Big Changes at the Bean

Things are changing pretty quickly around here at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum! It's quite the thrill to see the new museum coming together... and it looks AMAZING. You've been waiting patiently, so here is a sneak peek into the museum's new look!

The new entryway to our exhibits.

These peacocks are stunning in our new gallery space.

Dozens of new mounts!

As amazing as all of these new developments are, we are grateful that some things will never change here at the Bean Museum. 

Shasta the Liger is here to stay. (Of course!) Just look at that face!

Our drinking fountains are still the best drinking fountains this side of the Mississippi. I mean, look at 'em. They're glowing. Practically celestial.

This lion still hasn't caught his antelope. Commitment issues.

And this hippo still hasn't shaved.... or brushed his teeth.... Ever.

Stay tuned on the Bean Blog and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter - @beanmuseum!

Lytle Preserve - Museum Employee Retreat

A couple of weeks ago museum employees took a break from all the moving and construction and spent 2 days down at the Lytle Preserve in Washington County, Utah. Recently the museum oversaw the construction of a new bunkhouse which has overnight accommodations for 24 people. This bunkhouse is available to BYU faculty and students primarily for teaching and research purposes.

Museum employees spent time talking about the new exhibits we will be installing now that the construction of the addition and remodel is complete. We also discussed and made preliminary plans for our opening events. The museum does not have an opening date but we anticipate we will open sometime in the spring of 2014. Keep checking our website for more details as the time gets closer.

The weather was beautiful and the sunsets were spectacular. We had visitors from the Nature Conservancy on Thursday and we invited Merrill Webb, Utah's expert bird watcher, to join us Thursday night and Friday morning for "owling" and a bird walk. Everyone enjoyed the ripe pomegranate orchards. Shawn Clark (Entomology Collections Manager) and Robert Johnson (Herbarium Manager) spent time collecting insects and plants for the museum's collections.

Here is a list of all the birds we saw:
Green-winged Teal, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk, White-winged Dove, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Black Phoebe, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Brewer's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch (17 total species, October 25, 2013)