Grand Rapids Public Museum

GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM COMMUNITY ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS [THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM PLANS TO RENOVATE A PORTION OF THE COMMUNITY ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH CENTER FACILITY INTO A NEW PUBLIC SPACE. THIS WILL INCLUDE TWO FLEXIBLE ARTIFACT LABS THAT WILL BE USED BY K-12 STUDENTS FOR HANDS-ON LEARNING WITH OBJECTS, BY COLLEGE STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS FOR IN-DEPTH ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS, FOR TRAINING TEACHERS ON HOW TO USE ARTIFACTS IN THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS, AND FOR SPECIAL EVENTS AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS OF THE ARCHIVES.]

IMPROVING CLIMATE CONTROL IN THE MUSEUM'S MAIN EXHIBITION BUILDING

THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM WILL IMPROVE THE HOUSING, ACCESSIBILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR 47,500 SPECIMENS IN ITS NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION BY INSTALLING NEW STORAGE UNITS THAT MEET THE MUSEUM INDUSTRY'S HIGHEST STANDARDS. THE NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION IS COMPOSED OF INVERTEBRATES WITH A RIGID SKELETON, BOTANICAL SPECIMENS, ROCKS AND MINERALS, BIRDS (MOUNTS, SKINS, AND EGGS), FOSSILS (VERTEBRATE AND INVERTEBRATE), MAMMALS (MOUNTS, SKINS, AND SKELETONS), AND REPTILES (MOUNTS AND SKELETONS). MOST OF THE NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION IS CURRENTLY STORED ON OPEN, STEEL SHELVING AND IN OLD CABINETS WITH WOOD DRAWERS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW 95% OF THE MUSEUM'S NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION TO BE STORED IN FULLY ENCLOSED CABINETS, PROTECTING SPECIMENS FROM LIGHT, DUST, MOISTURE, AND PESTS. WHEN COMPLETE, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE 34% MORE STORAGE SPACE AND ENSURE THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF THE UNIQUE COLLECTION.

A WATERSHED COMMUNITY OF SCIENTISTS WILL CONDUCT SPAWNING ABUNDANCE ESTIMATES FOR A REMNANT POPULATION OF LAKE STURGEON IN THE GRAND RIVER, MI. TWO METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES WILL BE USED AND INCLUDE THE PILOTING OF HYDROACOUSTIC IMAGING OF SPAWNING STURGEON AND GENETIC ANALYSIS OF AGE-0 STURGEON. THE TWO METHODS WILL PROVIDE ANNUAL SPAWNING ABUNDANCE AND EFFECTIVE SPAWNING SIZE ESTIMATES THAT WILL ESTABLISH A BASELINE TO BE USED FOR EVALUATING AND REFINING DETAILED MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS.THE GRAND RIVER LAKE STURGEON POPULATION IS ONE OF THE LAST IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN BASIN WHERE BASIC POPULATION DATA IS ABSENT. THE VOID COMES FROM DIFFICULTY IN SAMPLING A LARGE RIVER SYSTEM AND INVESTMENT TO UNDERSTAND FEASIBLE SURVEY METHODS. THIS HAS INHIBITED KNOWLEDGE OF A POPULATION TRAJECTORY, A PRIMARY METRIC WHICH MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (MIDNR) BASES MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO EVALUATE HYDROACOUSTIC METHODOLOGIES IN A LARGE RIVER SYSTEM THAT COULD PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT OPTION FOR OBTAINING POPULATION-LEVEL DATA ON A LARGE RIVER SYSTEM. A MULTI-ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATIVE HAS BEGUN TO ADDRESS LAKE STURGEON KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN THE GRAND RIVER AND HAS COLLECTED LAKE STURGEON RECRUITMENT DATA THROUGH VISUAL NIGHTTIME SURVEYS CONDUCTED OVER SIX YEARS. INDEX SITES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AND RECRUITMENT DOCUMENTED.IN 2022, PROJECT PARTNERS MEASURED LAKE STURGEON HABITAT IN THE GRAND RIVER AND EVALUATED LOCATIONS FOR DEPLOYING FIXED-LOCATION, HYDROACOUSTIC TECHNOLOGY TO QUANTIFY THE ANNUAL NUMBER OF STURGEON MIGRATING TO SPAWN. THIS STUDY WILL EXPAND UPON THE CURRENT EFFORT AND PROVIDE ESTIMATES ON ANNUAL SPAWNER ABUNDANCE, EFFECTIVE SPAWNER SIZE(PARENTS CONTRIBUTING TO SPAWNING), GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND RECRUITMENT. THE FIXED-LOCATION, SPLIT-BEAM HYDROACOUSTIC TECHNOLOGY WILL BE PILOTED DURING THE FIRST SEASON OF THE PROJECT AND THEN THE REFINED METHODOLOGICAL PROCESS WILL BE REDEPLOYED TO ASSESS ANNUAL NUMBERS OF LAKE STURGEON IN THE SPAWNING RUN. NIGHTTIME VISUAL SURVEYS WILL BE USED TO COLLECT GENETIC SAMPLES FROM AGE-0 STURGEON TO CALCULATE EFFECTIVE POPULATION SIZE, PARENTAL CONTRIBUTION, AND GENETIC DIVERSITY (SCRIBNER ET AL. 2022). THE USE OF ACOUSTICS TECHNIQUES HOLDS GREAT PROMISE FOR RAPID-ASSESSMENT OF LAKE STURGEON POPULATIONS AND HAVE BEEN USED FOR ASSESSING FISHERIES IN THE NORTHWEST ALTHOUGH ONLY A SINGLE LAKE STURGEON SPAWNING ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN CONDUCTED IN THE GREAT LAKES. THIS STUDY WILL PILOT ACOUSTIC METHODS WHICH MAY BE THE MOST FEASIBLE TECHNIQUE FOR ASSESSING LAKE STURGEON SPAWNING POPULATIONS IN LARGE RIVERS WITH TURBID WATERS. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM BOTH METHODS WILL PROVIDE THE BASELINE INFORMATION THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO MAKE INFORMED MANAGEMENT DECISIONS FOR THE GRAND RIVER LAKE STURGEON POPULATION.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

RIVER OF TIME: A GAME FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM IMPROVED MUSEUM ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION AND ACCESS PLANNING GRANT

THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM-THROUGH ITS MAGIC LANTERN PRESERVATION AND ACCESS PROJECT WILL CONSERVE AND PROPERLY HOUSE APPROXIMATELY 5,000 HISTORICAL IMAGES ON GLASS SLIDES AND MAKE THEM FREELY AVAILABLE AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE ON THE MUSEUM?S WEBSITE. THESE RARE AND FRAGILE IMAGES WERE CREATED IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY AND DEPICT BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCENES. THEIR LONG-TERM PRESERVATION WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR BROAD AUDIENCES RANGING FROM K-12 EDUCATORS TO THE LOCAL HISTORICAL COMMUNITY TO RESEARCHERS AND AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD-TO ACCESS THE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMAGES FOR MULTIPLE PURPOSES.

"THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM WILL IMPLEMENT A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES PERTAINING TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. AN EXPERT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CONSULTANT WILL DESIGN A CUSTOMIZED TRAINING PROGRAM FOR STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND BOARD MEMBERS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND ADOPTION OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICES TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT OF THE MUSEUM. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE AN ANNUAL PRE- AND POST- ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT TO MEASURE THE TRAINING'S EFFECTIVENESS. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE MUSEUM'S GOALS OF DIVERSIFYING ITS STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHILE ALSO DEVELOPING ITS EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMMING WITH THOUGHTFUL ENGAGEMENT OF DIVERSE AUDIENCES."