City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MARCH 10, 2026 FROM: MUSEUM DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL SUBJECT: DEACCESSION FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF ONE (1) TAXIDERMIED CARIBOU TROPHY MOUNT (A1128-4) ISSUE:
Approve deaccession from the Museum of Riverside’s permanent collection of one (1) taxidermied caribou trophy mount (A1128-4).
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council approves deaccession from the permanent collection of one (1) taxidermied caribou trophy mount (A1128-4).
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
At a special meeting on February 4, 2026, the Museum of Riverside Board, with nine (9) members present for this vote and zero (0) absent, unanimously voted to recommend that City Council approve deaccession from the permanent collection of one (1) taxidermied caribou trophy mount (A1128-4).
BACKGROUND:
This caribou trophy mount is the last remaining item from a donation of multiple trophy mounts donated to the then Riverside Municipal Museum in 1980 by Mrs. Jacob A. Richman (A1128).
In 2001, three trophy mounts from the Richman donation were loaned to the City of Riverside Parks and Recreation Department for exhibit in the Izaak Walton Clubhouse facility at Fairmount Park. Later that year, a fire at that facility destroyed three loaned mounts from this donor and two mounts from other donors. In 2007, this caribou head (A1128-4) was loaned to the Parks and Recreation Department and remained hanging in the Isaak Walton Clubhouse until Museum of Riverside staff removed it at the request of the Parks and Recreation Department on December 22, 2025.
DISCUSSION:
The term “deaccession” refers to the procedure of formally removing an object from a museum’s permanent collection, after which the object may be considered for sale, exchange, gift, transfer to another entity, transfer to a collection other than the permanent collection, or – in the case of irretrievably deteriorated objects—disposal.
To “accession” an object is the process of including it formally in a museum’s permanent collection, which is the category of collection for which the greatest effort will be made to preserve the object in perpetuity and document it fully.
Museum staff have determined that this object is unlikely to be used for exhibition in the near future due to its deviation from the Museum’s mission, which centers on Riverside and the local region. Caribou are not native to this area. Only a select few natural history objects outside of this local scope are occasionally useful to provide context and comparison; however, the Museum already has sufficient holdings that fit this intent.
Justification for this recommendation is drawn from the Museum of Riverside’s Collections and Exhibitions Management Policies where it is codified that the process of deaccession may be initiated when:
The object/specimen is outside of the scope of the Museum’s mission and guidelines set by Riverside Municipal Code (Chapter 2.12), acquisition policy, or is irrelevant to the purposes of the Museum.
The object/specimen has doubtful potential utilization in the near future in the Museum’s exhibition and public programs.
Upon approval of deaccession, this mount will be offered to another regional natural history institution. If the Museum is unable to transfer the mount, it will be sold for the benefit of the natural history collection. The change of ownership will be accompanied by a disclaimer due to the possibility that toxic materials employed in taxidermy at the time this mount was prepared may remain.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total estimated value is approximately $1,000, however the sale price could be significantly less. Following Museum policy and museum field codes of ethics, net proceeds generated by such sales are restricted to future acquisitions for the permanent collection. Proceeds from the sale of deaccessioned objects are deposited into the Interest Bearing Special Deposits Fund, Museum - Deaccessioned account 0000721-225252.
Prepared by: Robyn G. Peterson, Museum Director
Reviewed by: Ann Lovell, Manager of Operations
Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Museum of Riverside Draft Board Minutes – February 4, 2026 Museum Board Deaccession Recommendation Report – February 4, 2026 Deaccession caribou mount ● Page 2