Missoula Butterfly House And Insectarium

TO INSPIRE AN APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF INSECTS AND THEIR RELATIVES.

THE MISSION OF THE MISSOULA BUTTERFLY HOUSE AND INSECTARIUM IS TO INSPIRE AN APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF INSECTS AND THEIR RELATIVES. WE ENVISION GENERATIONS IGNITED BY LIFELONG CURIOSITY AND AWE FOR THE NATURAL WORLD. OUR APPROACH TO LEARNING INVOLVES HANDS-ON, INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES WITH SOME AMAZING ANIMALS LEAVING VISITORS WITH A DEEP AND LASTING IMPRESSION AND A DESIRE TO LEARN MORE.SINCE DAY ONE, OUR LONG-TERM VISION HAS BEEN TO OPEN A TROPICAL BUTTERFLY HOUSE AND INSECT MUSEUM IN MISSOULA, MT. IN 2021 THIS DREAM TOOK A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD REALITY. TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE MISSOULA COUNTY WEED DISTRICT AND EXTENSION AND THE MISSOULA CONSERVATION DISTRICT, ON MAY 14, 2021 WE BROKE GROUND ON THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GARDENS AND EXPLORATION CENTER OUR FUTURE HOME. BUT THIS WAS JUST ONE EXCITING DAY WITHIN A TRULY REMARKABLE YEAR. UTILIZING A COMBINATION OF IN-PERSON AND DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMMING, THROUGHOUT 2021 OUR EDUCATION EFFORTS CONTINUED TO FLOURISH. WE REACHED A RECORD NUMBER OF SCHOOL CLASSES FROM NOT ONLY THE MISSOULA AREA, BUT IN 12 COUNTIES ACROSS MONTANA. OUR WEEKLY SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE EDUCATION EFFORTS GREW FROM COVID NECESSARY WAYS TO REACH OUT, TO POPULAR PROGRAMS ENGAGING LEARNERS OF ALL AGES. AND OUR EFFORTS SURROUNDING TWO COMMUNITY SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS CONTINUED TO EVOLVE INTO POWERFUL WAYS TO IMMERSE STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN HANDS-ON EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES THAT IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING AND BENEFIT SPECIES CONSERVATION. SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR EDUCATION EFFORTS IN 2021 INCLUDED: SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS: UTILIZING A COMBINATION OF ONLINE AND IN-PERSON LEARNING, WE CONDUCTED A TOTAL OF 350 FIELD TRIPS FOR 245 CLASSES IN MONTANA, 6 OTHER STATES, AND CANADA. FIELD TRIP SCHOLARSHIPS: THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE DENNIS & PHYLLIS WASHINGTON FOUNDATION, THE JANE S. HEMAN FOUNDATION, AND RECYCLE WORKS, IN 2021 WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE FIELD TRIP SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 95 CLASSES, REACHING 1,457 STUDENTS. ONLINE BUG ENCOUNTERS: THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR, WE WENT LIVE NEARLY EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 1:00PM. COMING TO YOU VIA FACEBOOK, OUR 10 TO 15 MINUTE ONLINE BUG ENCOUNTERS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCING LEARNERS OF ALL AGES TO SOME AMAZING SPECIES AND INSECT-FOCUSED TOPICS FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS. IN 2021 WE CONDUCTED 46 LIVE ENCOUNTERS WITH 34,470 VIEWS AND 6,226 FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENTS. WHATS BUZZIN: 2021 MARKED OUR 7TH SEASON OF BRINGING YOU WHATS BUZZIN OVER EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA. THIS WEEKLY, SEASONAL REPORT SPOTLIGHTS SOME OF THE INSECT AND ARTHROPOD SPECIES CURRENTLY BEING FOUND ACROSS WESTERN MONTANA. INITIALLY STARTING AS A STAFF-DRIVEN EFFORT, ITS BLOSSOMED INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER WITH OVER 370 PHOTOS FEATURED IN 2021 SUBMITTED BY BUG WATCHERS ALL AROUND MONTANA. NOTES FROM THE LAB: EACH WEEK THIS SHORT REPORT IS SHARED ON OUR EMAIL LIST. COVERING TOPICS THAT HAVE RANGED FROM INSECT FOLKLORE TO DEEP DIVES INTO THE INTERESTING LIVES OF SPECIFIC SPECIES, THIS ONGOING SERIES IS PROOF THAT THERES ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN. IN 2021 WE SHARED 51 NOTES FROM THE LAB REPORTS. COMMUNITY SCIENCE RESEARCH: 2021 WAS OUR SECOND YEAR PARTICIPATING IN TWO NATIONAL COMMUNITY SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS LOOKING AT INSECT SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE 4 COLLEGE STUDENTS AND 1 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN THESE HAND-ON RESEARCH PROJECTS PROVIDING UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT COVERED EVERYTHING FROM FIELD RESEARCH TO DNA ANALYSIS. BUG BYTES PODCAST: WHILE COVID RESTRICTIONS LIMITED OUR TIME IN THE MONTANA PUBLIC RADIO RECORDING STUDIO, WE CONTINUED TO COLLABORATE WITH MTPR IN PRODUCING NEW EPISODES OF BUG BYTES (HTTPS://WWW.MTPR.ORG/PODCAST/BUG-BYTES). SUMMER CAMPS: WORKING WITH OTHER EDUCATION PARTNERS, WE WERE ABLE TO HOLD 6 SUMMER CAMPS FOR 103 CAMPERS. 2021 WAS THE SECOND YEAR OF OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR OUR NEW FACILITY. WE CONTINUED TO BE ASTOUNDED BY THE ENTHUSIASM AND GENEROSITY EXPRESSED FOR OUR VISION. WHILE WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO BEFORE WE CROSS THE FINISH LINE, WE SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSED THE DISTANCE, ENDING THE YEAR WITH 95% OF OUR CAMPAIGN GOAL SECURED. WITH CONSTRUCTION MOVING FORWARD, WE HOPE TO OPEN IN MID 2023.AS HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE, 2021 WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR ON MANY FRONTS. AND WHILE COVID CONTINUED TO PRESENT MANY CHALLENGES, OUR RESPONSE TO DOING THINGS DIFFERENT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS INTRODUCED POWERFUL NEW EDUCATION TOOLS, EXPANDED THE REACH AND IMPACT OF OUR PROGRAMS, AND PROVIDED INVALUABLE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL STRENGTHEN OUR ORGANIZATION FOR THE LONG-TERM.