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Museum Update
Project is Moving Forward
In the nine hectic months since the idea of a Finger Lakes regional museum was first published, a lot has happened. Reader responses to an online poll enthusiastically favored the proposal to create a museum. A new website, www.fingerlakesmuseum.org was launched, and people from across the region filled my inbox with encouragement, ideas and offers to help.
This past July, the project’s first organizational meeting took place at the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance in Penn Yan with 28 people in attendance. Similar meetings have been held monthly since then. More than 50 participants are now actively involved. A board of trustees has been elected and incorporation papers have been filed. Several standing and ad hoc committees have been formed and are already busy at work.
The credentials of those who have volunteered are incredible. You couldn’t ask for a better wish-list of qualified people. The A-to-Z spectrum of talent ranges from architect to zoologist and includes every aspect of expertise imaginable. That expertise has fueled the vision that we are working to create a world-class learning institution. As Finger Lakes Community College History Professor Emeritus Henry Maus put it, “This project will be unique in the nation. Nowhere else have the cultural and natural histories of any region been combined in a single institution.”
A wild beaver colony is just one of the natural history exhibits being planned for the proposed Finger Lakes Cultural & Natural History Museum, making a wetland an important component of site selection.
Photo by John Adamski
We are forming valuable partnerships – with the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, Life in the Finger Lakes magazine, the Native American community, the wine industry and Finger Lakes Community College. The college is considering the addition of a museum sciences program to its curriculum. We are looking forward to more academic partners and will soon be meeting with other colleges and universities in the Finger Lakes Region as well.
One reason that this project has moved along so quickly is the work of its mentors. Betsy Lowe, founder of The Wild Center, trustee Nancy Howard, managing director Stephanie Ratcliffe and curator David Gross have generously shared their advice, ideas, facts, figures and valuable time, all of which have helped to get us on the fast track. They have guided members of our group on behind-the-scenes tours of their museum on many occasions. Adirondack Museum Director Caroline Welsh has also reached out to collaborate with our board of trustees and we will be meeting with her next spring when that museum reopens.
So what lies ahead? The most important goal is to find a site with public utilities that are sufficient for the project’s needs, combined with enough wild acreage to create a wilderness experience and support free-ranging wildlife. Lake-frontage or a lake view would be nice. A challenging task? You bet it is! But we have the expertise.
Visit www.fingerlakesmuseum.org if you have any ideas or suggestions.
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