Collections Improvement for Paleobotany at the Denver Museum of Natural History

丹佛自然历史博物馆（DMNH）的古植物学收藏是研究北美西部内陆植被和气候性质的重要国家和地区资源。藏品中有大约26000个标本，包括4个模式标本和一些来自晚白垩纪、古新世和始新世的重要组合。亮点包括北美和新西兰白垩纪-第三纪边界剖面的精湛收藏。大部分收集（89%）是自1991年以来收集的，因此，与精确可靠的位置和地层资料有关。该藏品是西部内陆地区第四大晚白垩纪和早第三纪植物化石收藏，也是西部内陆地区唯一的此类收藏。自1991年以来，DMNH的地球科学系（DES）一直致力于古植物标本的采集、储存和研究。1991年，博物馆聘请了一名全职顾问，从那时起，博物馆一直支持研究、实地考察、藏品管理和收藏。在过去的四年里，近24000个标本被添加到收藏中，近3000个标本被编目并存放在钢柜中。除了古植物学馆长外，该部门还有一位脊椎动物古生物学馆长，一位收藏经理，两位准备人员和一位注册人员，他们致力于古植物学和脊椎动物化石收藏的工作。虽然DMNH最近的支持大大改善了藏品的条件，但大约78%的藏品仍然被安置在纸板箱里，所有的藏品都存放在展览立体模型后面的一个不足的空间里。这些藏品目前正面临着水的破坏和与通道相关的处理问题。1993年，DES获得了美国国家科学基金会的资助，以改善其脊椎动物化石的收集。这项拨款即将完成，大部分脊椎动物化石将很快被存档并可供使用。由于脊椎动物化石压实机的安装和新空间的获取，DES存储空间的重新安排提供了为化石植物建造邻近压实机单元的机会。该项目将有助于将古植物收藏安置在压实机系统的钢柜中。这项工作的目标是保存馆藏，使其可用于研究，并允许馆藏的持续增长。主要需求是钢制橱柜和抽屉，压实系统，以及额外的人员来标记和移动标本。

The paleobotanical collection at the Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH) is an important national and regional resource for research on the nature of vegetation and climate in the Western Interior of North America. There are approximately 26,000 specimens in the collection including four type specimens and a number of significant assemblages from the Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene. Highlights include superb collections from Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sections in North America and New Zealand. Most of the collection (89%) has been amassed since 1991 and, as such, is associated with precise and reliable locality and stratigraphic data. This collection represents the fourth largest collection of Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary plant fossils form the Western Interior, and the only such collection located in the Western Interior. Since 1991, the Department of Earth Sciences (DES) at DMNH has had a commitment to the acquisition, storage, and study of paleobotanical specimens. In 1991, a full-time courator was hired and since then the Museum has supported research, fieldwork, collections management, and collections storage. In the past four years, nearly 24,000 specimens have been added to the collection, and nearly 3,000 specimens have been catalogued and housed in steel cabinets. In addition to Paleobotany Curator, the Department has a Vertebrate Paleontology Curator, a Collections Manager, two Preparators, and a Registrar who are devoted to work on the paleobotanical and vertebrate fossil collections. Although recent DMNH support has improved the condition of the collection considerably, approximately 78 percent of the collection remains housed in cardboard boxes, and all of the collection is stored in an inadequate space behind exhibit dioramas. The collection is presently at risk form water damage and access-related handling problems. In 1993, DES received a grant form the NSF to improve its collection of vertebrate fossils. This grant is nearing completion and most of the vertebrate fossils will soon be archivally stored and accessible. Rearrangement of DES storage space due to the installation of vertebrate fossil compactors and the acquisition of new space presents an opportunity to build an adjacent compactor unit for fossil plants. This project will assist in housing the paleobotanical collection in steel cabinets in a compactor system. The goal of this effort is to preserve the collection so that it is available for research and to allow for continued growth of the collection. Primary needs are for steel cabinets and drawers, a compactor system, and additional personnel to label and move the specimens.