For Immediate Release Contact: Greg Borzo (312) 665-7100 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org "The people of Peru, through their government, have made a generous gift to future generations by establishing this park," says Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation. "People from both nearby and around the world will benefit from the conservation of this unique resource. As with most such efforts, non-governmental organizations played an important role in this achievement. The MacArthur Foundation is pleased to fund The Field Museum and other groups working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable human development." Dr. Moskovits adds, "With accelerating losses of natural diversity worldwide, our mission is to direct The Field Museum’s unique resources – worldwide collections, scientific expertise and innovative educational programs – to the immediate needs of conservation at local, national and international levels." In order to continue such efforts, The Field Museum plans to build a new research and storage facility under the terrace at the southeastern corner of its building. "This $60 million facility will enable the museum to further its work in environmental conservation," says John W. McCarter Jr., President and CEO of the Field Museum. "In recognition of the critical impact of the Field Museum’s scientific activities, Gov. George Ryan included a $40 million appropriation in his budget currently under consideration in Springfield." "The Field Museum is proud to be a part of this unprecedented preservation effort," he continued. "We look forward to dedicating a portion of our new collections and research center to Peruvian study and to our many other conservation efforts around the globe." The Field Museum is a collections-based research and educational institution devoted to studying and preserving natural and cultural diversity. Environmental and Conservation Programs is the branch of the museum dedicated to translating science into action that creates and sustains lasting conservation. Download Images To download a 200 dpi tif image directly to your computer, click on the thumbnail image(s) below. Caption information may be found under "file/file info" of the Adobe® Photoshop® file.