[NHCOLL-L:2176] Closure of the Iowa Herbarium: The Issue and the Impact

[Diana Horton]

The Issue:  Organismal and Environmental Biology
It has been suggested that the situation with the University of Iowa 
Herbarium is different from others where herbaria are being closed, because 
the University of Iowa collections will be transferred to Iowa State 
University.  It is crucial for people to understand that, if the 
administration's plan is carried out, this Herbarium will be closed, and 
there will be far-reaching, long-term negative impacts for organismal and 
environmental biology at the University of Iowa (see below).  Even though 
the collections will be accessible elsewhere, closure of this Herbarium 
will severely undermine organismal and environmental biology at this 
university.  It is on this basis that we ask you to support our efforts and 
sign the petition.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/herbarui/petition.html

If you have time to write a letter of support, please address it to 
University of Iowa President Skorton (david-skorton at uiowa.edu) and copy to 
me (diana-horton at uiowa.edu).

The Impact:  Loss of a centre for organismal and environmental studies
- Over the last ten years, more than 10 native species never before 
recorded from the state have been discovered in eastern Iowa by people 
using the Herbarium.

- Over the last ten years, 100 publications/reports/creative works and over 
30 theses have been based on use of the Herbarium 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/HerbariumPublications1989-2003.htm). 


- Over the same 10-year period, class use of the Herbarium averaged over 
300 students/yr in 10-12 courses 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/HerbUgrEd2003.htm).

- We have an active outreach program that includes presentations to 
conservation groups, schools and colleges, and the Herbarium web site 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium) averages over 4,000 Requests for 
Pages and over 1,000 Distinct Hosts Served monthly 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/WebSiteNov2003.htm).

Undoubtedly, field investigations of plants in eastern Iowa, the region 
with the greatest biodiversity, will be greatly reduced, even though our 
work over the last 10-15 years demonstrates that there is a great deal 
still to be learned about plant distributions in this part of the 
state.  The loss of the Herbarium also will compromise the quality of the 
educational experience for Liberal Arts students at the University of Iowa 
and it will seriously undermine the Green Track of the popular 
Environmental Sciences Program.  Our outreach program, via presentations; 
tours for students from surrounding colleges and schools; assistance with 
identification; and the Herbarium web site, will cease.  Overall, fewer 
people will learn about plants, collections-based research, the environment 
and conservation, and fewer will have ready access to a vital resource for 
assessing the environment.  In short, the closure of the University of Iowa 
Herbarium will eliminate a centre for organismal and environmental studies, 
and reduce the resources dedicated to promoting these vital aspects of biology.

Diana Horton
Director and Curator, University of Iowa Herbarium
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
312 CB
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA  52242-1297
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