How museum experts revived a decades-old prairie ecosystem
In short: Since 1942, light and heat have brittlely dried the grasses in a famous natural history diorama. Watch how curators and volunteers worked together to restore the lifelike habitat of the American bison and pronghorn.
The restoration of the American bison and pronghorn antelope diorama in the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals required a coordinated effort between the American Museum of Natural History and a prairie preserve. Because buffalo grass and blue grama grass were in short supply, the museum secured replacements to replace the brittle, dry vegetation that had degraded over decades.
Volunteers helped arrange these grasses into realistic clumps within the grazing range of the animals. This project was part of a larger effort to preserve the 43 world-class dioramas in the hall, which allow viewers to observe anatomy and behavior up close in a way documentaries cannot.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Restoring Grass in the American Bison and Pronghorn Diorama
- Also: New Technology Saves Old Dioramas [Slide Show]
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