EUGENE, Ore. -- (Sept. 21, 2010) -- The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History will open two exhibits with a Fall Roundup western-themed reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1. The reception, held at the museum, 1680 East 15th Avenue, is free and open to the public.

Attendees can explore "PaleoLab - Oregon's Past Revealed: Horses and Grasslands," to learn about the evolution of horses and observe and visit with specialists as they prepare and conserve fossil specimens for the museum's Condon Collection. It will be on display through April 10, 2011.

There is also a new photography exhibit in the museum galleria. "Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam," a photographic journey by Florian Schultz is a wildlife photography exhibit about habitat protection in North America.

The show features 40 large format photographs of the Rocky Mountains West, documenting the ambitious effort to preserve wildlife corridors from Yellowstone National Park to Canada's Yukon Territories. The exhibit was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington and The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, in collaboration with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

In addition, the Pacific Northwest Artist Gallery is displaying "Solitude in Absolute Form - photography by Jon Meyers." The size and scope of the photos in this exhibit showcases the landscape of Oregon and the West.

The UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and youths ages 17 and under, and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members, university faculty, staff and students are admitted free. Admission is free for the public on Wednesdays.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Judi Pruitt, MNCH assistant director of visitor services, 541-346-1671, judip@uoregon.edu

Link: Museum of Natural and Cultural History, http://natural-history.uoregon.edu/

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