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Funding to construct a new Bell Museum of Natural History on the St. Paul campus is part of the University’s capital request for the 2008 state legislative session.

We need your help to ensure that the legislature understands the need for this important state resource! Please send the House and Senate Higher Education Committees and your district's senator and representative a note asking them to support full funding of the University of Minnesota's 2008 capital request,  which includes funds to construct a new Bell Museum of Natural History. Personal letters and e-mails are some of the most effective ways to influence elected officials.

The University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History has been serving Minnesota for nearly 100 years. The Minnesota State Legislature created the museum back in 1872 as Minnesota's official natural history museum. Since that time, the museum’s collections and research, wildlife habitat dioramas, K-12 education programs, and statewide outreach have changed lives throughout our state. The Bell Museum also teaches undergraduate and graduate students and its collections provide an important resource for cutting edge research by University faculty and collaborators around the world.

A new, sustainable Bell Museum on the St. Paul campus will better serve the public in a modern, interactive space that brings people closer to their natural world. The new museum will also serve many more visitors, increasing attendance from 40,000 to 120,000 annually. The new facility will enable the museum to serve teachers and students more effectively. The new museum on its 13-acre site will provide outdoor and indoor environments for learning and teaching, and showcase the best of the museum's treasures in new ways. There will be countless new opportunities to understand and appreciate the natural world.

We have provided sample e-mail text below to help you tailor your own letter. Remember to use your own stories and anecdotes about why the Bell Museum and the University are important to you.

Learn more about the University’s 2008 Capital Request