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Content

Biodiversity 911
From the Executive Director: Biodiversity Beyond the Headlines
Links, Actions and Choice
Visitor Responses to Hall of Biodiversity
Science Briefs: Wake Up and Smell the Habitat
Earth Communications Office
Green Media Toolshed
Spirit Update

Biodiversity 911: Saving Life on Earth A World Wildlife Fund Traveling Exhibition

By Nicole Ardoin, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

To quote a recent Biodiversity Notes article, "Hello America! The biodiversity crisis is not going away!" Coming on the heels of a 2000 poll that reported that Americans' concerns about the environment are decreasing, the time couldn't be better for World Wildlife Fund's new traveling exhibition, Biodiversity 911: Saving Life on Earth, to hit the road. The 2,500-square-foot exhibit will visit science centers, children's and natural history museums, zoos, and aquariums around the United States and Canada for the next three years. It's message: biodiversity loss is urgent, and there's something you can do about it.

World Wildlife Fund's education department received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop not only the traveling exhibit, but also a biodiversity education program to accompany it. The project includes two identical traveling exhibits, that will accompany the educational workshops and materials, and a comprehensive Web site that provides in-depth biodiversity information as well as information on how individuals can get involved in biodiversity-related issues. The exhibit will begin touring in June.

An Urgent Message

When presenting a topic like biodiversity, the challenge can seem overwhelming as biodiversity includes, well, everything. To narrow our messages, we worked with the Institute for Learning Innovation, a top-notch exhibit evaluation firm, to conduct a comprehensive review of the current research on biodiversity messages and the public. Of course, we relied heavily on The Biodiversity Project's research and publications along with studies done for the American Museum of Natural History's biodiversity exhibition.

In addition to developing messages based on the public's interest and understanding, we also felt it was important to build on WWF's strengths, including its scientific research on the threats to biodiversity. Our in-house scientists felt that the most important message to get out is that biodiversity loss is urgent-we need to act immediately to conserve biodiversity before our impacts are irreversible.

Building on the message of "urgency" and working with WWF scientists, we have focused the exhibit around six key areas that represent some of the greatest immediate threats to biodiversity: climate change, toxic chemicals, deforestation, overfishing, soil erosion and degradation, and wildlife trade.

A Fresh Approach

We felt it was important to take a new and fresh approach to the topic-one that would cause visitors to really sit up and take notice, but not be overwhelmed with doom-and-gloom predictions. So we approached Aardman Animations, the award-winning creators of Wallace and Gromit and the claymation film Chicken Run, to help develop a fun and engaging animated 10-minute film that sets the stage for the exhibition.

Building on the theme of urgency, the Biodiversity 911 film takes place in an emergency room where live-action doctors interact with clay-model animation characters, each of which represent the key threats to biodiversity. For example, Branche du Bois, a tulip poplar tree, talks about deforestation and urban sprawl, while Muffy and Marcy are two shrimp sisters that talk about overfishing and bycatch. The film primes visitors to learn more in the interactive stations.

In the hands-on kiosks, activities range from computer interactives to a game-show hosted by the film's soil character. Visitors can scroll through a Sumatran rain forest tree to learn about the amazing animals and interactions that fill diverse and native forests. They can crawl through a coral reef to learn about the effects of climate change on diverse ecosystems around the world. And young children can dance with a music video by environmental singer/songwriter Billy B. while learning about what biodiversity is and why it's important. WWF has worked with the design firm of Jeff Kennedy and Associates to make this experience interactive, engaging, and thought-provoking for visitors of all ages.

Challenges and Opportunities

One of the biggest challenges in developing this exhibition has been to break "biodiversity" into digestible chunks for the public, with a message specifically targeted to the family audience that makes up the bulk of visitors to the host institutions. Because we are reaching a diverse population-from urban to rural settings and from preschool through senior citizens-we have included interactives and information in the exhibit that will appeal to all age groups. We also offer additional resources to those who want to know more-both in the exhibit and through our Web site.

In addition to the two 2,500 square foot exhibits, we're also producing approximately 100 mini-exhibit kits, which will be distributed to other, smaller sites within the host communities so that a community center or library can use the materials to develop their own table-top exhibit or other biodiversity-related program.

Coming Soon to a Center Near You!

The Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) is managing the Biodiversity 911 tour, which will visit more than 18 sites over the next 3 years. To find out where the exhibit will be on display, visit the ASTC site at www.astc.org/exhibitions and select the Biodiversity 911 option. And to inquire about hosting the exhibit in your community, contact ASTC's manager of exhibition services, Mark Hand, at mhand@astc.org.

The Biodiversity 911 project is an exciting opportunity to spread the word that, as the Biodiversity Project says, "the biodiversity crisis is not going away!" We are still finalizing the supporting materials, Web site, and workshops that will accompany the exhibit, so if you have feedback for us or would like to talk further about our process for developing, evaluating, or traveling the exhibit, please contact WWF's director of education, Judy Braus, at judy.braus@wwfus.org or the exhibit coordinator, Nicole Ardoin, at nicole.ardoin@wwfus.org.

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Biodiversity Beyond the Headlines: The many pathways to the public

The news media is an important source of information about biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, but it is only one of many potential pathways for reaching the public. Recent headlines are full of more bad news about global climate, not to mention threats to everything we cherish, from the local wetland to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. When the seas are stormy, it is always good to make sure all your navigational instruments are working and your stores are secure. We thought it was a good time to take stock of ongoing work that rarely makes headlines, but makes a major contribution to keeping the environmental movement on course by building people's understanding of the natural world. In this issue of Biodiversity Notes we highlight some of the alternative routes to reaching peoples' hearts and minds.

In the last year, biodiversity and its advocates kept popping up in unexpected places and from new perspectives. What fun, to find a feature in Gourmet magazine on the sustainable foods movement. And kudos to the December issue of O (Oprah's magazine) for the feature on Alice Water's amazing commitment to the edible schoolyard project, and the quote from the young gardener who said: "Once you get that your food comes from the environment, you never want to do anything but take care of the world."

Moving from the glossy spread to the silver screen, Environmental Communications Office (ECO) premiered its new movie-theater public service announcements on biodiversity in November. (See Erin Oliver's profile in this issue.) Meanwhile, book clubs across the country must be buzzing about Barbara Kingsolver's popular new novel, Prodigal Summer, which weaves a passionate story around people, habitat, species and place.

While biodiversity is making itself known in popular culture, it is also gaining visibility and response in myriad places throughout the faith community. In an article entitled Ecology and Spirituality, the "b" word itself appeared in the July, 2000 Christian Science Journal. Author Glen Lauder states "...we need to profoundly transform the way we see the world and the way we relate to our fellow creatures, from the tiniest bug to the most noble tree or creature. This is a task of spiritual magnitude." Absolutely. Somewhere, I suspect a thoughtful person is contemplating that task over a cup of shade grown, organic, fair-trade coffee (even Starbucks has apparently discovered the demand). And, that thoughtful person has learned more about biodiversity on the coffee package - the marketplace has tremendous potential to expand awareness among consumers. Messages about new ways of seeing our world, our fellow species and our inter-dependence are reaching people in many fresh ways.

We still have a long way to go to help the public "make the connection," but it is gratifying to take stock of just a few of the many creative ways that organizations and leaders who care about biodiversity and healthy habitats are reaching out to people from many walks of life. We'd love to hear about your new approaches. In the meantime, here's what you'll find in this issue.

Beyond your basic diorama, or the critter in the tank. For many people, especially in urban areas, zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens and natural history museums may be their most direct experience with the natural world. While exhibits about nature aren't new for these institutions, there are exciting new ways of presenting information and drawing the visitor in to the experience. Biodiversity 911 gives you a sneak preview of World Wildlife Fund's new traveling biodiversity exhibits, and Links, Actions and Choice profiles the plans for New England Aquarium's new aquatic biodiversity exhibit.

The conscious consumer. Each of us votes, (mindfully or otherwise) with our dollars every time we purchase consumer goods. Are you making the biodiversity connection when you shop? (We take a closer look at shade-grown coffee in Science Briefs).

The spirit does move us. Most of us feel a strong spiritual connection to nature. In Spirit Briefs, Marian Farrior profiles the ever-expanding links between the faith community and "Creation care" and brings you up-to-date on new activities in our Spirituality Initiative.

Hollywood does Biodiversity. Erin Oliver profiles the new ECO movie theater PSAs mentioned above.

Getting on message for sprawl and biodiversity. And, back at the news media, we're happy to announce that we are filling orders for our new message kit on Sprawl and Biodiversity. The message kit will help you say the right things to the right audiences, and the Green Media Toolshed will help you get to the right reporters and editors. This new online media service offers accurate and current nationwide media lists, a growing image library, and will soon be the repository of the Biodiversity Project's public opinion research library. All you have to do is join to share in the wealth.

Jane Elder, Executive Director

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Links, Actions, and Choice New England Aquarium designs a major new aquatic biodiversity exhibit

Next April, (2002) the New England Aquarium will open an exciting new NSF-funded exhibit that tells the story of the interconnections between the land, freshwater, and the marine environment. It will also carry the message that humans are very connected to aquatic life, and that choices we make affect biodiversity, both locally and around the world. Dr. Caroly Shumway, Principal Investigator for the exhibit, noted that live animals and current scientific concepts about biodiversity will be presented in a design intended to affect the visitor emotionally.

The $1.43 million, 5,000 sq. ft. exhibit will be a two-year exhibit at the aquarium, with modules that will travel to at least five other facilities, reaching 3 million people. The life cycle of the sea turtle will be used to tell the story of the relationship between land and sea. Frogs will illustrate the links between land and fresh water, and snappers (fish) that live in coral reef/mangrove ecosystems will illustrate the ecological connections between fresh and salt water.

Each module will have common strategies. Each will provide visitors with actions people can take. A Six Degrees of Separation mechanical interactive exhibit will show people how their daily lives are connected to aquatic creatures. A Human Stories component will enable visitors to literally put themselves in the shoes of different people with alternative perspectives, providing first-person accounts of biodiversity such as looking at the turtle conservation challenge from the perspective of a shrimp fisherman, a conservationist, or perhaps a restaurant chef. To reflect on how biodiversity is valued, visitors will compare prioritization of concerns, such as wealth, schools, environment, etc., with those from other countries.

Computer interactives will give visitors the chance to respond to questions and answers that will let them move up the behavior change ladder. For example, if you are already recycling, the program might suggest that you purchase shade grown coffee, or organic foods. The modules will also include "in the news" information, as well as a comment board for visitors to weigh in on current issues. The last stop in the exhibit will be ECOs - evocative Power of One video, coupled with a pledging station for people to pledge to change a given behavior. (See the story on ECO in this issue.)

Dr. Billy Spitzer, Education Director for the aquarium, and co-principal investigator, explained that the Aquarium is using live animals as charismatic actors to draw people into the story.

The concept of biodiversity will be woven in the overall message, rather than as a stand-alone topic. The exhibit will also highlight how field biology and advocacy efforts contribute to biodiversity conservation.

For more information, contact Caroly Shumway (cshumway@neaq.org) or Billy Spitzer (bspitzer@neaq.org) at the New England Aquarium.

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Green Media Toolshed Up and Running!

Who covers the environment beat at the Chicago Tribune? How can you get your issue to the right reporters the first time around? Where can you get a photo of the effects of acid mine drainage? What is the best way to pitch local radio stations? Where can you find effective media outreach tools that fit within your budget? The answer is: the Green Media Toolshed.

Green Media Toolshed is an online Internet portal designed to serve the community of communicators (communications staff, executive directors, board members or volunteers) working to reach the public through the media. Launched on December 15, 2000, Green Media Toolshed is building a cooperatively run database of media-related tools and information for use by members - nonprofit environmental, conservation and preservation groups. Green Media Toolshed's offerings include a media database of over 250,000 contacts, an image gallery with the capacity to store 10,000 magazine quality images, a polling and opinion research database, a forum section that allows members to post and answer questions, and a community calendar to share event schedules.

Green Media Toolshed's online system fosters the capturing of valuable bits of data - whether it be a specific reporter or media outlet contact, a photograph, a report, or information regarding an upcoming conference - to make it useful for all members. Members of Green Media Toolshed share this unique service that harnesses the most current, accurate and pertinent data and resources. Members will not miss a beat when searching for the best media contacts for a pitch, an eye-catching photo for their story or the latest news in the environmental community.

Green Media Toolshed does not do advocacy or policy work or place stories in the media - it is a nonprofit service bureau that provides the tools for other groups so that they can most effectively relay their messages through the media.

For more information, log onto: www.greenmediatoolshed.org

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The Earth Communication Office asks: "Why Are We Here?"

By Erin Oliver

In November, 2000, the Earth Communications Office (ECO), in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, premiered their annual public service announcement (PSA) for movie theaters. The 2001 campaign on biodiversity is titled Why Are We Here? and explores the relationship between humans and other species on the planet.

Using powerful imagery of organisms ranging from giant redwoods to giraffes, in combination with dramatic music and a compelling message narrated by celebrities (Pierce Brosnan, Morgan Freeman, and Alfre Woodard), the PSAs celebrate the diversity of life on Earth. The narration admonishes us to consider our role as a species on this planet - reminding us that human beings are the only species that has the power to save other organisms.

Formed in 1989, the mission of the Earth Communications Office is to use the power of communication to improve the global environment. In partnership with members of the entertainment industry, ECO uses innovative media strategies to educate and inspire people around the world to take action to protect the planet. ECO has launched nine public service campaigns, including this year's on biodiversity. Earlier PSAs include Hidden City, which used stunning images and a celebrity narration to describe the plight of the ocean's coral reefs and The Power of One, an intensely moving look at how one individual can shape the future of the planet.

The theatrical trailers are played during the preview showing at movie theaters, and display the Earth Communications Office Web site at the end of the trailer. ECO uses its Web site to encourage audiences to translate the environmental message into action by offering clear tips on things individuals can do to limit their impact on the planet. The Earth Communications Office Web site receives around 225,000 hits per week with the majority of those visits coming from individuals who have seen their PSAs.

The Why Are We Here? trailer will begin running in February at AMC theaters in the United States and Canada, and domestic television spots will begin running this summer. ECO will be distributing PSAs to television stations in the top 50 media markets in the US. They will run for one year on ABC, CBS and NBC, and will be picked up by several national cable networks as well. The video spots are also placed in ancillary venues, such as Channel One, CNN airport and airline news services, retail stores, hotels, and zoos and aquariums.

In addition to domestic distribution, ECO also distributes the PSAs to international audiences. The announcements are translated and disseminated to international cable networks and regional networks and cable providers. The Earth Communication Office also works with local environmental groups in Latin America, India, China, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Romania, Poland and Kenya to place the spots on local television stations.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of the video or learning more about the Earth Communications Office can contact ECO via e-mail at video@oneearth.org or call (310) 656-0577. Their web site can be visited at www.OneEarth.org.

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Spirituality Initiative Update

There is so little time, therefore, let us proceed slowly. -- Zen proverb

When the mind's an empty room The clear days come. -- Wendell Berry

Vision and Values Retreat Inspires Environmental Leaders

In November of 2000, over 50 environmental activists and lobbyists from some of the largest environmental organizations in the U.S. came together in Washington, DC, immediately after the elections to attend the Environmental Vision and Values Retreat. But, instead of coming together to strategize and bemoan America's fate, they came together to sit in contemplative silence and learn insight meditation practices. The purpose of the retreat was to help environmental leaders tap into deeper sources of inspiration and renewal (for the long haul ahead of us, especially in the next four years), and to explore the spiritual and values-based context of doing environmental work.

We were asked at the very beginning of the retreat to not jump into solutions and suspend all action plans. Rather, we were to hold a space for just being with our questions. Through practicing meditation, we learned how to quiet our minds from habitual thoughts and judgments, feel our connection with all life, and open ourselves to new possibilities. In other words, to just be mindfully aware in the present moment (easier said than done!). We shared stories of our personal experiences in nature, what we found hard in doing environmental work, and what helps - all of which were woven into a wonderful poem by Terry Tempest Williams. We discussed how to incorporate mindfulness and core values into our every day work, and into our organizational missions and messages. We sat quietly, walked with stillness, and attended to the miracle of breath, in order to breathe more life and spirit into the environmental movement. As stated at the retreat, "Social change is the awakened heart," one breath at a time.

The Environmental Vision and Values Retreat was sponsored by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, with the help of Paul Gorman from National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Steven Smith from the Insight Meditation Society, Mirabai Bush from the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, William Meadows, Lisa Bardeck, Bob Perschel, and Thea Levkovitz, from The Wilderness Society, Peter Forbes and Kathy Blaha from Trust for Public Lands, and Terry Tempest Williams.

For more information about the Insight Meditation Society, see www.dharma.org/ims.htm; Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, contact info@contemplativemind.org.

1000 Friends of Minnesota opens a dialogue with the Faith Community

On March 19, 2001, the Biodiversity Project is sponsoring a workshop in partnership with the 1000 Friends of Minnesota, entitled, "Making a Difference in Minnesota: A Workshop for Faith-based and Conservation Leadership." The workshop will explore how the secular conservation community and religious community can work together, the impetus and motivations for support and cooperation, and a discussion of how partnerships can help deliver powerful messages to policy makers. To our knowledge, this is a pioneering effort to build partnerships between the smart growth community and the faith community. If you know of other efforts, we would love to learn about them. The strategies and conclusions from this gathering will be summarized in a case study. Please contact Marian Farrior if you are interested in receiving a copy.

Spirit Briefs

Spirit Briefs will be a regular report on the various activities, projects, and partnerships between faith-based organizations and environmental groups on biodiversity-related issues. During our research for revising the Spirituality Outreach Guide: A Guide for Environmental Groups Working With Faith-Based Organizations, we have been delighted and awed by the diversity and growing number of partnerships around the country. We will share some of their stories in the new guide, and in this newsletter, starting with a profile of Earth Ministry. If you know of other faith-based resources or partnerships to be included in the revised guide, please send them to Marian Farrior, mfarrior@biodiverse.org, or call at (608) 250-9876 ext. 11.

Earth Ministry

Founded in 1992 in Seattle, WA, Earth Ministry is a Christian ecumenical, environmental nonprofit organization that supports over 125 congregational activists in the Puget Sound region. In their words, "Earth Ministry was born out of the underlying spiritual and moral roots of the environmental crisis, and the desire to help people of faith see more clearly the connections between their faith, their daily lives and ecological concerns." Earth Ministry members come from about 90 congregations, including Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Unitarian, United Church of Christ, Mennonite, and Quaker denominations. The organization offers a variety of services and programs at the individual, institutional, and community level, including:

• A publication about the effects of food choices on social, environmental, and personal health called Food, Faith, and Sustainability: Environmental, Spiritual, Community, and Social Justice Implications of the Gift of Daily Bread.
   
• An anthology of essays about voluntary simplicity and a curriculum for group study entitled Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective.
   
• Earth Letter, a newsletter that examines the spirituality of everyday life and how human actions affect all of creation.

In the Seattle region, Earth Ministry offers a lecture series, celebratory gatherings (including a Celebration of St. Francis of Assisi), field trips, a speakers network, educational events, an environmental justice program, a resource library that address faith and ecology, and a colleague support program that assist activists in helping their congregations become more ecologically aware.

They are also working on an innovative approach called the Greening Congregations Program. This multifaceted program offers workshops and resources in different areas of congregational life, such as: 

• how to make the church's mission statement and worship life more creation-focused; 
• how to incorporate awareness and action education; 
• how to make the institutional life of the church more sustainable (through transportation efficiency, food sustainability, recycling and composting efforts, energy and water conservation, and landscaping); 
• how to do community outreach (through advocacy, restoration projects, dialogue forums, and ecojustice efforts); and 
• how to do denominational, ecumenical, and interfaith outreach.

The first step in Earth's Ministry's Green Congregations Program is to form a task group within one's congregation and create a "covenant" (or declaration or resolution) committed to caring for creation. The task group then develops an annual plan to enact the convent, and after a process of review, implementation, and evaluation of the plan, Earth Ministry publicly recognizes the accomplishments of the Greening Congregation.

In order to serve those who are interested in helping their congregation become more environmentally aware, Earth Ministry is in the process of developing a Handbook for Creation Awareness and Care in Your Congregation, which will be ready for publication in the summer of 2001. The handbook includes a section of readings about why people of faith should care about the environment, a section on how to get other people in one's congregation aware and involved, and a section on how to create an environmentally sustainable congregation (covering all the how-to's mentioned above). The appendices include religious quotes about care for creation, resources available in various denominations, and an annotated bibliography. This handbook is guaranteed to be an excellent resource for anyone who wants to actively green their church!

For more information about Earth Ministry, see their Web site at www.earthministry.org, or write or call: Earth Ministry, 1305 NE 47th Street, Seattle, WA 98105, (206) 632-2426.

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Science Briefs

Wake Up and Smell the Habitat: Biodiversity and Shade-grown Coffee

By Mary Hobbs

Many environmental groups are promoting shade-grown coffee as an environmentally preferable alternative to "sun-coffee". In the wild, coffee grows in the forest understory, and until a new sun-tolerant coffee variety was created and chemical inputs, both fertilizers and pesticides, were introduced into commercial coffee production over the last several decades, nearly all coffee was "shade-grown". A growing body of research shows that shade-grown coffee plantations support considerably more biodiversity than do sun-coffee plantations. A recent study by ornithologists Dina Roberts, Robert Cooper and Lisa Petit from the University of Georgia and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center demonstrated that shade coffee is important habitat to many migratory bird species, but for resident tropical bird species, the conservation value can be limited.

The authors designed their study to detect differences in flock characteristics of ant-following birds, such as the ruddy woodcreeper, in a variety of cover-types, including intact forest, shade coffee plantations adjacent to forests, shade plantations distant from forests, and full-sun coffee plantations in western Panama. Many species of tropical birds follow swarms of army ants, feeding on the insects that these swarms flush out, rather than on the ants themselves. Ant-following bird species were selected as a focus because earlier studies had concluded that such species are particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Similar to these previous studies, Roberts and her colleagues identified a far greater diversity of birds in the shade-grown plantations relative to the sun-grown plantations. However, while many species apparently benefit from this habitat, other species--in particular some of the more vulnerable forest-dependent species B did not appear in shade coffee plantations distant from existing forest cover. For example, resident understory insectivores such as the slaty antwren and the golden-crowned warbler, were never detected in the distant shade coffee plantations. Some species of understory insectivores did appear in shade coffee plantations connected to existing forest cover, however others, such as the yellowish flycatcher, were only found in areas of intact forest.

One of the more important findings of the study was that no ant swarms, and hence no ant-following birds, were detected in any of the sun coffee plantations during the observation periods. This finding adds further weight to arguments opposing the continued expansion of full-sun coffee plantations throughout much of Central and South America.

There were also significant differences in bird species richness and abundance between the intact forests, and the adjacent and non-adjacent shade coffee plantations. During the two years of field observation, the greatest diversity and abundance of species was found in the shade coffee adjacent to existing forest habitat. Yet the highest concentration of migratory birds B those that breed throughout North America -- such as Swainson's Thrush and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers -- appeared in the distant shade coffee groves, perhaps reflecting less competition with resident birds or greater adaptability.

The authors concluded that species diversity alone should not determine conservation policy, because such criteria risk ignoring some of the more vulnerable species. Dr. Roberts summarized the study this way: "Shade coffee plantations provided additional habitat for army ants and ant-following birds. Army ants were a mechanism for bringing forest understory insectivores into shade coffee habitat, but only to a point. With increasing distance from continuous forest areas, the conservation value of shade coffee plantations was lessened for certain components of the bird community." Their findings also provide further evidence of the damaging impacts on avian biodiversity resulting from the conversion of forested areas to full-sun coffee plantations.

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Visitor Responses to AMNH's Hall of Biodoversity

A summary of findings conducted by the AMNH exhibit evaluator Ellen Giusti:

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York opened their impressive Hall of Biodiversity exhibit in 1998. In order to assess the impact of this exhibit on visitors, AMNH conducted a survey and interviews to determine the public's attitude towards the biodiversity crises, such as: Do visitors learn what biodiversity means, that it is essential to the life of the planet, that it is under threat, mainly because of human activity, and lastly, that there are measures that may be taken to prevent further loss of species and their habitats?

In-depth interviews revealed that visitors understood the exhibition's main messages: life is diverse and interconnected, it is under threat by human activity, and preservation is a goal. There was overwhelming agreement that we are in the midst of an extinction crisis and that human activity is the cause. However, a number of respondents said that they did not see sufficient information on solutions to the crisis. They were looking for specific things that individuals could do to help prevent species loss, even though the exhibit includes a Resource Center that examines solutions to the crises. Some visitors were skeptical about the possibility that individual efforts could even have an impact on a problem of such magnitude. The research points to a paradox concerning visitors' sources of information about environmental issues: the source they are least likely to consult-museums -- is the one they find most credible. Visitors trust museums to tell them the truth about loss of biodiversity.

In general, studies are inconclusive about whether an exhibition can immediately change visitors' attitudes and beliefs. An exhibition may contribute to attitude change over time, but to expect visitors to come out of a 15- or even 30-minute experience with a new set of values is unrealistic. Learning requires time to reflect on new material. The learner typically constructs meaning by integrating new information with what is already known. It is a positive finding that the Hall of Biodiversity reaches visitors on a level with which they identify, reinforce and confirm their values.

Summative research shows that the Hall of Biodiversity succeeds in its major communication goals. Visitors see that life on Earth consists of a gorgeous array of species. Visitors understand that one species, our own, is putting all life forms (including humans) at risk of extinction. Visitors realize that people all over the world must work together to find solutions to prevent loss of species and their habitats.

For more information about the Hall of Biodiversity, see http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org/biobulletin/

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