arranged by Richard Schwartz, chairman of the New York State Council of the Arts.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the nation,

-more-

-2-

educating more than 414,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses.To learn

more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Department of Education, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY – The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum Friday, June 3 showcasing the work of SUNY’s top student artists from across the state.

Open through August 6, the exhibition features art works chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s 64 campuses. It is a juried show featuring 64 works selected from more than 144 artistic pieces submitted for the fall 2010 and spring 2011 SUNY student art exhibition at the State University Plaza. The traditional areas of drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture are enhanced by the addition of digital imaging and mixed media installations.

Three student artists in the Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition will receive $1,000 scholarships. “Honorable Mention” awards of $500 will be given to four other students. The winners have not been selected.

The SUNY student art shows were started in 2002 so that the work of SUNY’s most talented student artists would be seen by a wider audience. This will be the fourth time since 2006 that the State Museum hosted the exhibition.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the nation, educating more than 467,000 students in 7,500 degree and certificate programs. More information is available at SUNY.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY – The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum June 2, showcasing art created by SUNY’s top student artists from across the state.

Open until September 3, the juried exhibition features artworks chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s 64 campuses. Included are 68 works selected from more than 316 pieces submitted for the SUNY Art Student Exhibition Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 at the State University Plaza in Albany. The traditional areas of drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography sculpture and digitally produced works are included.

Three student artists in the Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition will receive $1,000 scholarships. Honorable Mention awards of $500 will be given to four other students. The awardees will be announced by SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher at a June 5 reception at the Museum.

“Since 2006, the New York State Museum has partnered with the State University of New York to present the Best of SUNY art exhibitions,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “Again this year I am impressed by the breadth, the variety of approaches and focus of the work in the exhibition. New York State’s position is unique given the power of the public university system, the talents of these emerging artists and the synergy of the art world that is central to this state. This important exhibition allows the thousands of visitors to the State Museum a chance to see the outstanding work that is the result of these exceptional programs. It is a great tribute to the artists, faculty and families across the state who are dedicated to a public education in the visual arts.”

“The Best of SUNY art exhibition represents the finest, most creative, and influential works of art developed by SUNY students over the past year,” said Zimpher. “We are thankful that the New York State Museum has agreed to put it on display for its visitors once again this year. The chosen works are a testament to the many talented SUNY students who study the arts on our campuses and to the faculty who have helped them to capture their passions, interests, and observations in paint, photography, digital media, and more. Congratulations to all of this year’s contributors.”

The SUNY student art shows were initiated in 2002 so that the work of SUNY’s most talented student artists would be seen by a wider audience. This will be the fifth time since 2006 that the State Museum hosted the exhibition.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the nation, educating nearly 468,000 students in 7,500 degree and certificate programs.More information is available at SUNY.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

EDITORS NOTE: Please see attached list of SUNY Artists and their hometowns.

Scientists from the New York State Museum will play central roles in the 6th annual BioBlitz, to be held in New York City's Central Park from noon Friday, June 27 to noon, Saturday June 28.

The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute at the New York State Museum is one of the principal organizers of the BioBlitz, which is a 24-hour exploration and inventory of biological resources throughout Central Park. Teams of scientists and naturalists with expertise in various animal and plant groups, aided by a cadre of volunteers, will comb the park's 843 acres, observing and recording as many species as possible during the 24-hour time period.

Another goal of the annual BioBlitz is to educate the public about the variety of wildlife and plant life that exists virtually in their own backyards and, in this case, an urban environment. As recently as July 2002 scientists from the American Museum of Natural History discovered a new genus and species of centipede in Central Park.

Dr. Roland Kays, the State Museum's curator of mammals, will be the leader coordinating the mammal survey at the BioBlitz. He will use live traps and several camera traps to survey some of the park's mammals. Kays studies the distribution of carnivores in Albany's Pine Bush and in the Adirondacks. His research looks at how disturbances, such as development, agriculture and hunting, affect survival.

Ronald Gill, a biodiversity research specialist at the State Museum, will be one of the principal coordinators of the event. He will be working with the BioBlitz committee to assign scientists and volunteers to survey teams that will work for 4-hour shifts during the 24-hour time period. Gill will also work with other committee members to compile a list of the total number of species recorded during the event. This year's BioBlitz is one of the official events being held in conjunction with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Central Park. The park covers 843 acres and has a perimeter of six miles. Within this area are 150 acres of waterbodies, 250 acres of lawns and 136 acres of woodlands. When the park was completed in 1878, more than 4 million trees, shrubs and plants, representing more than 1,400 species, had been planted to create the foundation for the park.

The Explorers Club is organizing the event in cooperation with the following organizations:

The NYS Biodiversity Research Institute at the New York State Museum, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation of the American Museum of Natural History, The Central Park Conservancy, the New York City Audubon Society and Department of Parks and Recreation, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Wildlife Trust.

The State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

ALBANY, NY – Birds of New York and the Paintings of Louis Agassiz Fuertes opens at the New York State Museum January 30, showcasing the original watercolors painted a century ago by one of America’s foremost science artists.

The exhibition, in the Museum’s Crossroads Gallery, will be open through September 6. It will feature 40 of more than 100 paintings that Fuertes created to illustrate Birds of New York, a monumental book that combined beautiful art and scientific scholarship. The first edition of the book will be on display, along with a print portfolio and specimens from the Museum’s ornithology collection.

The first volume of Birds of New York – Water Birds and Game Birds – was published to much acclaim in 1910. Volume Two – Land Birds – followed four years later. Birds of New York was collaboration between Fuertes and author Elon Howard Eaton and served as a model for ornithology books that followed. Fuertes’ watercolors celebrated the beauty of wild birds, while Eaton advocated for the stewardship and conservation of birds and their habitats. Produced by the State Museum and published by the University of the State of New York, the book inspired the citizens of New York to observe and care for the state’s birds.

The book was commissioned by former State Museum Director John Mason Clarke, who served from 1904 to 1925. When he began his tenure it had been 60 years since the last book on the state’s birds had been published, and he wanted a new study that would update scientific knowledge. He commissioned Eaton, a biology teacher in Rochester, to research and write the book. Eaton enlisted Fuertes, a famous bird artist from Ithaca, to provide the illustrations.

Clarke’s written correspondence with Eaton and Fuertes, preserved in the New York State Archives, reveals that Clarke was a guiding force in producing the book, sometimes attending to even small details.

Named for the naturalist Louis Agassiz, Fuertes’ interest in the natural world was encouraged and he began to draw birds at an early age. He attended Cornell University in Ithaca. While still a student, Fuertes met a prominent Smithsonian ornithologist who recognized and promoted his artistic talent. This helped launch an active career and, soon, he was considered to be the leading bird artist of his day.

Just as John James Audubon inspired bird painters in the early 1800s, Fuertes influenced artists a century later by skillfully capturing the lifelike poses and natural settings of birds. Roger Tory Peterson, an avian artist and author of well-known field guides, wrote that while Audubon was famous for his dramatic compositions Fuertes “caught more of the character of the bird itself.”

Eaton also was a lifelong student of natural history. As a young man he prepared bird mounts and studied skins after enrolling in a taxidermy course. He established the Department of Biology at Hobart College in Geneva, where he taught from 1908 until his death in 1934. In 1901 he became known statewide when the Rochester Academy of Science published a paper he had written on the birds of western New York.

The lasting scientific importance of Birds of New York stems from Eaton’s authoritative compilation of original research that is included in the book, such as distribution maps, migration surveys and detailed observations of nests, eggs, songs and behaviors. The book continues to be cited by ornithologists studying changes in bird abundance and distribution since that time.

It also has strengthened interest in the study and protection of birds, and spurred the formation of local birding clubs and bird sanctuaries. Sixteen thousand copies of a print portfolio, including all of the color illustrations in the book, were widely distributed and inspired “Bird Day” celebrations across the state.

The State Museum will sponsor a free program in connection with the exhibition. Creative Art Day will be held Sunday, March 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. Families will be invited to participate in artful activities based on the exhibition. More information is available by calling 518-473-7154 or e-mailing psteinba@mail.nysed.gov.

The Birds of New York book is available online through the New York State Library’s digital collections. A video tour of the Museum’s biology range, that includes its bird collection, is available on the New York State Museum YouTube.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Huxley Theater. The lecturers will focus on the results of research that was funded by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute. Lecture topics and dates are:

• October 8 – “Double-crested Cormorants: Potential Impacts on Biodiversity in the New York Harbor.” Twenty years ago, approximately 1,000 breeding pairs of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) were documented on two islands in the New York Harbor; now there are approximately 1,300 pairs nesting on seven islands. Dr. Susan Elbin, director of conservation for New York Audubon, will present research on this population, assessing its impact on biodiversity in the harbor.

   

• October 15 – “Treatment of Invasive Plant Infestations: Assessments of Three Species in the Adirondack Park.” The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant program manages invasive plant species just taking a hold in the Park, to benefit natural communities. Ray Curran, independent consulting ecologist with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, will discuss current research on the effectiveness of several techniques to control Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), common reed grass (Phragmites australis), and yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus).

   

• October 22 – “Conserving Barrens Buck Moth in Pine Barrens Habitats.” Dr. Dylan Parry, associate professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, will discuss how prescribed burning in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve has enhanced habitat for the barrens buck moth (Hemileuca maia). He will examine the role of natural enemies in population declines, citing an introduced insect parasitoid that has decimated species closely related to the barrens buck moth.

   

• October 29 – “Confronting Biological Invasions: A Growing Environmental Problem.” Introduced invasive species have transformed most ecosystems and more problematic species are on the way. Dr. David Strayer, of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will review the history and impact of a few prominent invaders, the extent and causes of these introductions, and proposed elements of a solution to this escalating problem.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – More than 100 thematic floral displays will be positioned throughout the New York State Museum February 24-26th for “New York in Bloom,” the Museum’s 15th annual celebration of flowers and fund-raiser for its award-winning after-school programs.

This year, due to popular demand, there will be extended hours on Saturday when the event will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Friday and Sunday the hours will 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event marks the only time during the year that admission is charged at the Museum and proceeds benefit the Museum Club and Discovery Squad inner-city after-school programs.

“NewYork in Bloom” is one of the most heavily attended of the museum’s annual programs. Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from across the state will create inventive floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. Members of the Museum’s after-school programs will also create a floral exhibit. There also will be demonstrations and children’s activities all three days.

The event will also feature an expanded section of nine table settings designed by Fancy Schmancy, Experience and Creative Design Ltd. and Tablecloths for Granted, Ltd., Clearly Yours/The Garden Path, Design Center at Classe´ Catering, Classic Interiors, Rozanne’s Boutique, Gracies Apparel & Accessories, Lollipop’s Children’s Apparel and Furniture and Provisions Design.

Faddegon’s Nursery and My Favorite Things Florist will decorate the Museum lobby again this year. Surroundings Floral Studio will also create a display with flowers, supplied by Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD, centered around a 1953 MGTD Contemporary Special, a rare automobile because the body was designed and built in New York. There also will be a fresh flower market, while supplies last, with

-more-

-2-

flowers donated by Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD.

Demonstrations will be provided all three days by area professional designers, garden club members and gardening enthusiasts. Hosta expert Dr. Steven Chamberlain of Manlius will speak Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on “The Hosta Obsession” and at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on “Hostas: Foliage and Flowers.” Chamberlain, the scientific editor of The Hosta Journal, the official publication of the American Hosta Society, has 2,700 hostas in his home garden and has named and registered 48 new cultivars of hostas.

The schedule also includes: (Friday morning) “Native Orchids of North America: A Botanical Odyssey” by Dr. Charles Sheviak, the State Museum’s curator of botany; “The Arboretum” by Fred Breglia of the George Landis Arboretum; “Flowers from Natural Elements” by Laurie Costello; (Friday afternoon) “Flowers at Home for Under $15” by Verena Takekoshi of Takekoshi Garden Arts; (Saturday morning) “Drying and Pressing Flowers” by Audrey Hawkins of the Fort Orange Garden Club; “Making Silks Look Real” by Cathy Zanchelli of Michael’s Arts and Crafts; (Saturday afternoon) “Time-Tested Tips for an Ever-Blooming Perennial Garden” by Kerry Mendez; “Our Flowers Bloom All Year” by the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc.; “Flowers for Home Entertaining” by Michael Harbison of Ambiance Florals & Events; “Making Fossil Garden Stones” by Terry Mullady of Stony Point Glass and Garden; “Design It At Home” by Joan Reilly of Henry Clas Florists; “Outside of the Vase: Extreme Florals” by Ty Austin of Pi Naturals, Inc.; (Saturday, 5:30 p.m.) “Wild Flowers and Protected Plants” by Troy Weldy of the Natural Heritage Program; (Sunday afternoon) “Wilton® Floral Cake Decorating Display” by Ann Farina of Michael’s Arts and Crafts; “Fun with Flowers” by Michele Peters of Ambiance Florals and Events, “Our Flowers Bloom All Year.”

Children’s activities will be held all three days. These will include face painting, seed planting, making tissue paper flowers and painting with petals.

Available this year through a raffle will be six reproductions of bird paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, considered one of the world’s greatest bird artists. The original paintings are part of a series of paintings in the Museum’s collections done for The Birds of New York by Elon Howard Eaton in 1910. Proceeds will benefit the Museum’s after-school programs.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the Museum Club, a nationally recognized, educational after-school program for youths, ages eight through thirteen. Since 1987 the club has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Children receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibits. The Discovery Squad is the teen extension of the Museum Club. Teens work with younger Museum Club children while developing professional skills with the assistance of adult mentors. Students receive essential job training, academic and personal support,

-more-

-3-

explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in a variety of work-based capacities.

The admission fee for “New York in Bloom” is $3 for adults on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the fee will be $5, which also includes admission to the “13th annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale,” to be held at the Museum the same weekend. Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Food will be available for purchase during the three-day event in two different locations. Big Don’s Hot Dogs & More and Losee’s Deli will be located in the Museum’s first floor Student Center on Saturday and Sunday. Subway is located on the fourth floor Terrace Gallery.

CDTA will provide a complimentary shuttle service between the East Garage (corner of Madison and Eagle) and the Museum on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also on Saturday and Sunday, there will be free parking in the East Garage and in the Cathedral lot and Museum parking lot.

Additional support for “New York in Bloom” was provided by Faddegon’s Nursery, KeyBank,

Seagroatt-Riccardi, Ltd., the Times Union, Boscov’s, Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Quality Retail Systems and Seagroatt Floral Company.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. It is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Museum has announced special Sunday event hours for the 20th annual “New York in Bloom” February 25-27.

Spring will arrive early at the Museum where visitors will find more than 110 thematic floral displays positioned throughout the galleries during this special 20th anniversary weekend fundraiser that benefits the Museum’s award-winning after-school programs. The event will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from across the state will create unique floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. Table displays will also be provided by local interior designers and home furnishing stylists, florists and event specialists. The event also will feature demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday and one for children on Friday. A flower market will also be open in the lobby area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while supplies last.

There also will be table displays in Bird Hall created by Douglas Fisher of Designs by Douglas, Linda Savage and Barbara and Charles Guyette of W&P Enterprises, Kim Ryan of Hilton Garden Inn, Kimberly Seymour of Embellir and Benjamin Hodder of Frame of Light. There also will be an additional table in Bird Hall designed by Marty Teumim, Sheila Schwartz, Becky Marvin, Cheryl Reeder and Amy

Koren-Roth. Rudy Grant and David Siders of Experience and Creative Design will create a table display in the New York Metropolis corridor.

A demonstration on “Floral Printmaking will be held on Friday in Kids’ Cove from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 2 to 3:30 p.m. Weekend demonstrations will be presented in Adirondack Hall. Topics and times on Saturday are: “Teas and Flowers: Creating Teas and Edibles from Flowers,” 10 to 11 a.m.; “What Comes Naturally,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Designing with Vintage Pieces,” 1 to 2 p.m.; “Blooming Fun,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and “Starting Plants from Seeds,” 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday demonstrations will include “Rethinking Flowers – Starting from Scratch,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Japanese Flower Arranging,” 1 to 2 p.m. and “Michele’s Flower Hour,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

On Friday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Classe′ Catering will offer soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and beverages at the Sugar Maple Café in Adirondack Hall. Other food will also be available all three days at Subway, on the Museum’s fourth floor Terrace Gallery, and on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Big Don’s Hot Dogs & More/ Losee’s Deli in the Museum’s first floor Student Center.

“New York in Bloom” marks the only time during the year that admission is charged to enter the Museum. The “New York in Bloom” admission fee is $5 for adults on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the fee will be $6, which also includes admission to the 18th annual “James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale.” Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or at your local Price Chopper.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the nationally recognized, educational after-school programs -- the Museum Club and Discovery Squad. Since 1987 the after-school program has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Students receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibitions. In the Discovery Squad, teens receive essential job training, academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in various work environments.

Supporters of the after-school program include Price Chopper, promotion and community partner; the Times Union, media sponsor; Spotlight Newspapers, promotional sponsor; Ambiance Florals and Events and Quality Retail Systems.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is generally open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – Spring will come early to the New York State Museum February 20-22 when visitors will find more than 110 thematic floral displays positioned throughout the galleries for the 18th annual “New York in Boom” fundraiser benefiting the Museum’s award-winning after-school programs.

Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, the event marks the only time during the year that admission is charged to enter the Museum. The “New York in Bloom” admission fee is $5 for adults on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the fee will be $6, which also includes admission to the 16th annual “James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale.” Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door. National Grid is the presenting sponsor.

Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from across the state will create unique floral arrangements for the event that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. “New York in Bloom” will also feature table arrangements provided by local interior designers and home furnishing stylists, florists and event specialists.

Demonstrations will be presented Saturday and Sunday in the Huxley Theater and Adirondack Hall. On Friday through Sunday children’s activities will be available in Kids Cove.

David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design and Events will transform the front window area of the Museum lobby into a lavish garden, with materials donated by Renaissance. Bouquets will also be for sale at a fresh flower market in another area of the lobby.

Using flowers supplied by Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD, Steve Dominiak of Surroundings Floral Studio will design a floral display centered around a 1934 Ford Cabriolet in the Crossroads Gallery. Members of the Museum’s after-school program will create a quilt and fabric-related projects for an exhibit in the Museum’s quilt exhibition, Textural Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition. The students’ art work will be displayed around an African drum, the centerpiece of their exhibit.

Table arrangements will be designed by Kat’s Eye Design, Experience and Creative Design, The Floral Garden, Designs by Douglas, Antara Home Interiors, Henry F. Clas Florist, W&P Enterprises and Fleur De Lis.

On Friday through Sunday Classe′ Catering will offer soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and beverages at the Sugar Maple Café in Adirondack Hall. Other food will also be available all three days at Subway, on the Museum’s fourth floor Terrace Gallery, and on Saturday and Sunday at Big Don’s Hot Dogs & More and Losee’s Deli in the Museum’s first floor Student Center.

Demonstrations on Saturday will include “Growing Healthy Perennials for 2009” and “Homestyle Floral Arrangements," 10 to 11 a.m.; “Wildflowers: Faces, Facts & Folklore,” and “Edible Arrangements,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Crazy Carnations,” 1 to 2 p.m.; “262,000 Bulbs,” and Creating Stepping Stones,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and “Gardening in the 21st Century” 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday demonstrations will include

“Wildflowers of Mexico’s Copper Canyon Region,” 10 to 11 a.m.; “Simple Organic Vegetable Gardening” and “How to Structure Larger Arrangements,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Prepping for a Flower Show,” 1 to 2 p.m.; “Edible Art” and Michele’s Flower Hour,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Children’s activities on Friday include: “Shrink Art,” 10 a.m. to noon and “Flower Button,” 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Face Painting will be offered from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the nationally recognized, educational after-school programs -- the Museum Club and Discovery Squads. Since 1987 the after-school program has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Students receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibitions. In the Discovery Squad teens receive essential job training, academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and serve the Museum in a variety of work-based capacities.

Major supporters of the after-school program include the Times Union Hope Fund of the Community Foundation of the Capital Region, Key Bank, and IBM. Other supporters are State Farm, Pitney Bowes, Time Warner Cable/Capital News 9, Candace King Weir, AWESCO, Capital Bank, Price Chopper’s Golub Corp. and Nigro Companies. Support for “New York in Bloom” was provided by the Times Union, Ambiance Florals and Events, NYS Office of General Services, Renaissance Floral Design and Events, Seagroatt-Riccardi, Ltd., Quality Retail Systems, Seagroatt Floral Co. and Dan Engwer Wholesale Florist.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

ALBANY, NY – An international café, with a Parisian flair, will be among the many attractions February 23-25 at the New York State Museum’s “New York in Bloom” event, the Museum’s 16th annual celebration of flowers and fund-raiser for its award-winning after-school programs.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Museum’s after-school activities, which began with the Museum Club, serving Albany youth aged 8-13, and now also include the Discovery Squad, for teens aged 13-18. The special fund-raising weekend marks the only time that the Museum charges admission.

More than 125 thematic floral displays will be positioned throughout the Museum for the annual event, which will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from across the state will create inventive floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. Students in the Museum’s after-school programs will also create a floral exhibit. Fifteen table settings will also be on display. Demonstrations and children’s activities will be featured all three days.

Chris Grigas of My Favorite Things Florist will decorate the Museum lobby again this year. Surroundings Floral Studio will create a display with flowers, supplied by Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD, centered around a bright red 1934 Ford Tudor Sedan. There also will be a fresh flower market, while supplies last, with flowers donated by Seagroatt Floral Co. Inc. and Dan Engwer Wholesale.

The admission fee for “New York in Bloom” is $4 for adults on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the fee will be $6, which also includes admission to the “14th annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale.” Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

-more-

-2-

Le Petite Jardin, an international tea garden in Exhibition Hall, will serve a variety of teas, coffee, desserts, and light luncheon fare, provided by Classe´ Catering, on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Parisian-style café will be designed and decorated by Karen McGowan of Faddegon’s Nursery and Ben Legacy of Classe´ Catering. Subway, on the Museum’s fourth floor Terrace Gallery, will also offer food all day Friday through Sunday. Big Don’s Hot Dogs & More and Losee’s Deli will serve food in the Museum’s first floor Student Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Demonstrations will be provided all three days with materials for floral demonstrations provided by Seagroatt Floral Co. Inc.. The schedule includes: (Friday morning) “Experiencing the Rose Parade” slide show and presentation by Floral Designs by Meg Bugler; (Friday afternoon) “Flowers With a Theme” by Dee Foley of the Bethlehem Garden Club; “Hand-Tied Bouquets” by Joan Reilly of Henry F. Clas Florist; (Saturday morning) “Spring Bloomers that Add Zing to Your Landscape” by Kerry Mendez of Perennially Yours; “Removing the Fear of Bonsai” by Pauline Muth; (Saturday afternoon) “Our Flowers Bloom All Year,” by NY Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc.; “Quick and Easy Flower Arrangements,” by Verena Takekoshi of Takekoshi Gardem Art; “Hand-Tied Bouquets” by Joan Reilly of Henry F. Clas Florist; “Silk Creations for Your Home” by Kathy Zanchelli of Michael’s Arts and Crafts; “Pressed Botanical Designs” by Jo-Ann Gannett of Garden Treasures; (Sunday morning) “Outside the Ordinary: A Fresh Approach to Floral Design at Home,” by Chris Grigas of My Favorite Things Florist; “Flowers Made of Frosting by Kelly Sloan of Michael’s Arts and Crafts; (Sunday afternoon) “Our Flowers Bloom All Year” by Embroiders’ Guild; “Ikebana Designs” by Mary Bohnet of Sogetsu/Ikebana Study Group; “Michele’s Flower Hour” by Michele Peters of Ambiance Florals and Events and “Creating Fossil and Garden Stones” by Terry Mullady of Stony Point Glass and Garden.

Children’s activities will be held all three days. Scheduled are: (Friday morning) “Grapevine Wreaths,” (Friday afternoon) “Soft Sculpture Flowers,” (Saturday afternoon) “Tissue Paper Flowers” and (Saturday and Sunday afternoons) “Face Painting.”

Table settings will be provided by Designer Interiors, Henry F. Clas Florist, Pearl Grant Richman, Moose Creek LTD, Certified Framing and Gallery, the Crooked Lake House, Stickley Furniture, Classe´ Catering, Experience and Creative Design, Michael Devine Home, Provisions Design, The Dezigning Woman and Amaryllis Florist & Total Events.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the Museum Club, a nationally recognized, educational after-school program. Since 1987 the Club has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Children receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibits. The Discovery Squad is the teen extension of the Museum Club. Teens work with younger Museum Club children while

-more-

-3-

developing professional skills with the assistance of adult mentors. Students receive essential job training,

academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in a variety of work-based capacities.

Volunteers are needed for the New York in Bloom event. Anyone interested may contact Brian Malloy at (518) 402-5869

Support for “New York in Bloom” was provided by IBM, Albany International, KeyBank, SEFCU, National Grid, Times Union, Time Warner Cable/Capital News 9, Quality Retail Systems, My Favorite Things Florist, Faddegon’s Nursery Inc., Seagroatt Floral Co. Inc. and Dan Engwer Wholesale.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. It is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – Spring will arrive early February 24-26 at the New York State Museum where visitors will find more than 105 thematic floral displays positioned throughout the galleries for the 21st annual “New York in Bloom” fundraiser benefiting the Museum’s award-winning after-school programs.

The Museum will be open Friday through Sunday for this special event, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year the Museum is celebrating the 25th birthday of its after-school programs. Admission will be $5 each day of the event. Children aged 12 and under will get in free when accompanied by an adult. There is a separate $4 admission this year for the 19th annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale February 25-26.

Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from the Capital District and beyond will create unique floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. The event also will feature table displays created by local interior designers and home furnishing stylists, florists and event specialists. There also will be demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday and children’s activities Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A flower market will also be open in the lobby area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while supplies last.

David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design and Events will transform the front window area of the Museum lobby, incorporating furniture from the Museum’s collections. Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD will create a floral arrangement to complement the circa 1903 Weebermobile in the “From the Collections” exhibition. Also new this year will be a display of colorful hats and bonnets (circa 1860s to 1970s), all decorated with flowers, from the Museum’s collections. Exhibitors will create floral arrangements to complement the hats, which will be located in the “Fifth Avenue” area of New York Metropolis.

Food will be available from the Lunch Box Café on the concourse level on Friday and Saturday. Classe Catering will serve light luncheon fare in Adirondack Wilderness gallery.

Table displays in Bird Hall will include a special one created by Audrey Hawkins and Fort Orange Garden Club members to honor Ginny Kopp of Loudonville, a 23-year member of the club and the longtime chairperson of the “New York in Bloom” committee. Also doing table displays in that area are Douglas Fisher of Designs by Douglas, Barbara Guyette of All the Right Ingredients by W & P Enterprises, Craig R. Waltz, Jr. of Fleurelite Floral Design and Donald Bennett of White Cottage Gardens. Rudy Grant and David Siders of Experience and Creative Design will create a table display in the Adirondack Wilderness corridor in front of the Native Peoples sign.

Topics and times of demonstrations on Saturday are: “Accessible Gardening,” 10 to 11 a.m.; “What Comes Naturally,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Teas and Flowers: Creating Teas and Edible Flowers,” 1 to 2 p.m.; “Bouquets in Your Hands,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and “Designing Organically,” 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday demonstrations will include “Climate Change in the Garden,” 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.; ”Floral Design Using Recycled and Natural Elements,” 12 to 1 p.m.; “Sogetsu –Japanese Flower Arranging,” 1 to 2 p.m. and “Designing and Starting a Perennial Garden,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

“Creative Crafting” activities for children will be held Friday and Saturday, focusing on “Flower Pins” from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and “Flower Rings” from 2 to 3 p.m. Face Painting will be offered Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the nationally recognized, educational after-school programs -- the Museum Club and Discovery Squad. Since 1987 the after-school programs have provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Students receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibitions. In the Discovery Squad, teens receive essential job training, academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in various work environments.

Supporters of “New York in Bloom” include Price Chopper, community partner; Ambiance Florals and Events and Quality Retail Systems.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free, Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

ALBANY – Expressions in Blue: A Feeling, A Place, A Color, A Sound opens at the New York State Museum on Saturday, November 17, featuring the work of 22 artists of the African Diaspora.

The works in the exhibition explore the meaning of the word “blue,” whether it is the musical legacy of the Blues, the natural environment of sea or sky, or the portrayal of a mood. The artists or their representatives submitted works that interpret a deceptively simple word and express it in their own unique style. The exhibition encompasses various media, including photography, sculpture, textile collage, and painting.

Open through March 16, 2008, the exhibition is organized by Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. (BDA), a Capital District volunteer, non-profit organization founded in 1975. BDA’s mission is to educate the public about the unique contributions of artists of the African Diaspora within the American art scene through exhibitions, publications, television and other media. BDA also provides exposure and sales opportunities for artists of African descent and supports Emerging Artists and Summer Arts programs, which offer young people the opportunity to work with professional artists and mentors to develop their artistic skills.

Artist Stephen Tyson, the exhibition’s co-curator, says Expressions in Blue “represents an achievement in the continuum of creative ingenuity and artistic integrity within the African Diaspora —and beyond."

“BDA is ever searching for artists of the African Diaspora who not only express the shared experience of culture but also of community," says Jacqueline Lake-Sample, artist, BDA co-treasurer and the exhibition’s other co-curator. BDA has a board consisting of artists and art enthusiasts from the Capital Region. It reaches beyond the local scene, however, to work with artists both nationally and internationally.

Artist Jerome Meadows of Savannah, Ga. has exhibited internationally since 1988 and his works are found in museum, university and private collections. He has received numerous public and private commissions for sculpture and environmental site designs. Bennu’s Bounty, displayed in the exhibition, is part of his Blue Ball Barn series, a body of work created using old slate roof tiles from a historic barn in Wilmington, Del. and other found objects and handcrafted components.

The works of Francelise Dawkins of Saratoga Springs are also known internationally through exhibitions, magazines and books. A Parisian “textile collagist,” she uses colorful cloth from Asia, Africa and Europe “to create a blurring of boundaries between such cultures.”

Expressions in Blue is the fourth BDA exhibition hosted by the Museum. The first, an exhibition of quilts and textile art, was featured at the Museum in 2003. The following year, BDA produced, with the Albany District Links, Passing the Legacy: Reflections of Our Elders, which featured portraits of honored community members by photographer J. El-Wise Noisette. In early 2006, Tyson explored an emerging area of interest in the art world in Driven to Abstraction. This presented abstract expressionist work by African American and Caribbean artists, ranging from those emerging in the postwar years of the 1940s and the Civil Rights era of the 1950s and ‘60s, to the postmodern era of the 1980s and ‘90s.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

# # #

Four new members have joined the New York State Museum Institute Board of Trustees, Institute Board Chairman Richard Wallace has announced.

The Museum Institute is an independent, non-profit educational corporation founded in 1985. It provides financial support for State Museum exhibitions, programs and research.

The four new members are Cheryl Clark, MD of Schenectady, a staff member of the Schenectady Family Health Center; Jennifer MacPhee of Loudonville, Bank of America regional president for the Albany and Hudson Valley region; Allen J. Naples of Fayetteville, regional president for M&T Bank in Syracuse and Nina Tyzik of Clifton Park, regional president for HSBC Bank in Albany.

Dr. Clark, who specializes in family medicine, is also affiliated with Ellis Hospital. A graduate of the SUNY Downstate Medical College in Brooklyn, she recently received an American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award. Dr. Clark is a member of the Commission on Leadership and Development of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians.

MacPhee provides business, civic, and philanthropic leadership for Bank of America throughout the region. In addition, she is the market sales director for the Private Bank, responsible for Upstate NY, Maine and New Hampshire. She has 14 years experience in the financial services industry, including four years with Bank of America and its predecessors, and was previously with Key Private Bank and Coopers & Lybrand in Albany. A graduate of Ithaca College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner. MacPhee is a board member of the St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, the Center for Economic Growth, the Capitalize Albany Strategic Advisory Committee, Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York, the American Institute of CPAs and the Financial Planning Association.

Naples, a graduate of Syracuse University, previously spent 21 years with HSBC Bank and its predecessor, Marine Midland. As regional president for M&T Bank headquartered in Syracuse, he has responsibility for a large geographic area. Last year, he left Syracuse to take a position running HSBC’s west coast operations, which included offices in California, Washington, and Oregon. In spring of this year he decided to return to Syracuse for quality-of-life reasons. He has rejoined many of the organization boards he served on before heading to California, including the New York State Museum Institute, the Metropolitan Development Association, the New York Business Development Corporation, and the Crouse Foundation.

Tyzik has been with HSBC since 1991, serving as vice president, district executive, and senior vice president. She was named regional president and executive vice president in 2004. Currently, she manages a 46-branch retail and commercial distribution system spanning 16 counties and employing 450. She serves on the boards of the New York Business Development Corporation, the Center for Economic Growth, the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce, the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Forum for Executive Women, the HSBC Foundation, The Arts Center, Bellevue Women’s Hospital, and TRIP. She is the recipient of the 2005 Women of Excellence Award for excellence in management.

The State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY – When it returns to the New York State Museum October 20, the “Haunted Museum” will be bigger, more terrifying and, for the first time, open on Halloween night.

The tamer “Pumpkin Patch” will also return, offering Halloween fun for younger children. Both will be held Oct. 20 and 21, Oct. 27 and 28 and on Halloween night Wednesday, Oct. 31. The Haunted Mansion opens from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Halloween. The “Pumpkin Patch” hours are noon to 4 p.m. on the two weekends and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Halloween. There also will be a free Halloween Parade every day from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Back for its sixth year, the “Haunted Museum of Un-Natural History” moves from the Student Center to Exhibition Hall, a space that is larger and offers new possibilities for frightening all who dare enter. The “Pumpkin Patch” will feature a walk-through maze, whimsical cornfield, pirate ship, face painting and a parade, all geared for children up to age 10.

Admission is $6 for the “Haunted Museum” and $2 for the “Pumpkin Patch.” Children are encouraged to wear costumes into the “Pumpkin Patch” but costumes are not permitted in the “Haunted Museum.” Also, Halloween night trick and treaters might want to collect their candy beforehand since no “treats” will be given out at the “Pumpkin Patch.”

All proceeds go to the Museum’s after-school program for city youth, which depends entirely on grants and contributions. Last year the Halloween events raised $10,000. Rather than rely on elaborate props and expensive special effects, the “Haunted Museumof Un-Natural History” uses old, dust-covered books, lifelike stuffed animal specimens, models of human heads and other objects from Museum exhibitions and collections which, when combined with lighting, sound and “scare-acter,’’ are as terrifying as many horror movies. The Haunted Museum is not recommended for children under age 10 and anyone 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

“You know the old cliché-- seeing truth is stranger than seeing fiction? I play into that, ”said Truemaster Trimingham, a Museum educator and horror movie aficionado who plans the Halloween celebrations year-round. “We’re not using aliens or robots. This is a homegrown Haunted Mansion and that can be pretty terrifying.”

Those who brave the Un-Natural History Museum’s eight themed rooms will be leered at by giant scarecrows. Clowns are definitely not amusing in “3-Ring Psychos,” a room where angry circus creatures appear to jump out of the walls. In “Gardener’s Rage,” visitors will meet a greenish creature who has been in the greenhouse far too long and “sort of turns into a plant,’’ said Trimingham. Visitors will also endure “The Freezer,’’ the icy, inhospitable space based on the freezers where Museum scientists store the animal specimens. A headless horse makes an appearance in “All Hallows Sleep.’’ “Outback Stabhouse,” is a barnyard gone awry.

Perhaps visitors will be most terrified by “Dead of the State,’’ an area in whichpeople in suits have been sitting at their dusty desks for so many years that they turn into zombies, with unpredictable consequences. “You will enter but you will never leave,’’ Trimingham joked.

He suspects visitors will be too preoccupied to notice, but Un-Natural History Museum actually borrows from New York history, using themes that help tell the state’s story.

An Albany resident and Staten Island native, Trimingham received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a master’s in education degree from the College of Saint Rose. As a Museum educator he has the creative freedom to engage students in projects such as the “Haunted Museum,” which are not found in school. He is so enthusiastic about theme parks that he works part- time as a Delta Airlines baggage handler for the free travel that enables him to visit them.

The Discovery Squad, the Museum’s after-school program for teen-agers, which benefits from the “Haunted Museum,” devotes several weeks to assisting Trimingham in the design and construction of the “Haunted Museum.” The events are fully staffed by Squad members, who play “scare-acters,’’ collect money and work with children in the Pumpkin Patch.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) has presented its 2008 Book Award to “Before Albany: An Archaeology of Native-Dutch Relations in the Capital Region, 1600-1664,’’ a volume published by the New York State Museum that examines relationships between Native Americans and Dutch settlers during this period.

The SAA presented the award March 28 to the book’s author, Museum Research Associate Dr. James W. Bradley, at its annual meeting held in Vancouver, B.C. The book won in the Public Audience category, and was recognized for its use of archaeology to bring to light a “brief but pivotal” period of New York history.

“This volume epitomizes what a book written and designed for the public should achieve,’’ SAA said in bestowing the award. “Bradley is to be congratulated for presenting a model for a popular book that does not talk down to its audience, and tells an engaging and interesting story. Albany has been privileged to have its history (including its material culture) presented in such an exceptional format.”

Published last year, “Before Albany” reveals the stories behind the combs, pipes, plates, axes and beads uncovered in digs at the colonial settlement known as Beverwijck now Albany. The book recounts a 60-year period in which Dutch traders and Mohawks and Mahicans lived near one another and engaged in robust commerce. The author has said that Albany can take pride in a chapter of history that contrasts with the many examples elsewhere of Europeans taking land and forcing Native Americans out. He argues that the mutual respect between the Native people and the Dutch influenced how the Capital Region was settled.

“This not just secondary research,’’ said Dr. John P. Hart, director of Museum Research &Collections, who nominated the book for the award. “Dr. Bradley did a lot of primary research and created new knowledge about the past. The book demonstrates the importance of our archaeological collections as documents of New York’s early European history.”

A prominent archaeologist who is based in Boston, Bradley spent four years studying Museum artifacts and documents and consulting with Museum archaeological researchers and curators. The book is widely illustrated with artifacts from Museum collections.

Bradley, who grew up in Central New York, is a former director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology in Andover, Mass. He has served on the Massachusetts Historic Commission and the National Park Service. Among other things he has worked on repatriating Native American remains.

Based in Washington, D.C., the Society for American Archaeology has more than 7,000 members and is the leading professional society of its kind in North America.

“Before Albany,” which sells for $34.95, is available at the Museum gift shop. It can also be ordered through the publications office at nysmpub@mail.nysed.gov or through amazon.com. For more information call (518) 402-5344.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

# # #

ALBANY – New York State Museum geologists, historians and curators will share their knowledge and research on a wide variety of topics in a series of fall lunchtime lectures – “Brain Food for the Curious – Collections of the State Museum”.

All lectures are free and will be held on selected Wednesdays from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. in the Huxley Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

• September 7 – “The 10th Anniversary: Ten Years of Documentation and Collecting.” The State Museum has been in the forefront of efforts to document and preserve artifacts from the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath. Its collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The effort has been among the Museum’s most daunting experiences. Curator of History Craig Williams reviews that effort and reflects on the challenges still being faced

   

• September 14 – “The Keene Valley Landslide: Geologic Hazards in the High Peaks.” On May 4, 2011, the largest landslide in New York state history occurred one mile northwest of the hamlet of Keene Valley, at Porter Mountain in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks. Approximately 82 acres of land and five homes are presently affected, one of which is totally destroyed. State Museum geologist Dr. Andrew Kozlowski will explain how he monitors and evaluates this geologic hazard and the implications for future landslides in the Adirondacks.

   

• October 5 – “Lewis Henry Morgan’s Iroquois Survey and Collection: A New York and Anthropological First.” In 1847, the New York State Regents agreed to fund a forward-looking collection and survey in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) communities proposed by pioneer anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan, then a young Rochester lawyer. Curator of Ethnography and Ethnology Dr. Betty Duggan focuses on the trendsetting nature of Morgan’s Iroquois-collaborative fieldwork (1848–1850) and the continuing legacy of this stunning collection of objects and supporting fieldwork records (1848–1850), which resulted in the world’s first published ethnography, or study of a culture (1851).

   

• October 12 – “New York Mastodons.” Mastodons are one of the most abundant Ice Age fossils found in New York state. Many examples are now on display in museums around the world. Dr. Robert S. Feranec, curator of vertebrate paleontology, discusses mastodons and some famous New York discoveries, including Peale’s Mastodon, the Warren Mastodon, and the State Museum’s own Cohoes Mastodon.

   

• October 19 – “Treasures in the New York State Museum African American History Collection.”

Senior Historian Dr. Jennifer Lemak discusses this small but growing collection that covers over 200 years of New York state history. The collection includes items relating to slavery, the Civil War, Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association, the New Negro movement, the Great Migration, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement.

• October 26 – “How to Collect Whales.” Collecting whales is not an easy thing to do. This lecture and show-and-tell reveals how these leviathan creatures go from being washed up on a beach to becoming part of the State Museum’s mammal collection. Dr. Roland Kays, the State Museum’s curator of mammals, and Joseph Bopp, the State Museum’s mammal collections manager, also present recent scientific discoveries in studying whale specimens.
• November 2 – “The Minerals Story: From Field to Collections.” Dr. Marian Lupulescu, curator of geology, will share the secret stories of discovery of a 343-pound “giant” spinel, “gieseckite,” “hudsonite,” amazonite, blue phlogopite, and more. He will explain the journey of minerals from the field location to the State Museum’s mineral collection.
• November 16 – “The NYSM (New York State Museum) Bird Collection: 175 Years of Specimen-based Ornithology.” Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, the State Museum’s curator of birds, will provide a behind-the-scenes overview of the ornithology research collection, which comprises nearly 20,000 skins, skeletons, taxidermy mounts, whole fluid-preserved specimens, and frozen tissue samples. The collection has enabled several generations of scientists to study the ecology and evolution of birds, and is used today to address questions concerning global climate change and the genetics of bird populations.
• November 30 –“Remembering the People of Willard.” During the 1995 closure of Willard Psychiatric Center, nearly 400 suitcases and trunks were discovered, belonging to individuals who were admitted to this state hospital in the early and mid-20th century. Curator of History Craig Williams will provide the context to the suitcase story and discuss some of those whose lives are reflected by these remarkable artifacts.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. The oldest and largest state museum in the nation, the Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

A free jazz concert and Earth Day celebration are among the many activities planned at the New York State Museum during school-break week April 18-25th.

The New York State Museum, in partnership with the Albany Musicians' Association 14, AFM and the Recording Industries Music Performance Fund (MPF) will celebrate the Great American Music called Jazz with a concert featuring the Nate Phipps Quartet on Wednesday, April 20th from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Nate Phipps, a jazz pianist originally from Newark, N.J., will be joined by local drummer Joe Sorrentino, Peter Toigo on bass and Paul Couch on flute, clarinet and saxophone.

Phipps has spent most of his professional career playing in New York City and New Jersey. He has led several jazz groups that featured performers who went on to become jazz celebrities including Wayne Shorter, Chris White, Woody Shaw and others. He has also played as a sideman in groups led by jazz greats such as George Benson, Booker Irving and Rahassan Roland Kirk.

Earth Day activities will be featured Friday, April 22nd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to see Smokey the Bear, an earth friendly Eco Car and see plants, bugs and other wildlife specimens. There also will be various educational programs, demonstrations and hands-on activities presented by scientists and educators from the New York State Museum, Junior Museum of Troy, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Saratoga and Thacher State Parks. A complete schedule and map can be picked up at the main desk in the Museum lobby.

As part of the Museum's Spring 2005 Film Series there will be a film Wednesday at noon in the Museum Theater on Jasper Johns, an artist whose work is featured in Extra-Ordinary: The Everyday Object in American Art, Selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Museum's West Gallery.

There also will be arts and crafts activities from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Scheduled are: 
· April 18 - "Stained Glass Flowers" and "Something Fishy is Going On!"
· April 19 - "Make Your Own Nine Spotted Lady Bug" and "Bee Buzz"
· April 20 -- "Something Fishy is Going On!"
· April 21 - "Egg Carton Tulips" and "Spring Flowers"

Throughout the week there also will be Scavenger Hunts and Exploration Stations, as well as rides on the Museum's historic carousel. Discovery Place also offers hands-on learning from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY –New York State has become the first state in the nation to publish the results of two breeding bird surveys in the past 20 years, and the significant changes in breeding distributions, discovered through these surveys, will be revealed for the first time in a new exhibition opening at the State Museum October 3.

“Mapping the Birds of New York: the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State,” open through May 22, 2009, is based on two surveys of all of the bird species that breed in the state. One occurred from 1980 to 1985 and the second was conducted from 2000 to 2005, so that biologists could determine what changes occurred over a 20-year period.

The results are available in a new publication, “The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State,” edited by Kevin J. McGowan and Kimberley Corwin. It contains extensive text, maps and tables. The book also includes more than 250 pieces of original art specifically commissioned to illustrate the breeding birds, and many of those originals are displayed in the exhibition. The book should be available in the Museum shop in December.

The atlases show locations where each bird species breeds and provides information on the many factors that affect bird populations. Although bird species generally breed in particular areas regularly and predictably, birds can move and their distributions can change over time. Scientists believe atlases are important because the changes they uncover can reveal a great deal about the health of the bird populations and the environment in which they live. If a species occurs today in fewer areas than it once did, steps can be taken to prevent further decline.

The surveys revealed that 251 of the 467 species recorded in the state, also breed in New York. The other 200 or so species pass through on their way to other areas. Some only spend the winter, while others turn up in the state now and then.

Certain trends were reported. Although the number of breeding species stayed nearly the same, the project found that several species were gained. Half of the species changed their distributions significantly. Of those, more increased than decreased.

One significant species, however, is likely to disappear. The Loggerhead Shrike, already rare during the first Atlas, is no longer breeding in the state, due to loss of agricultural lands, collisions with vehicles and, perhaps, because of the accumulation of pesticides from insects they eat.

The Brown Thrasher declined by 30 percent, showing reduced populations in all sections of the state. The Whip-poor-will’s population decreased by almost 60 percent, possibly due to industrial pollution, pesticide use and reduced availability of their favored food source.

The survey also noted the incredible expansion of Merlin breeding. The small falcon has established populations both in the wilds of the Adirondacks and in urban areas. These birds are very noisy when nesting; the screams they make can be heard a long distance away.

As in the past, the American Robin was found to be the most widespread species in New York. New York’s’ ten most common species have changed little in 20 years. However, some species, such as the Wild Turkey, are now seen much more often than in the past.

The new atlas also addresses the issue of global warming. Although a handful of species that breed south of New York State have shown a significant northward shift, it is not clear yet whether this is in response to climate change. The survey notes that several other factors complicate the issue including New York’s varied geography and an increase in food availability.

More than 1,200 people submitted data for the breeding bird atlas project and spent about 155,000 hours in the field. Participants ranged from novice backyard observers, to professional ornithologists, to a small number of paid surveyors who were assigned to areas that were difficult to access, especially in the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains.

The survey was a cooperative project involving the state Department of Environmental Conservation; the New York State Ornithological Association; Audubon New York and Cornell University’s New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources and Lab of Ornithology.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

# # #

ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in April focusing on recent biodiversity research and conservation initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Museum Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

April 5 – “Edge of the Range: Natural History of the Blanding's Turtle in Northern New York.” Dr. Glenn Johnson, associate professor of biology at SUNY Potsdam who has been studying this New York State Threatened Species for the last five years, will share his findings and discuss the status and ecology of this newly discovered population. The Blanding's turtle is associated with shrub/scrub wetlands and reaches the edge of its Great Lakes distribution in the St. Lawrence River Valley in northern New York. April 12 -- “Fire Ecology in Native Pine Barren Systems in New York.” Stephanie Gifford, director of ecological management for the Eastern Chapter of TNC, will talk about the role of fire in the ecology of the Albany Pine Bush, Long Island Pine Barrens and northern Shawangunks With help from private and public partners, The Nature Conservancy has been working to study and determine how to manage fire-dependent pine barren systems in the state. April 19 – “Ecological Background of Lyme Disease in the Albany Pine Bush.” Dr. George Robinson of the University at Albany and Dr. Roland Kays, the State Museum’s curator of mammals, will present research findings on Lyme disease in the Albany Pine Bush and compare their results with studies from other regions in the eastern U.S. April 26 – “The Swallow-worts: Increasingly Problematic Invasive Exotic Vines in NY State.” Dr. Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso, associate professor of weed science at Cornell University, will present an overview of research on the biology and ecology of pale and black

-more-

-2-

swallow-wort and discuss how these perennial non-native vines threaten the diversity and

stability of several natural ecosystems in New York State.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY, NY -- The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) has awarded $433,023 in grant funds for biodiversity research, stewardship, and education efforts in New York State.

The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of biological information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. The New York State Legislature created the Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI is housed within the New York State Museum and is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI is collaboration between the State Museum, Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, and The Nature Conservancy.

The Biodiversity Research Institute, based on the recommendations of leading researchers in the fields of environmental science and education, selected the following projects to support over the coming year:

Title: A List of the Insects of New York Principal Investigators: Sam Adams (The Olive Natural History Society Inc.) and Timothy McCabe (New York State Museum)

Amount: $6,930

Title: Application of Inventory Data for Developing a Comprehensive Wildlife Monitoring Plan for New York Principal Investigator: Milo Richmond (New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit)

Amount: $19,465

Title: Audubon Enhancement of the New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey Principal Investigators: Richard Haley (Audubon New York) and Andrew Mackie (Audubon New York)

Amount: $35,000

-more-
-2-

Title: Biodiversity of Freshwater Algae in New York Rivers: An Ecological and Biogeographic

Assessment Principal Investigator: John D. Wehr (Louis Calder Center – Biological Station, Fordham University)

Amount: $52,395

Title: Bog Turtles in the Prairie Peninsula/Lake Plain Recovery Unit of New York State Principal Investigator: Peter Rosenbaum (SUNY Oswego)

Amount: $30,353

Title: Development of a Field Guide to the Common Mosses of New York State Principal Investigators: Robin Kimmerer (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) and Donald J. Leopold (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $14,000

Title: Development of Interactive Keys of New York State’s Woody Plants with Professional and Educational Applications Principal Investigators: Gerry Moore (Brooklyn Botanic Garden), Steve Glenn (Brooklyn Botanic Garden), and Jinshuang Ma (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

Amount: $10,000

Title: Distribution, Abundance, and Ecology of Round-leaved Orchids in New York State Principal Investigator: Donald Leopold (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $10,980

Title: Effects of Amphibian Predation on Forest Floor Biodiversity and Decomposition Principal Investigator: Richard Wyman (Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve Inc.)

Amount: $17,125

Title: Evaluation of Invasive Plant Impacts on Larval Amphibian Performance and Diversity Principal Investigator: Bernd Blossey (Cornell University)

Amount: $28,910

Title: Field Guide to the Land Snails of New York State Principal Investigator: Ken Hotopp (Appalachian Conservation Biology)

Amount: $29,868

Title: Habitat Management for Conservation of Inland Barrens Buck Moth in the Albany Pine Bush Principal Investigators: Dylan Parry (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) and Neil A. Gifford (The Nature Conservancy – Albany Pine Bush Preserve)

Amount: $20,159

Title: IBA conservation: Developing Outreach Products and Establishing a Monitoring Framework for New York State Principal Investigators: Jillian Liner (Audubon New York) and Michael Burger (Audubon New York)

Amount: $16,225

-more-
-3-

Title: Impacts of Invasive Wetland Plants on New York State’s Amphibians Principal Investigators: James Gibbs (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) and Nancy Karraker (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $15,245

Title: Northeastern Mosses, A Graphic Guide Principal Investigator: Jerry Jenkins (White Creek Field School)

Amount: $7,000

Title: The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State: A Natural History and Conservation Guide Principal Investigator: Peter Prescott (Oxford University Press)

Amount: $21,449

Title: The Effect of Anthropogenic Barriers on the Population Genetic Structure of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) Principal Investigator: Harry Greene (Cornell University)

Amount: $29,730

Title: The Effects of Acid and Mercury Deposition on Forest-breeding Terrestrial Bird Diversity in New York Principal Investigators: Kenneth Rosenberg (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology) and Ralph Hames (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

Amount: $32,835

Title: Updating the Rare Moss List for New York State: Ecological Community and Species-centered Approaches Principal Investigators: Natalie Cleavitt (Cornell University), Nancy Slack (Russell Sage College), and Susan Williams (Independent bryophyte consultant)

Amount: $23,270

Title: Vouchered Floras of Underreported Counties of New York State Principal Investigator: Donna Vogler (SUNY College at Oneonta)

Amount: $12,084

Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling 518-486-4845 or 518-474-6531.

# # #

ALBANY, NY -- The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) has awarded $526,182 in grant funds for biodiversity research, conservation and education efforts in New York State.

These grants support research projects that will improve our basic understanding of New York State plants and animals, from fungi and insects to turtles and bats. They also will increase the importance of the state’s invaluable natural history collections. With this support, scientists and educators will examine how different species, such as clams, birds, and plants, interact in their natural environments and identify how species and communities react to potential threats, such as non-native invasive species. This will, in turn, lead to better directed conservation practices in the state. Many of these projects offer opportunities for the public to join in data collection and to become actively engaged in scientific research and contribute to conservation of New York State biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Research Institute, based on the recommendations of leading researchers in the fields of environmental science and education, selected the following projects to support over the coming year:

Title: NYS Museum Insect Type Collection on the Internet: 3-D Images and DNA Bar Codes

Principal Investigators: Dr. Morton Adams (The Olive Natural Heritage Society, Inc.) and Dr. Timothy McCabe (New York State Museum)

Amount: $15,132

Title: Wood-inhabiting Microfungi (molds) of New York

Principal Investigators: Dr. C.J.K.Wang (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $25,536

Title: Monograph of Hydrozetes (Acari: Oribatida) and computerized key to aquatic oribatid mites of New York

Principal Investigators: Dr. Roy Norton (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $25,110

Title: Audubon Enhancement of the New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey 2006/07

-more-

-2-

Principal Investigators: Richard Haley (Audubon New York) and Andrew Mackie (Audubon New York)

Amount: $25,416

Title: Shrubland Bird-Habitat Relations and Management in the Lower Great Lakes Plain of New York State

Principal Investigators: Dr. Christopher Norment (SUNY Brockport)

Amount: $20,208

Title: Assessing the Status of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake in New York State

Principal Investigators: Dr. James Gibbs (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) and Kevin Shoemaker (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $20,676

Title: Impact of viburnum leaf beetle invasion on arrowwood viburnum and associated native plant communities

Principal Investigators: Dr. Paul Weston (Cornell University) and Victoria Nuzzo (Natural Areas Consultants)

Amount: $27,600

Title: The Importance of Substrate and Old-Growth Characters to Bryoflora in Sugar Maple Forests

Principal Investigators: Aissa Feldmann (New York Natural Heritage Program)

Amount: $32,148

Title: Assessment of Potential Impacts to Biodiversity in the NY Harbor Heronries by Double-crested Cormorants

Principal Investigators: Dr. Susan Elbin (Wildlife Trust)

Amount: $7,000

Title: The Potential Effects of Earthworms on Forest Floor Invertebrates

Principal Investigators: Dr. Richard Wyman (Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve & Biological Research Station)

Amount: $31,800

Title: Benthic biodiversity in the Great South Bay: Effects of hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) restoration

Principal Investigators: Michael Doall (Stony Brook University) and Dr. Bradley Peterson (Stony Brook University)

Amount: $32,652

Title: Environmental influences on plant diversity in rich fens of central New York; A multiscale analysis

Principal Investigators: Dr. Donald Leopold (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $18,014

Title: Landscape-level Habitat and Area Requirements of Cerulean Warbler in New York

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael Burger (Audubon New York) and Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

Amount: $15,070

-more-

-3-

Title: Predicting Hotspots of Herpetofauna Mortality on New York Highways: Validation of Principal Investigators: Dr. Tom Langen (Clarkson University) and Dr. Glenn Johnson (SUNY Potsdam)

Amount: $12,901

Title: Long-term Responses of Breeding Birds to Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

Principal Investigators: Dr. William Porter (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Amount: $23,995

Title: Is restoration necessary following invasive plant removal? Assessments of three species in the Adirondack Park.

Principal Investigators: Hilary Oles (Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program)

Amount: $21,857

Title: Assessing the Ecological Health of New York Forests: Using Birds and Citizens to Advance Conservation

Principal Investigators: Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology), Dr. Ralph Hames (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology), Rebecca Shirer (Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy), and Dr. Timothy Tear (Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy)

Amount: $34,901

Title: Determining the summer distribution of Indiana bats from the Williams Lake Complex, Ulster County, NY

Principal Investigators: Alan Hicks (NYS Department of Environmental Conservation)

Amount: $13,900

Title: Effects of Predator Exclosures and Predator Visits of Piping Plover Incubation Behavior and Hatching Success

Principal Investigators: Dr. Julie Heath (Hofstra University) and Paul Doherty (Hofstra University)

Amount: $22,769

Title: Photo monitoring invasive species utilizing public participation

Principal Investigators: Dr. Roland Kays (New York State Museum)

Amount: $8,333

Title: The Identification of Areas in the State Most Threatened by Residential Development

Principal Investigators: Jillian Liner (Audubon New York)

Amount: $30,217

Title: The Birds of Dutchess County, New York Today and Yesterday

Principal Investigators: Barbara Butler (Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club, Inc.) and Stan DeOrsey (Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club, Inc.)

Amount: $3,000

Title: Establishment of a citizen science network for observing changes in plant phenology from climate change

Principal Investigators: Dr. David Weinstein (Cornell University)

Amount: $25,020

-more-

-4-

Title: Biodiversity Outreach, Squared – Training the Trainers

Principal Investigators: Dr. Steve Morreale (Cornell University)

Amount: $32,927

The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of biological information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. The New York State Legislature created the Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI is housed within the New York State Museum and is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI is collaboration between the State Museum, Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, and The Nature Conservancy.

Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling 518-486-4845 or 518-474-6531.

# # #

ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Museum Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

October 4 – “Promoting Biodiversity Stewardship on Private Forest Land in New York

State.” Dr. Michael Burger, director of bird conservation at Audubon New York, will present the results of field research on wildlife species distributions in relation to forest management and discuss practical, ecologically sustainable forestry practices.

October 11 – “Utricularia inflata: Yet Another Invasive Threat to Aquatic Biodiversity?”

Dr. John Titus, associate professor of biology at Binghamton University (SUNY), will share his research on the ecological impact of the swollen bladderwort (Utricularia inflate), a non-native freshwater plant that is rapidly invading lakes in the Adirondack Park.

October 18 – “Trends in New York's Rare Plants: Why Have Some Common Plants Become Rare?” Steve Young, program botanist with the New York Natural Heritage Program, will talk about rare plants and discuss why some species, once common in the state, are now considered rare. October 25 – “Grassland Birds in the Northeast: Ecology, Management, and Conservation.” Dr. Chris Norment, professor of environmental science and biology at SUNY Brockport, will discuss the ecology and conservation of grassland birds, populations of which have declined significantly in the Northeast during the last four decades.

-more-

-2-

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in April focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State. 
All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Carole F. Huxley Museum Theater. The lecturers will focus on the results of research that was funded by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute. Lecture topics and dates are: 
• April 4 – “From Ferns to Fens: Highlights of Biodiversity-related Research in New York State.” Distinguished Teaching Professor Dr. Donald Leopold, chair of the faculty of environmental and forest biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, will review projects that he and his graduate students have worked on, including research on the hart’s-tongue fern, habitat restoration for Karner blue butterflies, and diversity patterns in medium and rich fens.
• April 11 – “Disturbing Forest and Field to Maximize Biodiversity: from Micro-disturbance for Ceruleans to Mega-disturbance for Golden-wings.” Dr. John Confer, associate professor of biology at Ithaca College, will discuss current conservation concerns for managing biodiversity, including golden-winged warblers that rely on disturbance-dependent ecosystems.
• April 18 – “The Flat Rock: New York’s Native Jack Pine Forest from an Entomological Perspective” New York’s sandstone barrens, known as “flat rock,” has an insect fauna that has had to adapt to severe drought, severe cold, and intense fire. State Entomologist Dr. Timothy McCabe has surveyed insects (particularly moths) on the flat rock and will discuss the secret life of several of these barrens specialists.
• April 25 – “Mississippian and Rare: The Plight of Fishes on the Periphery of their Range” Since the Allegheny River watershed is the only part of New York State drained by the Mississippi River system, several resident fishes are at the periphery of their range. Rarity can be dismissed as a result of their confined range, but other factors may also play a role. Dr. Robert Daniels, curator of ichthyology and assistant director of research and collections at the New York State Museum, discusses habitat degradation and other environmental conditions affecting these species.
The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.
The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.
# # #

ALBANY, NY – Cast Images: American Bronze Sculpture from The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens at the New York State Museum October 20.

On view through February 24, 2008 in the Museum’s West Gallery, the exhibition is the 18th installment of the Bank of America Great Art Exhibition and Education Program, which brings art from New York State’s leading art museums to the State Museum. This is also the fifth exhibition in the Great Art Series drawn from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collections—a collaboration that began in the early 1990s.

“The Metropolitan Museum of Art is delighted to continue its longstanding association with the New York State Museum through the presentation of the Cast Images exhibition,” said Emily Kernan Rafferty, president of the Metropolitan Museum. “We are pleased to have this opportunity to share highlights from our comprehensive collection of American bronze sculptures with residents of upstate New York.”

Curated by Thayer Tolles, associate curator in the Metropolitan’s Department of American Paintings and Sculpture, the exhibition features 50 small-scale bronze sculptures from the Metropolitan’s permanent collection. Artists represented in the exhibition, many of whom worked in New York, include Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Frederic Remington, Daniel Chester French, Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Paul Manship.

The centuries-old tradition of casting bronze into sculptural form reached the United States by 1850, reaching its apex in the early decades of the 20th century. Small bronze statuettes, busts, and medallions enjoyed great popularity as fine collectible objects for domestic decoration. Bronze was heralded as a democratic, readily accessible American medium because bronze sculptures were easily produced in the United States, in contrast to marble sculptures that were primarily carved in Europe. A short video explaining the bronze-casting process is featured in the exhibition installation.

Cast Images traces the historical development of the small American bronze from aesthetic and

-more-

-2-

thematic standpoints. The exhibition is centered on four distinct themes — American life, history and heroes, myth and allegory and the American West. Included are such familiar sculptures as The Bronco Buster by Remington, a native of Canton, New York, and Victory, a gilded allegorical figure by Saint-Gaudens, drawn from his Sherman Monument in New York City.

Artists responded to a call for subjects that were rendered with realistic detail and addressed aspects of the American experience. John Quincy Adams Ward was inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of September 1862 to model his Freedman, a sensitive representation of a former slave released from the shackles of servitude. Likewise, Abastenia St. Leger Eberle drew her inspiration for Girl Skating from Lower East Side working-class immigrants. The joyful girl in the sculpture experiences the popular pastime of roller skating on just one skate.

The State Museum plans several programs to complement this exhibition. A special evening viewing will be held on Friday, November 2, from 5 to 9 p.m., as part of the Museum’s 1st Friday program. Museum staff will be available to answer questions and complimentary refreshments will be served. Further information is available at www.1stfridayalbany.org.

A free “Creative Art Day” program on Saturday, October 20, from 1 to 3 p.m., invites families to engage in “artful” activities based on this exhibition. No registration is necessary.

Professional sculptor Liza Todd-Tivey will conduct a workshop on Saturday, October 27 and Saturday, November 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., demonstrating the fundamentals of sculpting. Todd-Tivey attended the Hornsey College of Art in London and the Otis Institute in Los Angeles. She is recognized as one of the world’s foremost equestrian sculptors and her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the U.S. and Europe. Objects from the Museum’s collections will be used as models for the sculpture class. Participants will also go on a guided tour of the Cast Images exhibition. The fee is $85 for Museum members and $95 for non-members. Participation is limited. Pre-registration, required by October 22, may be made by calling (518) 473-7154 or emailing psteinba@mail.nysed.gov.

The “ARTventures” program, on Saturday, December 29, will include a visit to the Cast Images exhibition, followed by a hands-on, art-making experience with instructor Peggy Seinbach. The program, from 1-3 p.m., is free to Museum members and $5 for non-members. Participation is limited. Pre-registration is suggested and may be made by calling (518) 473-7154 or emailing psteinba@mail.nysed.gov.

A free lecture by exhibition curator Thayer Tolles about American bronze sculpture and Cast Images will be held on Saturday, February 2 at 2 p.m. No registration is necessary.

Cast Images was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Museum’s American Wing is now in the midst of a major multi-phase construction project to improve the presentation of its collections. When the galleries for the permanent collections of paintings and sculpture reopen in late 2010, the expanded and redesigned spaces will feature more easily navigable and accessible

installations, enhancing every visitor’s experience of this nation’s greatest artistic treasures. Further

-more-

-3-

information on the American Wing and the American sculpture collection is available by visiting the Metropolitan’s website at www.metmuseum.org.

The New York State Museum expresses its gratitude to Bank of America, the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly for making Cast Images possible. Additional support is provided by Hodgson Russ LLP, a Buffalo-based law firm with an office in Albany, and media sponsors Time Warner Cable/Capital News 9 and the Times Union.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

- High school students from throughout the Capital District will come to the New York State Museum Monday, May 17 to participate in a national teleconference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic Brown v. the Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended federally sanctioned racial segregation in public schools.

The State Museum is one of the host sites for the national program, whose theme is "Looking Back and Moving Forward." Local students will be among more than 400 participating in the 'teach-in" teleconference, sponsored by New York University. Area high schools participating include Albany, Troy, Schenectady, North Colonie and Guilderland. Also attending will be the Albany Boys and Girls Clubs, the Albany Medical Center Science and Technology Entry programs and the State Museum's Discovery Squad program.

In the case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This groundbreaking case provided the legal foundation of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The "Looking Back" teleconference session will include comments from a former student affected by the closing of the segregated schools, the grandson of the lawyer who mounted the original court case, the daughters of the original plaintiff in a key Delaware court case and the man who led the walkout of students in affected schools. Following the telecast, students will break into small groups for the "Looking Back" session when they will discuss their reaction to the telecast and their opinions on the relevance of the Brown case to the Capital District.

The state Education Department, New York State United Teachers, the local NAACP chapter and the African-American Institute are co-sponsors of the local event. It is part of a three-day national conference at New York University May 17-19.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, N.Y. - "Burgess Shale: Evolution's Big Bang," a new traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), will open at the New York State Museum on December 18 and continue on through March 12, 2003.

The exhibition uses fossils, lifelike models, scientific illustrations and interactives to highlight events of this evolutionary transformation of life. It is complemented by exhibits organized by State Museum staff that explain how exceptionally preserved fossils are formed, as well as their particular significance in reconstructing ancient life history. A broad perspective on fossils and earth's "deep time" is provided by the museum's "Ancient Life in New York" exhibition, which forms the entry to the "Burgess Shale" exhibition.

Ranked as one of the 20th century's most significant paleontological discoveries, the fossils of the Burgess Shale, in the Canadian Rockies, were discovered in 1909 by Charles Walcott, then secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Prior to that time, Walcott worked in Albany at the Cabinet of Natural History, which became the New York State Museum. He served as the assistant to James Hall, the New York State paleontologist. He worked in Albany from 1876 to 1878 and collected fossils from Quebec, Brazil, the Falklands, Morocco and elsewhere for comparison with New York's fossils. The fossils he collected are the most frequently loaned and studied materials of the State Museum's paleontology collections. The fossils of the Burgess Shale provide researchers with the most complete record of life at the end of the so-called "Cambrian Explosion" a biological "big bang," which began 580 million years ago.

Among the astonishing diversity of creatures discovered was Anomalcaris, a gigantic beast for its time, at 3 feet long, which roamed the seas, preying on smaller creatures more than 500 million years ago. Also found was Pikaia, a slightly flattened worm, which displays a fundamentally important feature - a dorsal nerve cord. This means that it is the oldest known chordate and the earliest known ancestor of vertebrates, from fish to humans.

The exhibition explores current theories about the "Cambrian Explosion," a burst of evolutionary activity 550 million to 530 million years ago, which generated a sudden increase in the complexity and variety of animal life. Also presented are highlights from the story of early life on Earth. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the extraordinary creatures found in the Burgess Shale combine with the tales and methods of the paleontologists who have studied these fossils to engage the audience in an ever-changing adventure.

Visitors will learn that many of the fossil faunas found in the Burgess Shale are among the earliest representations of virtually all modern, multi-cellular animals. Others appear unrelated to any living forms and their later disappearance presents an intriguing mystery to paleontologists.

Exhibits organized by museum staff are targeted at school groups and natural history enthusiasts. They will be able to see the youngest and oldest perfectly preserved fossils in the museum's collections, exceptional fossils from sites across New York and as far away as Germany and Lebanon. This includes 49 million-year-old bat, bird, frog and fish fossils on loan from the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Frankfurt. The exhibits also explore the relationship of exceptional fossils to Middle Eastern oil deposits.

Topics relating to evolution will be further explored through lectures in the upcoming installment of the continuing Museum Series - "Evolution is Good Science: A Month-Long Celebration of (Charles) Darwin's Birthday." The lectures will be held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. January 29 through February 19 in the Museum Theater at the State Museum.

Further information about the Burgess Shale is available at www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/shale/index.htm1, a section of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History Web site. The site offers photographs of fossil specimens, artists' reconstructions of primitive animals that lived over half a billion years ago, as well as brief descriptions of the creature's lives, habitats and place in biological history. "Burgess Shale: Evolution's Big Bang" was developed by SITES and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History's Department of Paleobiology. Douglas H. Erwin, the exhibition curator of the museum, is the co-author of "The Fossils of Burgess Shale." After leaving the State Museum, the exhibition will continue on a four-year tour to 15 institutions.

One of the Smithsonian's four national programs, SITES makes available a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history which are shown not only in museums but in libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, schools etc.. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877.

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Museum will host a special temporary exhibition of rare artifacts, reflecting more than two centuries of New York State politics and social history, on Friday, September 28.

The exhibition, from 1-5 p.m in the West Gallery, will feature artifacts from the most comprehensive, one-of-a-kind collection, in public hands, providing documentation of New York State’s gubernatorial elections. Museum curator Craig Williams will be available to answer questions about the collection.

The artifacts reflect historically important issues that were discussed and debated by major and third party candidates in New York State and the country-at-large, including transportation, civil rights, education, abolition, the environment, suffrage and prohibition. The display also shows how campaign literature has evolved from being very formal to more casual and creative.

Included are posters, banners and broadsides from the New York State Library and photos, ballots, campaign buttons, convention badges and other artifacts from the Museum collection. Most of the artifacts are displayed in more than 100 framed trays, as they were when received from the donor, Bill Winnewisser of Syracuse.

The exhibition spans the eras from the 1787 campaign of Governor George Clinton to the 2006 campaign of Governor Eliot Spitzer. Some items from the collection were included in an exhibition held at the Museum on New Year’s Day.

The New York State chapter of the American Political Item Collectors (APIC), in the area for a weekend convention, will visit the exhibition on Friday. Started in 1945, APIC has more than 2,000 members and is one of the oldest hobby organizations in the country, along with coin and stamp collector organizations. Members come from all walks of life, with interests in history, politics, social movements and the environment.

The APIC convention is open to the public on Saturday, September 29 from 8 a.m. to 3p.m at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel, 1228 Western Ave. Members and the general public may buy, sell and trade political campaign memorabilia and visit with other collectors. Free appraisal services are available.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum’s non-holiday hours are daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY – A New York State Museum scientist has collaborated with Smithsonian colleagues to make more than 202,000 wildlife photos available to the public for the first time through a new searchable website called Smithsonian Wild.

The new website, at eMammal, allows the public to see exactly what scientists see in their research — photos of wildlife captured at close range, from the head-on stare of a jaguar in Peru to inside the mouth of a giant panda in China. Three of the nine photo sets available on the site come from research in the Adirondacks and other locations, conducted by Dr. Roland Kays, the State Museum’s curator of mammals. The site operates off of a database that was created as part of Kays’ National Science Foundation funded research.

The images were taken through camera traps – automated cameras triggered by motion sensors. Left in natural areas to photograph whatever passes in front of them, the cameras record the diversity and often the behavior of animals around the world. Studying animals in the wild can be challenging, especially if it involves a rare or elusive species like the giant panda or the clouded leopard, where camera traps have provided critical data as well as amazing photos.

“One of the most exciting parts of biology field work is to check a camera trap and have the first look at the animal pictures,” said Kays. “We wanted to share this thrill of discovery with the public, let them see all the pictures, the good ones and the bad ones, to get a new perspective on nature.”

All of the photos are untouched and appear exactly as they did when they were taken from the cameras. The current website includes both still photos and video clips of more than 200 species of mammals and birds from seven projects conducted by Smithsonian researchers and their colleagues. The site provides links through social media such as Flickr, Twitter and Facebook to allow the public to share and comment on the photos. The site also provides reference links from each photo to corresponding species pages at the Encyclopedia of Life, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s own “North American Mammals” page, which Kays also collaborated on.

Further information also is available in a “Museum Moment” YouTube video featuring Kays on the State Museum website.

The new photo website is part of the Smithsonian’s “Web 2.0” initiative to make research conducted by Smithsonian scientists and their colleagues more accessible to the public. The primary goal of this initial effort is to share the unique information collected around the world by these cameras with the broader public, giving them a better sense not only of the diversity of wildlife that exists, but also of the diversity of wildlife research at the Smithsonian.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

# # #

ALBANY, NY - The New York State Museum will sponsor a series of free presentations on the history of the Erie Canal, as part of its continuing Museum Series, which offers a peek at the groundbreaking work being done by museum scientists and historians. The presentations will take place each Wednesday at 7 p.m. over a four-week period January 16 through February 6.

The four presentations are:

Wednesday, January 16

Water Ways West: The Antecedents and Origins of the Erie Canal
Philip Lord, Jr., director of the Division of Museum Services, will discuss inland navigation 200 years ago and the experimental engineering works of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company. This private enterprise helped to open the canal age in New York between 1792 and 1803.

Wednesday January 23

The Erie Canal in Saratoga County
John Scherer, state museum curator of decorative arts and historian for the Town of Clifton Park, will present a slide lecture on the Erie Canal in Saratoga County. Those attending can explore the canal through historic photographs contrasted with present day views, and learn about the local characters that lived and worked along the canal.

Wednesday January 30

The Erie Canal's Most Important Vessel - The Day Peckinpaugh 
Craig Williams, the museum's senior curator of history, will describe the story of the Peckinpaugh, a 1921 motorship that became the last regularly scheduled commercial vessel on the state's canal system.

Wednesday February 6

The Stand at the Lock, Fort Plain
Ron Burch, senior historian and curator of art and architecture, will present a slide lecture discussing the architectural and social history of the Fort Plain lock "stand," a combination grocery, tavern, hotel, and residence built in the 1840s.

For further information about this exciting roster of programs, call (518) 474-5877.

The third annual Capital Region Canstruction, a design competition benefiting The Food Pantries for the Capital District, will be held at the New York State Museum March 28 through April 11, 2013. Canstruction participants design and build giant-sized unique structures made entirely out of canned goods. This year's participants have been challenged to collect 50,000 cans and $50,000 to support local food pantries.

Ten teams comprised of local architecture, engineering and construction firms, as well as design students, will create canned good sculptures inspired by this year's theme, "Can You Imagine", at the 4th floor of the State Museum. Participants include CHA, CSArch, Creighton Manning, EYP, Mosaic, Price Chopper, Ryan Biggs, RPI and Sano Rubin.

Sculpture designs include The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Albert Einstein, Wizard of Oz—The Emerald City, and a leprechaun. All cans used in the displays were purchased from Price Chopper, the major event sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District at the end of Canstruction.

Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods to the State Museum and participate in the Canstruction competition. Visitors can use their canned goods as ballots to help determine the winner of the 
Community Choice award. Other awards, including "Best Use of Labels" and "Structural Ingenuity", will be chosen by a panel of local judges. A new award this year, "Most Money Raised", will be presented to the team who contributes the most financial support to the event.

"We are pleased and honored to once again host Canstruction at the State Museum," said Mark Schaming, State Museum Director. "Canstruction is fascinating to see, but most importantly, it provides support for vital community services. We invite the Capital Region to visit the State Museum during Canstruction and help make sure those in need in our community won't have to go hungry."

"We are proud to bring Canstruction to the Capital Region showcasing the deep talent of local firms and students, and ultimately donating tens of thousands of cans of food to feed the hungry in our region," said Sara Stein, AIA, LEED AP, President of Capital Region Canstruction and Architect at EYP Architecture and Engineering.

Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District said, "This magnificent event not only helps The Food Pantries infuse its member pantries with much needed food, it heightens the awareness of the need in our community. The local numbers are devastating – our Pantries in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties provided food for over 2.5 million meals in 2012, 200,000 more than 2011. This event is one huge step forward for us to help alleviate hunger in our local community."

Capital Region Canstruction is supported by The American Institute of Architects' Eastern New York Chapter. This year's Canstruction is presented by Price Chopper with EYP Architecture & Engineering and media sponsor the Times Union. Gold sponsors include Zone 5, Key Bank, Camelot, A.W. Hastings & Co., Harbrook and Mazzone Hospitality. Silver sponsors include Data Flow and CDPHP.

The New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department"s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

ALBANY, NY – The “1911 Capitol Fire” exhibition will open at the New York State Museum on March 19 as part of a series of special events and programs commemorating the 100th anniversary of the devastating fire that struck the New York State Capitol.

Many Albany residents awoke in the early morning hours on March 29, 1911 to see the Capitol on fire. The entire western side of the presumed fireproof building was engulfed in flames shooting 200 feet high. The fast-moving flames destroyed much of the State Library, the fifth largest in the U.S., which was housed in the Capitol. More than 8,000 Museum objects stored in the Capitol were also destroyed or lost. The fire caused the unprecedented destruction of the state’s intellectual, cultural and historic property and also claimed the life of the lone night watchman.

Special events will include a commemoration ceremony at the Capitol on March 29 at 10 a.m., sponsored by the New York State Commission on the Restoration of the Capitol. The State Museum also will host a preview of a WMHT documentary – “The New York Capitol Fire” – in the Huxley Theater on Monday, March 28 at 12:15 p.m. It will air on WMHT on Thursday, March 31.

Open until June 18 in the lobby of the Office of Cultural Education (OCE), the exhibition is a collaboration between the State Museum, State Library and State Archives and chronicles how the fire affected each of the OCE institutions and their collections. It is based largely on the book, “The New York State Capitol and the Great Fire of 1911,” written by Paul Mercer and Vicki Weiss, senior librarians in the State Library’s Manuscripts and Special Collections unit.

The exhibition will include dramatic photographs, eyewitness accounts and artifacts that survived the blaze. One of those is a section of the iron chain link that stretched across the Hudson River between West Point and Constitution Island to prevent British vessels from navigating up the river during the American Revolution. West Point was a strategic site because of the s-curve in the Hudson there that forced large ships to slow down and become an easy target. The links were recovered from the State Library ruins after the fire. Another section of the chain is preserved at the West Point Military Academy.

Also on display are an 1892 fire helmet, lantern and fire nozzle, courtesy of Warren W. Abriel, a deputy chief in the Albany fire department and a fourth-generation Albany firefighter. The helmet was worn by Abriel’s great-grandfather, Reuben H. Abriel, who manned Steamer 2 for the Albany Fire Department when it was a volunteer force.

There also will be several objects showing fire damage that were part of the Museum’s world-famous Lewis Henry Morgan collection. New York state commissioned Morgan to gather objects from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) communities in the state and from the Six Nations reserve in Canada in 1849-50. All but 50 of some 500 objects were on exhibit.

On the day of the fire Arthur C. Parker, who was Seneca and the state’s first archaeologist, risked his life to save Museum collections and wrote that he was only able to save about 1,500 of the 10,000 objects. The only items in the Morgan collection that survived were in his office. The Parker family assisted Morgan in assembling the collection.

More information on the Morgan collection will be available at one of the programs planned at the Museum to complement the exhibition. The talks are all on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. They are:

• March 29 – Talk and Book Signing: “The New York State Capitol and the Great Fire of 1911.” Mercer and Weiss will present dramatic stories and images from their new book. The book will be for sale after the talk and also is available in the Museum shop and from the Friends of the New York State Library, which will receive all royalties from the book.

   

• April 5 – “The Conservation of Burned Documents.” Paper conservator Susan Bove of the State Archives will discuss contemporary preservation methods that were used to repair documents salvaged from the Capitol Fire. She will also talk about the conservation treatment protocol that she developed to meet the needs of these especially fragile items.

   

• Tuesday, April 12 – “Lessons Learned

   

• : Modern Response to Fire Events in Cultural Institutions. ”Paper conservator Michele Phillips of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Bureau of Historic Sites will provide an overview of best practices in action to safeguard collections and their impact on salvage and recovery.

   

• Tuesday, April 19 – “A Capitol Loss: The Lewis Henry Morgan Collection.” Dr. Betty J. Duggan, the Museum’s curator of Ethnography and Ethnology, recounts the collection’s history and the experience of its young curator, Arthur C. Parker, during and after the fire.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Coyotes, found in some nature preserves in New York State, may curb the curiosity of pet cats in the area, restricting their movements in nearby neighborhoods to a few neighbors' yards and the very edges of the preserves, according to a new study by New York State Museum researchers published in the August edition of Animal Conservation.

In the absence of larger predators, pet cats have been shown to drive birds and mammals to extinction. However, this new study by Roland Kays and Amielle DeWan reports that in areas with native predators, pet cats limit their movements in natural areas and do not significantly affect animal populations in nearby nature preserves.

Using radio collars to track the cats, the authors found that the pets mainly stayed in their yards, using small home ranges of about one-quarter acre. They rarely traveled into the preserve, only occasionally patrolling the forest edges. The study's motion-sensitive cameras supported these results, rarely detecting cats at sites more than 50 yards into the forest.

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve, the site of this summer 2001 study, protects enough land to maintain populations of coyotes and fishers. The authors suspect that the presence of these predators limits the movements of local pet cats. "Without a population of larger predators in the park the cats would probably overrun the area, which would be bad news for the smaller woodland creatures." says Kays, curator of mammals at the State Museum, "Because most cats get food from people they can reach unnaturally high densities if left unchecked. Protecting larger predators in these areas help restore the ecological balance."

The studied cats' small ranges limit their potential to impact the preserve's native mammal populations. Each cat caught about 5.5 animals per month in the summer, mostly small juvenile mammals, such as baby rabbits and small mice. Although the authors estimate nearly 2000 hunting pet cats in the 24-square-mile study area, this level of hunting did not affect the population sizes or foraging behavior of the preserve's small mammals.

"These pets were not very effective hunters and rarely went into the forest," says DeWan, currently a graduate student at Cornell University. "It takes more than that to affect populations of native mice that can live with as many as 15 per acre and breed four times a year."

Because there is very little prior research on the ecology of pet cats, it's unknown how well these results apply to other areas. "Cats live in a lot of different situations, from inside houses, on farms or in swarming 'cat colonies,'" explains Kays, "We are only just beginning to study the ecology of many of these systems."

Although the pet cats' hunting did not affect potential prey within the preserve, the researchers point out that they could pose a danger to animals trying to move across neighborhoods. This threat would further isolate the few remaining natural forests within suburban areas. The authors recommend that cat owners keep their cats inside to reduce their ecological impact, and avoid becoming a meal for a native predator.

In addition to using radio-collars, observations, and motion-sensitive cameras, the authors estimated the local cat population and hunting patterns from surveys of cat owners in the area. They also compared small mammal populations across the study area.

The State Museum, a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education, was founded on a tradition of scientific inquiry. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, NY - The New York State Museum has announced schedule changes for two of its current exhibitions - The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response and The Great American Circus.

The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response will temporarily close January 2 to allow for the installation and opening of phase two of the exhibition on January 30. The exhibition's second phase features two gallery sections-Recovery, the story of the massive operation at the Fresh Kills landfill, and Response, showcasing memorial material in the museum's collection.

The exhibition, which opened in September, is located in the museum's New York Metropolis Hall. It features the heavily damaged Engine 6 pumper, one of the first fire trucks to respond to the scene, as well as video and many other objects and images chronicling this tragic chapter in the nation's history. The first phase chronicles the first 24 hours of the attack at the World Trade Center.

The Great American Circus, which opened last May and was originally scheduled to close January 5, has been extended to May 31. This exhibition showcases one of America's premier collections of circus memorabilia and a giant, historically accurate model of the traveling circus created by Gordon Turner, a Colonie master model maker. Visitors to Exhibition Hall also will see other circus-related models, historic posters, sideshow banners and memorabilia, donated by George H. Barlow III of Binghamton, including photographs of circus photographer Edward Kelty. There also are 19th century circus toys, circus music and more.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

N Y S M

*Color slides are available by calling 518-486-2003.

The New York State Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.