Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 19, 1991 TAG: 9102190253
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GAYLE K. NOYES/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
The bird was much larger than the common parakeet sold in pet and hobby stores. It once lived in the New River Valley.
It has been extinct since 1914.
Farmers viewed it as a pest and shot and poisoned it to extinction, Eriksson said. "It was easy to kill. They are a flocking species, and if you killed one, the others circled until they, too, were killed."
Preserved and behind glass, the bird was part of a recent exhibit at the Blacksburg branch of the Virginia Museum of Natural History at 428 N. Main St., former home of "Studio One" movie theater.
The exhibit, "Diversity Endangered," focused on endangered species and possible solutions to problems facing the animals and plants found in the Appalachian region of Virginia.
Walking through the exhibit, a visitor could learn how pollution is affecting bats and fish in the New River Valley, what some of the endangered plants in Giles, Smyth and Montgomery counties look like, how fungus is causing the demise of the native chestnut tree, and why the bird population may be dwindling.
"Many birds winter in South America and we believe the deforestation in Costa Rica is affecting them and, in turn, us," Eriksson said. "Most people say when they were children they saw many more birds than today."
Eriksson explained that a museum of natural history is more than collections of stuffed animals gathered by naturalists and game hunters.
"In the beginning of the century, the big-game hunters were the naturalists. Through time, however, our approach has also become one of the conservationist," she said. "We are looking at the ways that cultures exist and the relationships between them. Appalachia is a very special place to do just this, and to teach people what we have."
According to Eriksson, many local species haven't been identified. Part of the mission of the museum is to identify what is in Virginia.
"We don't even know what is in Virginia. There has never been a complete survey of the nature in this state, and we are destroying it before we know what we have."
"Diversity Endangered" opened with the museum in April 1990. It averaged 1,000 visitors a month during the first two months and 600 a month since. Eriksson hopes attendance will double in 1991.
The exhibit is being moved to a branch museum in Martinsville. A new exhibit, a Virginia Wildlife Photography expose, is taking its place.
The exhibit, 36 photographs taken by Richmond photographer Linda Richardson, opens Sunday. Blacksburg, its first stop, will host the exhibit through May.
In addition to the traveling exhibits, there is a permanent exhibit of North American mammals donated by a big-game hunter, Arvid F. Henson. Buffalo, deer, walrus, antelope, bear and other wildlife are mounted.
The research area of the museum has several old, extensive collections being computer cataloged for easy access for researchers.
Several portraits of well-known naturalists, including Charles Darwin, share the walls with a well-worn library in the research room.
"The big thing in museum education is hands on," Eriksson said. "This is our first effort, and it has been a big success so far - kids especially love it."
A big easel is next to the wall and supports a bigger sign: "Draw a Picture." The wall is covered with watercolor and crayon drawings left by visiting children. "Bald Eagle . . . I'm Gone . . . almost," says one. "We love fish," says another. Another depicts a dinosaur eating a tree under a big sun and cloud.
Another sign is scrawled with a big felt-tipped marker, but is not child's work. "A couple of us wrote this one," Eriksson said: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children."
"We are building programs to offer activities to the community," she said. "We want to get the community involved early."
The outreach program for students was given a boost when New River Valley science teachers were asked for suggestions.
"We don't want to be a horse-and-pony show and tell them what to teach," Eriksson said. "We got more than 30 suggestions of how to help teachers enhance their teachings but not change them."
The program for adults is expected to include a membership drive, a Chamber of Commerce mixer at the museum, a lecture series, changing exhibits and several field trips. A bird-banding session at Mountain Lake in July is on the calendar.
Eriksson has plans to base the museum on community activities and support by a community of volunteers.
"We have limited human and financial resources," she said, but they include funds from the state and Virginia Tech.
"Work-study students keep the museum open," Eriksson said. "It is going to be a volunteer museum, essentially, because we can't afford a full-time staff. We are currently looking for volunteers for all kinds of jobs."
by CNB