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January 13, 2009
Atlantic Yards YES! Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums NO!!
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Botanic Garden, Aquarium Both in Line for Cutbacks
Not just here but across the state, administrators of zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums fear that they may need to institute devastating cuts.
At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, for example, not only the Garden’s in-house exhibits could be affected, but also its educational programs, its community horticulture programs and its extensive outreach programs to Brooklyn schools, Scot Medbury, the Garden’s president, told the Eagle.
John Cavelli is executive vice president for public affairs of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which oversees both the Prospect Park Zoo and Coney Island’s New York Aquarium as well as the Bronx Zoo. He said that in Gov. Paterson’s recently submitted state budget, “Living museums, like the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, are singled out for the largest reduction — 55 percent.
“Next year, 76 zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums are zeroed out of the budget ... It is clear: We can't fire our bears or furlough our sea lions. All options are on the table, including cutting staff and services.”
NoLandGrab: Thank goodness for Atlantic Yards' eight acres of publicly accessible open space! Uh, when exactly will that be open?
Posted by eric at January 13, 2009 10:53 AM