GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History will celebrate its 100-year anniversary as the state museum with a gala on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2017, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Powell Hall on the University of Florida campus. The event will include dinner, live entertainment and dancing.

Other anniversary weekend activities include a public celebration and academic symposium. The museum is also producing a special 100-year anniversary exhibition scheduled to open during fall 2017.

The museum traces its roots to the 1890s as part of Florida Agricultural College in Lake City, where the first specimens were collected and used for teaching. In 1906, the collections were moved and the museum was established on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.

The celebration marks the anniversary of the museum’s designation as the state’sofficial natural history museum and Florida’s first state-legislated cultural institution. Formerly known as the Florida State Museum, it was established on May 30, 1917.

In the last 100 years, the museum’s collections have grown to more than 40 million specimens and artifacts. The collections serve as an invaluable resource for scientific research worldwide addressing critical issues including biodiversity, climate change, invasive species, water and air quality, and cultural heritage and change.

For more information, please contact Paul Ramey, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu or 352-273-2054.

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Writer: Maria Espinoza, PRintern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu