Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology and Science

M.A.P.S., the Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology and Science is a non-profit museum established in 2016 by  Charles Zidar, its Executive Director.
The museum, located in New Port Richey, Florida, serves the greater Tampa Bay area as a center for both learning and discovery, offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to explore the wonders of archaeology, paleontology and science. From cultural artifacts to fossils to space science, we strive to ignite curiosity and inspire a passion for knowledge in everyone who walks through our doors. 

The museum, which currently holds over 10,000 artifacts, is housed in a 5000 square foot facility provided through the generosity of the Pasco County School Board. The space is tight, but the creativity of the director and other volunteers have allowed M.A.P.S. to create and establish high quality educational and community programs including dinosaur summer camps,  museum tours, special events, and community outreach. Our efforts to become more visible in the local community are working (!) and we are now experiencing growing pains from trying to meet community demand. We are seeking donations to help the museum meet the needs of our community  in the following ways:

Preservation and exhibition: Your support will help us preserve priceless artifacts and create engaging exhibits that bring history and science to life. From dinosaur skeletons to ancient pottery, every artifact tells a story and your sponsorship ensures that these stories continue to be told for generations to come.

Educational Programming: Your sponsorship will enable us to continue to develop innovative educational programs for students of all ages. Our programming ranges from museum tours to hands-on workshops to interactive lectures - and these programs inspire a love of learning and foster critical thinking skills essential for success in the 21st century. We intend to bring in additional staff to aid in program development and instruction.

Community Outreach: Your partnership will allow us to continue our mission to make lifelong learning accessible to all ages, including traditionally under-served and under-resourced communities. Through free admission days, outreach events and partnerships with local schools, we strive to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the wonder of discovery.

Operational funding: Although M.A.P.S. is a registered non-profit, every business has expenses to cover. To date, income from attendance, memberships, educational programs, and donations from the community and local businesses have enabled our outreach and events programming, including the enormously popular Dinos and Dragons event (2023). Since 2021, the Pasco County School Board has generously provided us, rent free,  a secure location for our collections and exhibits. Numerous other individuals - our volunteers -  have invested their time, money and effort to ensure that M.A.P.S. continues to deliver high-quality, engaging programs and exhibits.  However, as we continue to grow,  we can no longer ignore the need for a paid, full-time staff including administration, security and, critically, educators. Our dilemma:  we want to promote the museum more widely, extend our operating hours, and offer more events and educational programs to reach a broader audience. To accomplish that goal successfully, however, we must have the staffing in place first. This funding request, then, includes not only materials and operations costs but also funds for a professional staff working full-time at the museum.

Our Volunteers include the following individuals:

Charles Zidar is the founder and Executive Director of M.A.P.S. and is President of the museum Board of Directors.  Mr. Zidar earned a Master of Liberal Studies degree from University of Oklahoma, where his focus was archaeology, botany and museology; he has an extensive background in museum operations, collection management and programming for exhibits. Outside museums, Mr. Zidar has worked on numerous archaeological and paleontological digs. He has traveled to over 45 countries consulting on museum projects and completing science-based research and has been published regularly in scientific journals.  Mr. Zidar is the Chairman of the Pasco County Cultural Advisory Committee

Terri Dotson, a member of the Board of Directors, is a business and real estate professional with over 30 years of experience.

Donna Krabill, a member of the Board of Directors, is a museum and garden professional.

Timothy Link, a member of the Board of Directors, is an accounting and tax professional.

Nikole Jorgensen-Zidar holds a Master's degree in Anthropology and is an active volunteer with the museum, assisting in research and exhibit design as well as logistics and organizational activities for special events.

Jill Harper-Judd, Ph.D. (Biology), Director of Development. Dr. Harper-Judd earned her Ph.D. at Florida State University in 2007. Since then she has focused mostly on science and science education, but she has a solid background in paleobiology and is able to draw on her additional expertise in grant-writing to help with fundraising for the museum. 

An additional 15 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds regularly participate in museum activities ranging from preservation to research to setting up exhibits and outreach. 

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!