Nevada Bugs & Butterflies 2014 Fundraiser (Grown-Up Shirts)

At Nevada Bugs & Butterflies, a Reno nonprofit, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience and learn about local biodiversity. So, with your support, in 2013 we built and opened a Butterfly House and Science Center, an always-free educational resource for the Northern Nevada community. At the Butterfly House in Lemmon Valley, fundamental science concepts come alive for our visitors, demonstrating big ideas like pollination, life cycles, and biodiversity. We surround visitors with many kinds of native species, including dozens of Nevada’s 200 native butterflies, as well as other insect ambassadors like beetles, millipedes, and vinegaroons, some of which visitors can hold.


Enthusiasm from our participants is clear, and studies show that reaching children before high school produces a lasting affinity for science. Experiences at Nevada Bugs & Butterflies foster a love of insects, a renewed sense of place, and a strong connection with the abundant life in our backyard. Abstract concepts about science and the environment become real, living things that kids can observe and interact with under the friendly guidance of our volunteer biologists. On-site activities also include a scavenger hunt, rotating science and art projects, insect toys and costumes, and a library of children’s nature and science books.


In 2013, we reached 1,286 community members (mostly children), and in 2014, we increased that number to 3,698. We are confident that we can maintain this trajectory for a third year, with your help. We also hope to use community support to extend our programming, building on the success of 2014 workshops on Local Reptiles and Amphibians, Citizen Science Monarch Tagging, and Gardening to Attract Pollinators. We want to add more sophisticated citizen science projects at the butterfly house, where students are engaged in the production of scientific knowledge. And, we want to develop curriculum that helps teachers with implementation of Nevada’s Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 classrooms.


Please visit our website, www.nevadabugs.org, or check out our facebook page, www.facebook.com/NevadaBugsAndButterflies, to find out more about the programming we offer and how you and your family can join us at the Butterfly House and Science Center in summer 2015!