"The Bell Museum has always helped us to understand the beauty and complexity of our relationships and interactions with the natural world. It will always continue to serve us in this way. It is the state's natural history museum, and on the St. Paul campus it will serve our University, our community, and our state as a dynamic gateway to our natural environments and habitats. Art, science, education, and innovation will combine to enrich, educate, and ultimately inspire future generations at a new Bell Museum."

—University of Minnesota President Robert H. Bruininks

WHY IS THE BELL MUSEUM IMPORTANT TO MINNESOTA?

• The museum is home to the state’s collections of plant and animal life and a source of information about nature locally, regionally, and globally.
• The Bell Museum is the state’s natural history museum, created by an 1872 act of the legislature and located on the University of Minnesota campus.
• The museum serves all 87 Minnesota counties through public programs, community outreach, and collections.
• The museum exhibits the diverse natural life of our state and region.
• The museum teaches undergraduate and graduate students.
• Bell Museum faculty conduct cutting-edge environmental research.
• The museum provides K-12 education programs and resources for teachers based on Minnesota’s graduation standards.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT?

• To serve more visitors in a modern, flexible, and sustainable museum building.
• To join the museum with its collections, teaching, research, and faculty on the St. Paul campus.
• To partner with university units conducting cutting edge environmental research.
• To create awareness of key environmental issues of importance to Minnesotans.
• To add outdoor teaching environments.
• To draw public attention to the University’s environmental leadership, including the newly created Institute on the Environment.
• To promote environmental sustainability by conserving resources and exhibiting the principles of sustainability.
• To provide accessible parking and food service for visitors.

WHAT WILL THE PROJECT COST?

• The total project cost is $36 million.
• $12 million is anticipated from private donations and federal appropriations, with $10.2 million already committed.
• $24 million in bonding is being requested from the Legislature.

Pratt Community School students and Teacher Kate Weidenbach kicked off a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in support of the University of Minnesota's bonding request. The fifth-graders, who regularly participate in Bell Museum K-12 programs, presented Representative Alice Hausman (far right) with a signed card for her work on behalf of the museum's new building campaign.