History
MNHC was founded as a non-profit organization in 1991 by a partnership between the University of Montana, the US Forest Service and the Montana Wildlife Federation with a goal of creating a nature education resource for the community. For the first decade or so, MNHC moved around from place to place, focusing most of its energies on programming outside its walls--summer camp programs, field trips, a radio program, and sending naturalists into the schools. In 2004, MNHC purchased a former brewery building in the heart of Missoula, and over the next 10 years went through various remodeling projects in order to offer more programming in the Center as well. In June of 2014 MNHC completed final renovations on the building, which now includes a remodeled museum, 75-person-capacity classroom, Environmental Education Library, and Kids' Discovery Room.
Specialties
The mission of the Montana Natural History Center (MNHC) is to promote and cultivate the understanding, appreciation and stewardship of nature through education. MNHC offers numerous programs for children, including week-long summer outdoor discovery day camps for pre-K through 5th grade, weekly pre-school programs, Saturday Kids' Activities, and Museum Tours. For adults we have an Evening Lecture Series, Sip & Sketch evenings taught by local artists, four-part classes on topics from nature writing to geology, as well as Naturalist Field Days on a variety of topics, from raptor migration to lichens to Glacial Lake Missoula. MNHC also offers several Montana Master Naturalist certification courses throughout the year. MNHC has a newly-renovated exhibit center filled with local animal specimens, information on Montana's ecosystems, a diverse fossil display, rotating exhibits in our Naturalist Field Station, and an exhibit on Glacial Lake Missoula. There is an interactive Kids' Discovery Room, an Environmental Education Library with books for both children and adults, a small native plant garden, and a Nature Adventure Garden for outdoor play. MNHC also provides a bi-annual publication, Montana Naturalist magazine, free to members and the public, with feature articles about the flora and fauna of Montana, their ecology, habitats and conservation issues.