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Over the years the patio sank so much that it was a tripping hazard. The Terra Firma team gently pumped in fast-setting foam to slowly lift the concrete. Once the project was complete, the tripping hazard was mitigated and only a few cracked tiles remain to fix. Patio Lift Completed with Grant from Kinsman Foundation The Rice Museum recently completed work on another infrastructure project thanks to a generous grant from the Kinsman Foundation. This project involved gently “lifting” the back patio up to three inches in places, using the ultra-cool services of local contractor Terra Firma Foundation Systems. The Kinsman Foundation is dedicated to preserving historicalstructures, and since we are on the National Historic Registry, we fit theirdefinition and were eligible for funding. The back patio has subsided over theyears for unknown reasons – perhaps groundwater flow shifted, or one of theunderground cisterns has an issue. Whatever the cause, the fix was to drillsmall holes through the concrete and inject fast-hardening polyurethane foamunderneath. Once the foam is injected to the right level, the drilled holes getrepaired and all is well. The trip hazard is gone, and wheelchairs no longerface an impasse.  Special thanks to Kinsman and Terra Firma for completing the project on time and on budget. We look forward to a long and healthy relationship!

The Museum successfully completed a Pollinator grant project this spring thanks to the generous support of the Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District. Funded by the Tualatin Watershed Improvement Grant (TWIG) program, the museum’s event planning and maintenance team planted about 40 different rose bushes and 35 lavender plants encircling the back public area. The $1200 grant provided much-needed pollination sources for local bees and butterflies, as well as added color and variability to the landscape. The addition of about 75 pollination sources should immediately help boost various honey bee populations, for example. Other beneficial insect species should also benefit. “In time, the back area should be an even more attractive setting for spring weddings,” according to Vicki Botieff, the museum’s Events Coordinator. One new concern that popped up recently is the resurgent population of black-tailed deer. With the museum closed due to COVID-19 safety precautions, local deer have been much more visible this spring. Without a full yard of school children eating lunch, the quiet grounds have invited more local wildlife in general. The deer can be voracious rose bush consumers, but hopefully the bushes will survive and thrive. So far all of the new plantings persist, but many have been severely “pruned” by the deer. While the museum remains closed until further notice to help slow the spread of COVID-19 please consider helping us get through this challenging time with a gift today. Donate

Dear Friends,  First and foremost, the entire staff of the Rice Museum, and I hope that you, your family, and your friends safe and healthy. Nine weeks ago, we shut our doors to the public. I personally never thought that I would be writing a letter in the middle of a world crisis. Yet, here we are.  As we prepare to once again welcome you again we need your help to make sure that happens.  Your support of the Rice Museum is critical. As a non-profit organization, we rely on ticket sales, education program fees, gift shop sales, events like Thunder Egg Stravaganza, and donations to survive. With our museum closed almost all sources of income have stopped until we can again function at full capacity. We urgently need financial support. Since closing our doors on March 15 nearly $175,000 has been lost in revenue so far. That is 34% of our total budget. Priding ourselves on fiscal responsibility we have taken measures to mitigate the loss of income and put the organization in the best position to be able to re-open when it’s safe to do so. Some of these measures have been heartbreaking as we cut expenses. Sadly, there are no guarantees it will be enough without support from people like you in our community. The American Alliance of Museums estimates that as an industry museums are losing 33 million dollars per day due to closures —  that 30% of museums may never reopen — and those that do will be changed institutions at risk of closing within two years. With your help, we won’t become one of those statistics.  Despite the ongoing crisis, our efforts to inspire people of all ages to learn more about earth science and prove meaningful experiences have not diminished since we have been closed. We created a new education campaign “What on Earth?” where we have collected educational resources and activities for kids and families at home. Included in this initiative are our own video activities and lessons, and highlights of our collection. We continue to add new material as the COVID-19 crisis continues.  The Rice Museum has been a vital resource in our community for decades. The Rice family gifted the Museum to the community with a vision of engaging and inspiring generations about the complexities of our Earth. Built around a world-class collection our educational programs have grown throughout the years and often fill a critical need supporting both public and private education. This current Coronavirus crisis brings to light the need for evolving and relevant science education. We can help by growing our educational programming and broadening our reach through technology, video education, and portable earth science exhibits. For the Museum to survive and thrive in the future, we plan to grow educational offerings, update exhibitions and enhance outside spaces.  We need you — will you help? Together we can continue to make a difference. The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is an essential part of the cultural and science education experience for our region. We have established a COVID-19 Relief Fund. Your gift will help close the gap and allow us to reopen. With your help, we will return to be a cultural cornerstone and inspire the next generation of earth scientists.  Always grateful,  Garret  If you are able to help the Rice Museum right now, please consider making an online gift today. 

Due to the continuing threat from COVID-19, the Museum will be closed to the public until the authorities at the Center for Disease Control and the Oregon Health Authority advise differently. The decision to temporarily close was a difficult one as we want to remain available to the community and our supporters. We will have minimal staff onsite to take care of administrative projects and some long-standing maintenance. Thank you for your patience as we all work together to overcome this challenge. Check this link from the amazing team at the Perot Museum of Natural Science for a video about the COVID-19 outbreak. We look forward to seeing you back at the Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals when we reopen.

Reader’s Choice Nomination Help support the Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals in the mission to engage, inspire, and educate generations on the splendor and complexity of our Earth by voting for us! Click here to vote!

If you have ever been to the museum, there is a good chance that you took something home from our rock pile. Kids young, and old, love to dig around to find that special treasure. And, the first one is free for kids! It takes a lot of rocks and minerals to keep the pile, a pile, and not a pit. We started tracking how much material goes through the rock pile in January and were quite surprised to learn that we have gone through over 2,000 pounds or rocks. That is over a ton! Our stockpile of material for the rock pile is getting perilously low: we only have enough for about two more months. If you have been thinking about donating to the museum, now is the time. Are you wondering what to do with that one ton pile of rocks out behind the shed, or the rocks and minerals you just inherited? Donate to the Rice Museum, we are a 501(3)(c) charity and can provide documentation of your donation. We are accepting material for not only the rock pile, but also for these other areas of the museum:  material that is not quite good enough for the store but too good for the rock pile that can be sold at our annual yard sale, and donations that may be sold in our store. These are all important sources of dollars that help to keep our doors open. All proceeds for our yard sale go into the curator’s fund, then are used to buy new specimens for the collection. Finally, and most importantly, you can be a part of the big picture when the really cool rocks and minerals you donate end up as part of our education collection. Your donations of rocks and minerals will find a good home at our museum. Please let us know about the items you would like to donate and schedule a time to process your donation through our contact form. Thank you and watch us grow!