Annual Report 2014 | 2015 San Diego Natural History Museum Mission To interpret the natural world through research, education, and exhibits; to promote understanding of the evolution and diversity of southern California and the peninsula of Baja California; and to inspire in all a respect for nature and the environment. Clark Dry Lake, Anza Borrego Desert State Park Dear Museum Friends, Where did 24 years go? When by millions of people all over the Collections Gallery. We have I applied for the executive world and is used extensively in spectacular treasures in our director position at the San Diego education programs throughout collection that few have ever Natural History Museum in 1991, the Baja California peninsula. seen, and we will have 3,000 my colleagues in the museum square feet of new exhibition profession warned me that We would have been limited in space to display them. because of the Museum’s poor what we could achieve had we not reputation at the time, it would be more than doubled our space with I am proud of it all, but one of the end of my career. They were a new addition to the Museum in the greatest achievements has right, but not for that reason! I will April 2001. This new space has been the talented team of board retire from the Museum on June allowed us to explore the geologic members, sta! , volunteers, 30, 2016, exactly 25 years to the and paleontologic prehistory of our Museum members and donors day from when I started. region in Fossil Mysteries and the who have made it all possible. The biodiversity of our region in Coast future of this Museum is bright Many people have asked me why to Cactus in Southern California, indeed, and with new leadership we have been so successful. I both permanent exhibitions at the you can expect to see exciting believe the most strategic decision Museum. The Legler Benbough new exhibitions, expanded we made was to focus on our exhibition hall enabled us to education programs, increased use region of southern California and feature high-profi le traveling of technology for outreach, and the peninsula of Baja California. exhibitions such as the Dead Sea important new research initiatives. By doing that, the Museum has Scrolls, A Day in Pompeii, Body become relevant to the people who Worlds, Titanic, The Discovery of It’s been a great ride! I’ll be here live here as well as those visiting King Tut, Maya: Hidden Worlds until June 30, 2016. Thank you for from elsewhere. Our research has Revealed, and many others. your support. led to the naming of many new The Kaplan Theater with its 3D species of plants and animals, projection system has delighted Sincerely, supported important conservation our guests with many spectacular e! orts, and resulted in many books natural history fi lms. and scientifi c papers of great value for professional and amateur In my fi nal year at the Museum, naturalists. Our fl agship fi lm Ocean I am looking forward to the Oasis about Baja California and construction of the Eleanor and Michael W. Hager, Ph.D. the Sea of Cortés has been seen Jerome Navarra Library Special President & CEO sdnat.org | 1 A 25 Year Legacy For 25 years, Dr. Michael “Mick” The 1980s had been a stressful challenge to turn the Museum Hager has been at the helm of the period for the institution, and the around. As a result, for the past San Diego Natural History Museum, fi nancial state of the Museum was 25 years he has presided over an an institution that has not only in complete disarray. He was the institution that has gone from an fl ourished under his leadership, ninth director in 13 years, and the annual budget of $2.1 million to but with his guidance has arguably Museum had been su! ering from one of $13 million, and from a sta! been brought back from being a lack of direction and forward of 60 to more than 150 employees on life support. It is hard to momentum for some time. and approximately 800 volunteers. exaggerate the dire state that the Fundraising was non-existent, San Diego Natural History Museum space for exhibits was inadequate, Early on, Mick worked to establish was in at the time of Mick’s arrival and attendance was poor, pointing a new strategic plan which outlined in San Diego. When he began his to a desperate need for strong steps to be taken over the next tenure in 1991, the Los Angeles leadership. Clearly, Mick had his 10 years and completed by 2001. Times heralded his appointment work cut out for him. His most signifi cant priority by stating, in a headline, “Can Mick was a mission statement that Hager save the San Diego Natural Remaining true to the proud legacy would refocus on the contiguous History Museum from years of of the then 117-year-old institution, region of southern California and malaise?” Mick immediately took on the Baja California. This gave the 2 | Annual Report 2014–2015 Clockwise from left: Mick at his fi rst museum job 50 years ago, as curator of natural history at the Davenport Public Museum in Iowa; construction of the building expansion underway in 1999; children and civic leaders cut the ribbon on the new building in 2000; a 1991 L.A. Times article; Mick and Curator of Paleontology Tom Deméré present patron Tom Sefton with a fossil walrus named in Sefton’s honor; Mick guiding a group of students through the Museum in 1991. Museum the ability to concentrate addition, Mick worked to set up fundraising and planning with on a region that was at once an exhibition schedule planned a broad range of community immeasurably diverse and still for three years out, and stressed stakeholders. These plans resulted within reach of the Museum’s the importance of increasing in the building of a 90,000-square- curatorial expertise. Among other relevance for the greater San Diego foot building addition designed to main points to be achieved were community with the Museum’s bring the original historic building the creation of the Biodiversity programs. He involved a wide up to speed: enlarge and update Research Center of the Californias group of community members exhibition space and research (the research arm of the Museum), and brought a larger group of San labs and realign o" ce space a binational Environmental Science Diegans into the Museum “family.” and collections areas; install new Education Center, a commitment education classrooms; and open a to a major addition to the historic During his tenure, Mick, through multi-use, 300-seat giant screen 1930s building, and a focus on his strong leadership, has achieved theater. The building was fi nished long-term plans for exhibitions. many remarkable and noteworthy in 2001, and elaborate security accomplishments. A! ectionately and environmental controls for Mick’s special talents for known as our “Chief Fossil,” he the modern lower level Legler fundraising were increasingly spearheaded a $34 million capital Benbough exhibition space were demonstrated over time. In campaign that entailed extensive completed. This enabled the sdnat.org | 3 Clockwise from upper left: Breaking ground in 1998 for the building expansion: Mick, Christine Kehoe, Peter Kovacs, Christy Walton, Dallas Clark, Mary Clark, Norm Roberts, and Gelin Roberts; Mick with a duckbill dinosaur at the Museum of the Rockies in 1989; the January 2015 ribbon cutting for Coast to Cactus in Southern California: Ann Laddon, Sal Giametta representing County Supervisor Ron Roberts, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, County Supervisor Dave Roberts with his daughter, Mick, Carol Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Board President Je! Block; Mick Hager, Curator of Natural History, Davenport Public Museum, 1967 Museum to host high-profi le we opened Coast to Cactus in development stages and will open traveling exhibitions like Dead Sea Southern California, an exhibition in early summer 2016, just in time Scrolls, Pompeii, and Body Worlds, that complements Fossil Mysteries, to serve as the capstone event all of which had very stringent taking the visitor on a journey before his retirement. requirements for temperature through all the habitats unique control, light levels, security, and to southern California with Never at a loss for new ideas other environmental conditions. its vast biodiversity. Together and initiatives, Mick has been a these two exhibitions provide a true mover and shaker at this Mick was directly involved in the comprehensive experience of the institution for the past 25 years, funding, planning, and installation past and current environment of with accomplishments large and of more than 30,000 square feet this special place we call home. small. Always humble and true to of new permanent exhibitions, his Midwestern roots, he can look including Fossil Mysteries, which Mick has also been spearheading around and see his ideas made opened in 2006 and provides the creation of our latest real in the building, the exhibitions, a detailed view of our region in permanent exhibition, which will be and the sta! that make up the San prehistoric times—dating back located in the Eleanor and Jerome Diego Natural History Museum to 75 million years ago. One of Navarra Library Special Collections we know today. We have been the biggest accomplishments Gallery within the Research Library. fortunate to have him as our leader happened in January 2015 when This exhibition is in planning and over the past quarter of a century. 4 | Annual Report 2014–2015 The Special Projects Campaign Meets and Exceeds its $16 Million Goal In December 2012, the Museum funding generously donated by board approved an ambitious Dale Clark and Nita van der Wer! $14.9 million goal to fund three in honor of their parents, Mary and strategic projects: Coast to Dallas Clark.