Gallery of California Natural Sciences

Oakland Museum of California

Press Image Captions & Credits

A sea cucumber being prepared for the Cordell Bank Reef installation. Photo courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California, 2012.

2. A Steller’s jay specimenbeing preparedusing photographs of the actual species for the redwood grove in the Oakland section of the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Photo courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California, 2012.

One of the dedicated Museum volunteers working on the restoration of redwood tree branches for the redwood platform. Each twig of every branch is adorned with color-matched simulated needles to make sure the platform looks as realistic as possible. Oakland Museum of California, 2012.Photo: Matthew Reamer.

A volunteer painstakingly re-creates Bay leaves to reconstruct a California Bay Laurel tree. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

A fern tendril curls by a table where volunteers painstakingly re-create Bay leaves to reconstruct a California Bay Laurel tree. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

Taxidermist Alicia Goodeprepares a black-footed albatross for the Cordell Bank section of the Gallery. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

Associate Preparator Jaime Lakatos welds armatures for models of marine hydroids in the Cordell Reef diorama. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

Associate Preparator Cleo Vilett paints a hydrocoral for the Cordell Bank reef diorama. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

Associate Preparator Jaime Lakatos and Associate Preparator Cleo Vilett add foliage to a diorama featuring the camouflaging capabilities of mountain lions in the Oakland Hills scrub. Oakland Museum of California, 2013. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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The new Gallery of California Natural Sciences reuses almost seventy percent of the over 120 original dioramas from the former gallery, some of which date back to the 1960s and remain amongst the most sophisticated museum displays of California’s biodiversity to this day. Oakland Museum of California, 2013. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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The skull of a female pronghorn antelope, prepared for installation in the Tehachapis section of the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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Taxidermist Alicia Goode leads a live specimen preparation demonstration for visitors toa“Sneak Peek” in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Taxidermist Alicia Goode leads a live specimen preparation demonstration for visitors to one a“Sneak Peek” in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Taxidermist Alicia Goode leads a live specimen preparation demonstration for visitors to a “Sneak Peek” in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Taxidermist Alicia Goode leads a live specimen preparation demonstration for visitors to a“Sneak Peek” in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Visitors to a Member “Sneak Peek” of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences participate in the prototyping and feedback on the new Oakland section of the gallery. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Matthew Reamer.

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Visitors to a “Sneak Peek” of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences test out a listening station co-created by artist Helena Keeffe and Oakland YMCA families. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Visitors to a “Sneak Peek” of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences participate in the prototyping and feedback on the new Oakland section of the gallery. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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A bobcat climbs a tree in the newly-installed redwood platform, demonstrating the history and change of this habitat in the Oakland section of the gallery. Photo courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California, 2012.

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A “fire goat” peers out from the corner of a house in the Oakland section of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. These animals help with clearing dry brush from the Oakland Hills in fire-prone areas. Oakland Museum of California, 2013. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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The new Oakland section of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences features a life-size oak tree made out of metal pipe, replicating the iconic Oakland logo with a common urban building material. Oakland Museum of California, 2013. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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A close-up of the Cordell Bank Reef shows brown sponge, a blood sea star, a pincushion sea star, strawberry anemones, and California hydrocoral. The reef was built by preparators one animal at a time. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

24. A close-up of the Moss Crab on the Cordell Bank Reef installation. The Moss Crab attaches other reef organisms to its shell as a means of camouflage. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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Visitors surround the Cordell Bank Reef installation in the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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Visitors use the deep sea dive interactive in the Cordell Bank section of the Gallery, in front of a display of a great white shark jaw, sea lion skulls, and other specimens. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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An OMCA Docent shares the map of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary with students from Oakland’s La Esquelita Elementary. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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Students from Oakland’s La Esquelita Elementary gather around a microscope to examine specimens in the Cordell Bank section of the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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A student from Oakland’s La Esquelita Elementary peers at glass jars with preserved oceanic specimens in the Cordell Bank section of the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Terry Lorant.

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Visitors enjoy a fully immersive, audio-visual installation by artist Olivia Ting depicting the underwater experience of the Cordell Bank reef in the new Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Oakland Museum of California, 2012. Photo: Shaun Roberts.

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