The Public Service Collection spans from 1935 to 2003, with the bulk of the material dating 1964 to 1995. The collection primarily consists of textual resources including research reports, correspondence, minutes and agendas, legal material, memoranda, publications, government reports, and maps. Photographs and field guides are also present. The collection is comprised of eighteen distinct series. Each of the series within the collection documents a specific conservation issue that the museum was concerned about, if not directly involved with, both locally and statewide. Some of the significant topics that are represented in these files are Off-road vehicles in the California desert; Wildland and urban fire management in the East Bay Hills; and Protection of California reptiles and amphibians. Other series include Ecological study areas protection; The Bodie Protection Act; and many other conservation issues. Each of the series contains rare material that cannot be found elsewhere -- including rare government reports and correspondence related to the preservation of crucial habitats within the state of California and elsewhere.

Dr. Robert C. Stebbins, Museum Curator and Professor of Zoology at UC Berkeley, created the Public Service collection. Dr. Stebbins brought the collection together over the span of several years, and it stemmed from his extensive work with many conservation issues. The issues within the collection are based in California and the surrounding region. Dr. Stebbins’ involvement with these issues led to numerous interactions with other conservationists, community members, biologists, friends, as well as prominent government officials, both state and federal. All of these interactions are well documented within this collection.

5.0 Cubic feet

Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.

The collection is open for research.