How to Support Bishop Museum (fwd)

[Peter Rauch]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 22:24:19 +0300
From: Scott Miller <smiller at icipe.org>
To: Peter Rauch <anamaria at grinnell.berkeley.edu>
Subject: How  to Support Bishop Museum

[Please forward to TAXACOM]

In response to the requests I've had  from various people about how best to
support the problems facing Bishop Museum, here is a concise summary from
Allen Allison.  If you do write support letters, I would personally suggest
emphasizing the value of the "Hawaii Biological Survey" and the need for the
state government to support that vital systematics infrastructure.

>>
>>You asked for a short statement on how the community could best
>>support Bishop Museum.  Our problems are mainly problems involving our
>>state appropriation.  In 1989, the first year of the appropriation, we
>>received $1.352 million.  By 1992 this had increased to $2.466 million.  In
>>1995 it had decreased to $2.077 million, by 1996 it decreased to $928,873,
>>and by 1998 it was down to $805,000.  This fiscal year (1999) it was
>>reduced by more than half to $381,000.  In other words, in less that a
>>decade we've lost ~84% of our state funding.  That funding has mostly
>>provided basic support for the care, maintenance and access of collections.
>> It has also provided a crucial match for obtaining research and
>>collections support grants.  Our primary priority is to increase our state
>>funding this year from the $381,000 proposed by the Governor to the $1.6
>>million we've formally requested.  I might add that last year we faced
>>losing our state appropriation entirely.  I think that our letter writing
>>campaign at that time helped us avoid that fate.  We are again asking our
>>colleagues to write in support of increasing our state appropriation.  Our
>>basic message is that although we are a private institution, we are a
>>crucial component of the state's infrastructure in science, cultural
>>history and education.  Letters of support are best directed to me; I will
>>forward to government officials: Allen Allison, Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice
>>Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817.  Fax 808-847-8252 and e-mail
>>allison at hawaii.edu.
>>
>>Many thanks for your help.
>>
>>Cheers, Allen


=============================================================
Scott E. Miller, Leader, Biodiversity and Conservation Programme
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
Box 30772, Nairobi, KENYA
Tel: +254-2-861680 [switchboard]   -861309 [direct]    Fax: +254-2-860110
Email: smiller at icipe.org -- or -- scottm at hawaii.edu

Africa: www.icipe.org/environment/biodiversity_index.html
New Guinea (UPDATED): www.bishopmuseum.org/bishop/natsci/ng/newguinea.html