In the fall of 2012, a member of the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History advisory council made a challenge to the museum: a $250,000 matching gift dedicated to the PaleoIndian Endowment.

The museum has one year to raise the additional $250,000 to reap the full amount of the matching gift.

The MNCH archaeologists are leaders in PaleoIndian research and the endowment will support archaeological research, publication and field school study related to PaleoIndian populations in Oregon's Great Basin and beyond.

The museum’s theme, Oregon – Where the Past is Present, examines the natural history of Oregon and its native peoples from ancient times to the present.

Those interested in donating to the endowment can contact the museum by calling 541-346-5089, by emailing mnh@uoregon.edu, or by visiting in person at 1680 E. 15th Ave., Eugene.