Following the closure of Iowa Wesleyan University last spring, the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums is now home to Iowa Wesleyan’s natural history collection, including thousands of insects and wildlife species.

The UI wrote in a July 25 statement that the collection has Iowa-native fauna, including a variety of bird and mammal species, and nearly 55,000 insects, making up 22 orders, 462 families, and spanning 600 drawers.

This collection has seen decades in the making and would have likely been discarded if not for the UI’s acquisition.

“Through this endeavor, the museum ensures that the efforts of past researchers continue to contribute to ongoing scientific discoveries and provide valuable learning experiences for future generations,” Cindy Opitz, the museum’s director of research collections, said in the statement.

Opitz also noted an ongoing project to bring a digital aspect to its newest collection through various data aggregation software. This project follows a recent nationwide effort to digitalize museum collections for the purpose of increasing the accessibility of art, history, as well as for data collection.

The acquisition was initiated by Opitz, who, alongside UI Paleontology Repository collections manager Tiffany Adrain, corresponded with the biology department at Iowa Wesleyan after hearing of their impending closure, seeking to carry on the collection’s legacy.

“Our dedication to preserving these specimens for research, education, and public engagement serves as a testament to [the UI’s] commitment to advancing knowledge and inspiring curiosity about Iowa’s natural treasures,” the museum’s director Liz Crooks said in the statement.