• Visit Butterfly Pavilion all year to celebrate 25 years of conservation with events, exhibits and more!
• Rosie the Tarantula celebrates her 25^th birthday on July 11 and 12
• 25^th Anniversary Gala Celebration on October 24, 2020
• 25^th anniversary memberships now on sale

Media Note: Photos, video and other editorial material is available by request. Rosie the Tarantula, other animals and scientific experts are available for media appearances and interviews by contacting kstewart@butterflies.org

Westminster, Colo – Feb. 20, 2020 – For a quarter of a century, Colorado’s Butterfly Pavilion has connected communities to the natural world through the wonder of invertebrates. Butterfly Pavilion is celebrating 25 years of conservation in 2020 with events, parties, membership discounts and even a 25^th birthday bash for the invertebrate zoo’s most famous resident, Rosie the Tarantula.

“As we enter our 25^th year of serving the public, the world has never needed invertebrates more, and invertebrates have never needed our help as much as they do now,” said Patrick Tennyson, president and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion. “The answers to our problems are right in front of us, we just aren't looking in the right places. They're in the tiny creatures that can live in extreme temperatures, through droughts, at the bottom of the ocean, or right in our backyards. We have so much more to learn from invertebrates and over the next 25 years, Butterfly Pavilion is going to unlock those secrets.”

In July 1990, Rocky Mountain Butterfly Consortium was established with the intent of one day creating a public butterfly house. With the assistance of several committed volunteers, including Michael Weissmann (former entomologist at the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder) and Dr. Richard Peigler (former Curator of Entomology at the Denver Museum of Natural History), the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center opened on July 15, 1995. Its mission was (and is) to foster an appreciation of invertebrates by educating the public about the need to protect and care for threatened habitats globally, while conducting research for solutions in invertebrate conservation.

Butterfly Pavilion was the first freestanding butterfly house and invertebrate zoo in the United States and 25 years later, Colorado’s small but mighty zoo has become a premier research, conservation and education institution, and the only accredited, stand-alone invertebrate zoological facility in the world. And the mission is even more important today, with declines in global insect populations making news world-wide.

Whether it is providing unique, hands-on learning experiences in exhibits and educational programs, conducting new research that sets the standard for zoos across the country, or providing innovative solutions for species and habitat conservation in countries around the world, Butterfly Pavilion is leading the way in ensuring invertebrates are protected for the future.

The Next 25 Years

While anniversaries are a great way to celebrate the past, Butterfly Pavilion is also focused on the future. Butterfly Pavilion is planning a $55M, 81,000-square-foot facility in Broomfield, Colo Butterfly Pavilion’s new home will include greatly-expanded guest experiences, a world-class research lab and a much larger zoological facility that will serve as the preeminent local, national and global hub for invertebrate knowledge, conservation, inspiration and connection.

Butterfly Pavilion is planning to open the new facility in 2023, pending the success of Butterfly Pavilion’s fundraising campaign. In the meantime, Butterfly Pavilion will continue to innovate and open new exhibits at our Westminster facility, delighting families and bug enthusiasts alike. Learn more at butterflies.local/research-and-conserve.

25^th Anniversary Signature Events

Celebrate 25 years of conservation with events and parties all year long at Butterfly Pavilion, and read more about their conservation efforts at www.butterflies.local. 25^th anniversary signature events include:

• 25 Years of Conservation Wall Reveal – March 2020
• Monarchs in Mexico Trip Contest – March 2020
• New Azteca Exhibit Opening - May 16, 2020
• Insectival Anniversary Party and Rosie’s Birthday Bash – July 11-12, 2020
• Monarch Magic – Sept. 19, 2020
• 25^th Anniversary Gala Celebration – October 24, 2020
• And much more!

25^th Anniversary Membership Sale
For a limited time, annual memberships and renewals are on sale to celebrate Butterfly Pavilion’s 25 years of conservation. Members get FREE unlimited admission, guest passes and discounted guest admissions and exclusive VIP event access, including 25^th anniversary events. Learn more at www.butterflies.local.

Learn more about Butterfly Pavilion’s 25^th anniversary year, exhibits, important education, research and conservation work at www.butterflies.local or by calling 303-469-5441. Butterfly Pavilion is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 6252 West 104^th Avenue in Westminster, Colo.

About Butterfly Pavilion:

Butterfly Pavilion is the world’s only stand-alone, Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited invertebrate zoo dedicated to transforming the way people think about the small but mighty animals that are the hidden heroes of the animal kingdom. As the leader in invertebrate knowledge, inspiration and connection, and as a member institution of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Butterfly Pavilion works to foster an appreciation of these critical animals by educating the public about the need to protect and care for threatened habitats globally, while conducting research for solutions in invertebrate conservation. Whether it is providing unique, hands-on learning experiences in our exhibits and educational programs, conducting new research that sets the standard for zoos across the country or building innovative solutions for species and habitat conservation in countries around the world, Butterfly Pavilion is leading the way in ensuring invertebrates are protected for the future. Learn more at butterflies.local.

Butterfly Pavilion Media Contact(s):
Kristen Petitt Stewart, kstewart@butterflies.org or 970.389.1561
Russ Pecoraro, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, rpecoraro@butterflies.org or 720.375.9984