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	Public Services Related to Biological Diversity, Conservation, and Education Exceptional staff expertise, specimen collections, and literature resources of the CMNH Section of Invertebrate Zoology provide unique services to the people of Pennsylvania. In addition to the usual museum services of public education, entertainment, and basic research, this section addresses serious environmental and agro-economic issues for the most diverse group of living organisms in the Commonwealth, the arthropods (insects, spiders, mites, crustaceans, and relatives).
	Invertebrate Zoology provides services and information critical to state government regulatory functions, the most important being the inclusion of historical data on Pennsylvania species of special concern for the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) database (see below). Most of the terrestrial diversity in Pennsylvania (as in other areas of the world) is comprised of insects, and therefore the Section of Invertebrate Zoology is often involved with activities for state agencies or with Pennsylvania conservation organizations, especially the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy. Many projects in past years were collaborative ventures with these conservancies and with the CMNH Section of Botany.
	Major areas of activity are: - providing data and taxonomic review for PNDI; - serving as depositories for voucher specimens; - providing collection services to the Pennsylvania Heritage program and others involved in study of Pennsylvania natural resources; - providing public identification services (LINK HERE); - providing educational experiences at the Museum;		- providing educational resources at all levels from high school to graduate studies; - serving on advisory committees and providing technical expertise to state agencies; - conducting fieldwork and research on specific topics relating to the conservation of Pennsylvania biological diversity.