The University of Wyoming Geological Collections supports academic programs, scientific research and public education. It is overseen by the Department of Geology and Geophysics in the College of Arts and Sciences. The collection is a nationally recognized, public scientific resource that emphasizes the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic fossil record of Wyoming's Laramide basins and High Plains.
The University of Wyoming Insect Museum is the only research collection of insects in the state of Wyoming. Present holdings are estimated at more than a million specimens. It is an important regional resource, as well as a collection of national and international significance. Holdings are particularly strong in the major orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera.
The University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates, is a rapidly expanding repository of historic and modern bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile, and fish specimens. The Museum works to document and understand regional and global biodiversity through acquisition and investigation of collections to advance academic knowledge and public appreciation of the natural world. Situated in the intersection of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, one of the Museum's main goals is to preserve a record of the vertebrates found in these unique and rapidly changing landscapes.
The Rocky Mountain Herbarium is the largest facility of its kind between Saint Louis and the West Coast. Rich in material from throughout US, Canada, and northern Europe, it is the largest collection of Wyoming and Rocky Mountains plants in the world and reflects the region’s biological diversity and evolutionary history. Researchers and scientists at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium, and from around the globe, use these resources to document natural resources, elucidate evolutionary relationships and processes, describe the effects of climate change, and to identify organisms and landscapes of conservation concern.
The Williams Conservatory is a prominent facility at the University of Wyoming. Built in 1994, our greenhouse was funded largely by private donations from Louis O. and Terua P. Williams. The National Science Foundation (NSF) also contributed grant dollars specifically for the enhancement and maintenance of research. The Conservatory is a multipurpose facility that is open daily for free public use. Our facility receives hundreds of visitors each year from the University community, traveling tourists, and Wyoming residents.
The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD) is a member of a network of similar programs collectively known as the Natural Heritage Network. Each of the 50 US states, most Canadian provinces, and many Latin American countries house a network program dedicated to gathering and developing biological information on species of conservation concern and natural vegetation communities. Programs in the network use the same database methodology and software and receive technical support from a coordinating organization known as NatureServe. Most programs are housed in universities or state agencies; WYNDD operates as a service and research unit of the University of Wyoming.