The Chicago Academy of Sciences was founded in 1857 as Chicagos first museum, dedicated to the preservation and display of native specimens. Today the Academys collection, due to its age and type, places it among the most important in the world. In 1999, the Academy opened the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. It has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors and is a unique venue for the public, especially urban dwellers, to find new ways to reconnect with the natural world.

The Museum provides award-winning exhibitions and programs to 65,000 students annually and trains and provides resources for more than 2,000 Chicago teachers. The Nature Museum is one of the citys best examples of eco-friendly building technology, including a green roof, solar panels, natural light sources and native landscaping. The Academy and its Museum are engaged in important conservation and research work, such as its Butterfly Restoration Project.