9709919 Dean The Beecher Crampton Herbarium Collection (AHUC) contains historical specimens collected by B. Crampton from Califomia's Central Valley (especially vernal pools) between 1945 and the present. These specimens are a record of the diversity of habitats that once made up the Central Valley and are an essential reference source for researchers planning habitat preservation projects in the region. Upon the retirement of Professor Crampton in 1984, the collection was left without a curator, resulting in its move in 1988 to the J.M. Tucker Herbarium (DAV) on the UC Davis campus. The two united collections are now called the UC Davis Herbarium. However, the two collections were never intercalated, and many of the mounted specimens have suffered severe insect damage. The Crampton Herbarium consists of 38,428 mounted specimens plus ca. 15,000-17,000 unmounted specimens. Many of the mounted specimens require repair or remounting, and the unmounted specimens require labels and mounting. There is now strong campus support for the herbarium, This NSF funding will purchase new cases in which to store the properly curated collection and provide for the intercolation of the two collections. Students will be involved in the project, which will make a valuable set of specimens accessible to the scientific community.
