Support

Petition Launched to Keep the National Zoo’s Invertebrate House Open!

14436066885_a73a4328c8_z
Photo: Jessie Cohen/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From Change.org:

“The Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—includes the National Zoological Park, 19 museums and galleries, and nine research facilities around the world. This Petition arises from a recent announcement made by the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park.

On Monday, June 15, 2014, the National Zoo issued this press release, announcing the public had exactly six days to visit the Invertebrate House before it would close permanently.

Public reaction has not been favorable. One article reporting on the closing stated this:

“Having the nation’s zoo suddenly and with little public warning close a long-standing exhibit is unprecedented. Public comments on the Museum’s Facebook page are overwhelmingly shocked and negative, including some from volunteers that work at the Zoo.”


Wired’s Gwen Pearson spoke with Zoo Director Dennis Kelly, who said the Zoo plans to open a “Hall of Biodiversity” in 20 years (!) in which invertebrates may or may not be exhibited live. Meanwhile, no plans have even been made for the empty space occupied by the Invertebrate House, and Pearson reports “the building space the Invertebrate exhibit occupied will remain empty for the foreseeable future; the only plans are to clean the facility up.”


The Zoo recently completed a $52 million renovation of the Elephant House, and another $53 million project to house pandas. These investments promote two species, albeit highly visible and popular ones, while invertebrates make up 97% of all described species on earth, according to Pearson’s article.

Over two million people visit the National Zoo each year. Long-time visitors have fond and educational memories of their visits to the Invertebrate House, which exhibits cuttlefish, octopi, blue crabs, anemones, orb-weaving spiders, honeybees, leaf-cutter ants, and butterflies, among many other species.

The closure of the Invertebrate House leaves the National Zoo with no invertebrate exhibit. Yet, as numerous as they are on the planet, invertebrates remain so unstudied that major new discoveries are still being made in publicly-funded museum research programs. The very day the Smithsonian closure was announced, the American Natural History Museum in New York announced it had identified a new order of invertebrates in the phylum Cnidaria, which includes jellyfish, anemones, corals and their relatives. This new find, based on DNA analysis of invertebrate specimens collected near deep-ocean methane vents, is “equivalent to finding the first member of a group like primates or rodents,” said Estefanía Rodríguez, an assistant curator in the Museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology and the lead author of a new publication reporting the find. http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/research-posts/sea-anemone-tree-of-life-reveals-giant-species-as-impostor?utm_source=email&utm_medium=enotes&utm_campaign=newsletter-june&utm_term=20140617-tue

Keeping the Invertebrate House open furthers the mission of the National Zoo to “provide engaging experiences with animals and create and share knowledge to save wildlife and habitats.” http://nationalzoo.si.edu/AboutUs/Mission/NZP_Our_Plan_to_Save_Species.pdf. Watching octopi and cuttlefish explore their tanks is, to many visitors, equally as engaging as viewing elephants and pandas. Creating and sharing knowledge about invertebrates, the most numerous species of animals on Earth occupying habitats that encompass virtually our entire planet, is squarely within the National Zoo’s mission. The Invertebrate House can be improved, maintained and kept open at a fraction of the cost of the $100 million spent recently by the Smithsonian to exhibit elephants and pandas.

For these reasons, WE THE PEOPLE who are among the two million annual visitors to the National Zoo, have started and hereby support this petition to Keep the National Zoo’s Invertebrate House Open!”

Recent Stories

12th and M Street, NW Thanks to Lisa for sending around 8:50am: “Fire on M Street at 12th.” From DC Fire and EMS: “Working Fire 1200 block M St NW….

DC Fire and EMS reported: “One Alarm Fire Lincoln Memorial Circle NW. Fire involving small concession kiosk outside. Propane tank involved.” Lucy sends at 8am: “Was out for a run…

575 7th Street, NW Fresh Baguette is on a roll!! [Pun most definitely intended.] After recently opening in Cleveland Park, they’ve already got their next spot mapped out:

photo by airbus777 You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may have….

Calling all bookworms, thrill-seekers, supporters of the arts, and ping-pongers at all skill levels! Sign up for Paddlestar Galactica, the ping-pong tournament supporting 826DC’s youth writing programs.

826DC is a local nonprofit that offers free writing programs, homework help, and publishing opportunities for DC students ages 6-18, in our Columbia Heights writing center and in learning spaces across the city.

Paddlestar Galactica helps keep writing education 100% free and accessible for all of our students! It’s also extremely fun.

This year’s games will be Saturday, April 27th, 1 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC. It’ll be a chaotic afternoon of ping-pong, costumes, terrible Battlestar Galactica puns, and good cheer. We’d love to have you join us!

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Well-Paid Maids, the only certified living-wage cleaning service in the DMV, has added a new service to its online booking menu: office and building cleanings.

This includes offices, building lobbies, shared amenity spaces and more throughout D.C., Arlington, Alexandria and more.

Unlike so many other cleaning services, you can feel good booking Well-Paid Maids to clean your office or building. Cleaners get paid a starting wage of $24 an hour. Plus, all employees are offered health, dental, vision and life insurance; 24 paid days off per year; 100% employer-paid commuting costs; and more.

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Vakili Band at Pie Shop!

Three band rock n rolll lineup at DC’s Pie Shop! Vakili Band with “if you know, you know” DC rockers, Lot 18, and the many minds and songs of artist Kind of Christine.

“If you love Vakili Band like we

×

Subscribe to our mailing list