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Richter Museum of Natural History

Enriching Education & Research

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Displays inside the Richter Museum

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Dig into the Richter Museum

Evolving Discoveries

Natural history museums are irreplaceable records of the history of life.

Museums like ours are essential to making discoveries. For example, almost everything we know about the diet of many species has been ascertained by analysis of stomach contents of museum specimens. Here at UW-Green Bay, the collections are used extensively in taxon-based courses such as Ornithology, Mammalogy, and Ichthyology. Our museum contains one of Wisconsin's most significant collections of animal specimens for scientific research and education. Located in purpose-built facilities on the lower level of Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, the museum contains tens of thousands of animal specimens and bird eggs.

See Our Collection

Eggs in sorting containerPassenger pigeon eggs with descriptive notesEgg shaped tiles inlaid on tile floorHands holding box of eggs

Top 10 Largest Bird Egg Collections

With almost 12,000 sets of eggs, our collection is one of the largest in North America.

The Richter Museum began in 1974. That year, Carl Richter, a former resident of Oconto, WI and one of the state's most prominent ornithologists, provided an extraordinary gift. His initial donation of over 10,000 sets of bird eggs. The collection has grown to almost 12,000. Our egg database allows you to identify bird eggs to connect with the environment around you.

How to Identify Bird Eggs

Person drawing dinosaur skull from artifact in Richter Museum
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How artists use the museum

Drawing Inspiration

The studio isn't the only place you'll find our art students.

There's nothing quite like drawing from real life, even if it's not alive anymore. At the Richter Museum, students get hands-on experience by using actual animal specimens as models, drawing inspiration from the textures, shapes and intricate details that can’t be captured in photos. 

Cofrin 
Center for Biodiversity

Through education, research and community services, the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity works to preserve and protect western Great Lakes fauna and flora. The center manages the Richter Museum, in addition to six natural areas, the Fewless Herbarium and competitive student grants for research.

Preserving Our Local Environment

Beth Siltala

Meet a
Phoenix

"I was an intern at the Richter Natural History Museum...this experience propelled me into pursuing archival/museum collections careers. I gained my MA in Library and Information Studies due to this passion, and using what I learned at the Richter Museum, I am currently working with the metadata remediation team at the Wisconsin Historical Society to prepare for their own migration to a new management system for their digitized collections."

Beth Siltala '19
Archives Assistant at Wisconsin Historical Society

Daniel Meinhardt

Pick His Brain

Meet Professor Daniel Meinhardt, the Richter Museum Curator, and unlock a world of discovery! Whether you’re an artist seeking inspiration, a student diving into research or an educator looking to enrich your curriculum, Professor Meinhardt is your go-to guide.

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