OCTOBER 19, 1999
CABLE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM HONORED WITH NATIONAL GRANT

The Cable Natural History Museum recently was recognized as one of the country's premiere natural history museums by winning a highly competitive national grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Cable museum was one of just 186 applicants named as winners in the IMLS General Operating Support grant program. Nearly 1,000 museums from around the country applied for the funds. Grant recipients nationwide represented the full range of museum disciplines, from art museums to zoos. The Cable museum grant was one of only eight awarded to natural history museums nationwide, putting the rural northwestern Wisconsin facility in league with such well known institutions as the Denver Museum of Natural History and Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. According to the Museum's Executive Director Allison Slavick, the $40,564 grant award will be used to support the Museum's ongoing institutional activities, including expanding its educational staff, improving visitor services, strengthening its collections, and expanding its exhibitions. "This recognition reflects well on the creativity and dedication of our staff, volunteers, advisors and patrons," Slavick said. "It also highlights our unique educational and cultural value to the region."

Museums that qualify for General Operating Support grants demonstrate outstanding performance in all areas of museum operations. Each applicant performs a self-evaluation, involving every aspect of its operations, from collections care and maintenance to education programs and exhibits. Experienced professionals in the museum field then evaluate each application. "The Cable Museum can serve as a model for how a small, rural museum can develop and mature along professional lines, without losing the intimate gifts inherent in smallness," one reviewer wrote in the evaluation. Another reviewer noted: "(The Museum is) doing an outstanding job in almost every facet of its operation. It's apparent that this institution is recognized as a community treasure." The only problematic area noted by reviewers was the Museum's crowded facilities. Through its programs and exhibits, the Museum serves 25,000 visitors annually. It does so from a 2,400-square-foot-facility that houses permanent and rotating exhibits; a 3,000-item collection of taxidermic mounts, preserved reptiles and amphibians, plant and insect specimens, and natural history art; and a staff of four full-time and four part-time professionals aided by volunteers and up to 15 seasonal interns. Reviewers suggested that expansion would benefit the Museum and its patrons.

The IMLS is an independent federal grantmaking agency that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries. "Since 1978, IMLS General Operating Support has taken a substantial role in encouraging the best in museum practices," said Beverly Sheppard, the organization's acting director. "Museums use these awards to do what they do best: educate, fascinate, inspire, illuminate, inform, enhance and enrich the lives of millions of visitors each year."