Our new exhibit, Feathered Friends, showcases NLCHM’s taxidermied bird collection. All of the birds in this exhibit can be found in the Pacific Northwest and were donated to the museum over the past 30 years. You’ll find informational panels on our Western Gull, juvenile Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Red Phalarope, Western Grebe, Barn Owl, and our centerpiece, a Laysan Albatross. Our Laysan Albatross was found alive at the D River Wayside by museum Board Members in 1995. It was transferred to the care of a professional wildlife rehabilitator where it died. The museum got the proper permits to hand it over to a local taxidermist and it has been on display at the museum ever since. See these birds before they soar back to their permanent hiding places throughout the museum.
Coupled with this exhibit opening will be a presentation called Oregon’s Nearshore Habitat Protections, by Dawn Villaescusa, President of the Audubon Society of Lincoln City. Oregon’s nearshore habitats are integral to the unique landscape and seascape of the Oregon coast. These biologically rich and visually dramatic locations have high value to Oregonians as places to enjoy, learn, and use. The living resources found in our nearshore habitats include a productive mix of fish, invertebrates, and plant life, particularly in the intertidal areas, as well as seabirds and pinnipeds that use adjacent cliffs and offshore rocks for shelter, feeding, and raising young. Oregon’s Nearshore ecoregion offers opportunities for boating, surfing, wildlife viewing, fishing, crabbing, clamming, and recreational pursuits. It supports commercial fish harvests, shipping, and ecosystem services that benefit all Oregonians. Oregon has a long history of protecting these unique habitats.
The exhibit opening and presentation will take place at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum in Lincoln City on Saturday, April 15th at 1pm. This temporary exhibit will be up for about 6 months in our upstairs Anne Hall Gallery, so see it while you can.