Bronx Zoo in need…
January 26th, 2009 Posted in Causes, Front Page News
[Republish from philmcdonnell.com]
Governor Paterson has proposed cuts to the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums in NY state. This funding (ZBGA) has been in place for over 30 years and was created to make sure that our zoos, gardens, aquariums all have funding in hard economic times. Now Governor Paterson wants to cut this funding by 55% this year and 100% next year. This is not the time for these cuts, if ever there was a hard economic time it is now!
All 76 organizations will be affected by the elimination of the ZBGA funding. Some points of interest:
- Living Museums cannot fire their animals or furlough their plant collections
- They are the economic drivers that bring jobs and a tremendous amount of stimulus to our state’s economy with 10 million visitors annually
- The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, alone, generated more than $289.6 million in FY 2008
We all need to tell Governor Paterson that we do not want these cuts, and funding needs to be restored. You can send your message here:
You can join in the cause on Facebook here:
Visit the Wildlife Conservation Society:
Wildlife Conservation Society Website
Watch this video that was produced by the WCS:
The video stars a Bronx Zoo porcupine that is being laid off from its job, the WCS has no intention of getting rid of any of these animals, but the cuts do make the future bleak and far from secure.
The zoo does not only keep animals and plants alive, but also adds to our local economy. The Bronx Zoo and NY Aquarium had more than 2.7 million visitors last year that generated more than $290 million dollars in economic activity. The Zoo and Aquarium have 819 full time staff and 251 seasonal workers. Imagine the impact on our communities if these institutions were to close.
Please take the time and click the email link above or call the Governor at 518-474-8390.
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