<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear Colleagues,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Earlier this summer the University of Wyoming's administration made the decision to close the Biodiversity Institute, an organization that coordinates several citizen-science programs and other outreach, funds student research, and works closely with the University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates (UWYMV) on a number of these activities.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">If you have a moment, please read below and consider voicing your opinion on the decision. You don’t need to have interacted directly with the BI to show your support in the survey.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It is currently uncertain how this closure will affect UWYMV, but it will be affected nonetheless, in part because the museum and the BI are housed in the same building. I believe UWYMV Curator and CM Beth Wommack will provide more details as they emerge.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Here is a more recent article: <a href="http://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/local_news/more-questions-than-answers-on-biodiversity-institute/article_a059548e-b7c7-11e8-8158-93d470afbf73.html" class="">http://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/local_news/more-questions-than-answers-on-biodiversity-institute/article_a059548e-b7c7-11e8-8158-93d470afbf73.html</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">James<br class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">From: </b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Merav Ben-David <<a href="mailto:BenDavid@uwyo.edu" class="">BenDavid@uwyo.edu</a>><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">Biodiversity institute</b><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">Date: </b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">September 20, 2018 at 3:21:25 PM MDT<br class=""></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">To: </b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Merav Ben-David <<a href="mailto:BenDavid@uwyo.edu" class="">BenDavid@uwyo.edu</a>><br class=""></span></div><br class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Friends,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">The below survey is in response to the University of Wyoming’s decision to close the Biodiversity Institute (BI). The University’s press release announcing the closure can be read here (<a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2018/07/uw-pivots-in-biodiversity-science.html" target="_blank" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2018/07/uw-pivots-in-biodiversity-science.html</a>). The purpose of the survey is to determine if residents of Wyoming and beyond are supportive of the outreach and engagement activities of the Biodiversity Institute, and to gather signatures for a petition to keep the BI open. Please take a few minutes of your time to let us know how feel about the BI. More information about the BI can be found at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.wyobiodiversity.org/" target="_blank" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">www.wyobiodiversity.org</a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">The survey is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/QpFvl8uUxtdIg3ai2" target="_blank" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">here</a>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Please spread widely<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Merav<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">My apologies if you got this message multiple times…<span style="font-family: Wingdings;" class="">J</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Merav Ben-David<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Professor<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Department of Zoology and Physiology (3166)<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">University of Wyoming<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">1000 E University Ave.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Laramie, WY 82071<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">USA<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Phone: 307-214-0510<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Fax: 307-766-5625</div></div></div></blockquote></div></div><div class="">-–—–-</div><div class="">James A. Erdmann</div><div class="">Biology Technician</div><div class="">University of Wyoming</div><div class="">Dept. of Zoology & Physiology</div><div class="">Laramie, WY 82071 USA </div><div class="">+1-307-631-2115</div><div class=""><a href="mailto:muddynaturalist@gmail.com" class="">muddynaturalist@gmail.com</a></div></body></html>