Museum of the Earth
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 Location of the Museum of the Earth in New York
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | 1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°27′59″N 76°32′10″W / 42.466306°N 76.536203°W |
| Visitors | 30,000 |
| Director | Dr. Warren D. Allmon |
| Architect | Weiss/Manfredi |
| Website | museumoftheearth.org |
| Ithaca Discovery Trail | |
The Museum of the Earth is a natural history museum located in Ithaca, New York. The museum was created in 2003 as part of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), which studies the history of the Earth and its life. Both PRI and the Museum of the Earth are formally affiliated with Cornell University. The Museum of the Earth is home to earth-science exhibits and science-related art displays with a focus on the concurrent evolution of the Earth and life.
In the spring of 1994, the PRI Board of Directors approved the proceedings for the initial planning of building a museum to operate in accordance with PRI. With state financial support of $2 million, PRI began the design process for the Museum of the Earth in January 1999. The museum opened to the public in 2003. The museum project took almost ten years to complete and cost more than $11 million.
The Museum occupies an 18,000-square-foot (1,700m²) addition to the PRI complex on Ithaca's West Hill. The building was designed by New York architectural firm Weiss/Manfredi. The design for the museum won the American Institute of Architects's regional awards or "Excellence in Design" and "Honor Award for Architecture" in 2004.
The Museum of the Earth has both permanent and traveling exhibits. Recent examples of the latter include 'Maize', 'Whales', and 'Science on the Half Shell', with 'Sanctuary Reef' planned to open in late June 2012. The permanent exhibits include The North American Right Whale #2030; Rock of Ages, Sands of Time; and A Journey Through Time.
In 2003, North American Right Whale #2030," a whale skeleton, was installed in the museum lobby. By 2004, a permanent exhibit about the whale was put on view, funded by a grant from the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation. The whale was killed when she was caught in fishing cable. Rescuers attempted to free her, but she fought them off, swimming hundreds of miles before dying. The exhibit includes a short film by David Brown featuring footage of the unsuccessful attempts to rescue #2030 from the fishing gear that ultimately killed her.
The specimen was obtained by the PRI in 1999, when Director Dr. Warren D. Allmon expressed interest in acquiring the skeleton after he was notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service that a 44-foot Northern Right Whale had been spotted dead off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. PRI was informed that they could take the skeleton if they assisted with cleaning the whale carcass. Three days later, the skeleton arrived at PRI.
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