Tundra Swan to be restored

The New London Public Museum announces the first Save the Birds sponsors.

Mike and Barbara Laib decided to sponsor the lovely Tundra Swan in the museum’s collection. With their donation, NLPM will be able to have this bird cleaned and preserved. When asked about their donation Barb said, “as children, Mike and I remember going to the New London Public Museum and looking at the beautiful bird displays. Our feathered friends at the museum do not look their best any more. We wanted the young people in New London to have the same fond memories we have of our visits to the museum. That is why we wanted to become sponsors in the Save the Birds preservation project.”

Charles Carr, museum founder, collected the Tundra Swan in 1887 in Silver Lake, South Dakota. Cleaning old bird mounts is the most difficult aspect of taxidermy restoration. The most difficult types of birds to clean are white birds; it will take our specialist at least 40 to 50 hours just to clean the Tundra Swan.

The New London Public Museum has over 200 birds in the collection. Typically, over 130 are on display year round. Most of the birds at NLPM are close to or over 100 years old. They desperately need to be cleaned and preserved. We need your help! There are a number of ways to donate: stop by the museum and contribute what you want to the feather fund box, sponsor a bird for between $75-$200, and purchase Wisconsin artist Paul Dominguez’s artwork at the museum. All the money raised will be used to professionally preserve each bird and to purchase needed materials for long-term care. To find out more, visit the museum.

If your group would be interested in learning more about the Save the Birds fundraiser and exhibit, contact Christine at 982-8520 to set up a presentation. She will come to your organization and tell you all about this one-of-a-kind exhibit and fundraiser.

The New London Public Museum is a place to discover something new. Exhibits include artifacts focusing on natural, local, and Native American history. The museum is located at 406 S. Pearl St., in the lower level of the New London Library, and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For more information go to the museum website www.newlondonwi.org/museum.htm or contact us at 920-982-8520. Come explore with us!