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Client Project
title Nature Preserver Copy As one of the country's most celebrated zoos, consistently landing in national top 10 lists, the Audubon Zoo is an important driver of New Orleans' economic engine. A recent study by UNO and LSU put the Audubon Nature Institute's 2007 economic impact at $315 million, just surpassing pre-Katrina levels. Ron Forman, the President and CEO of the Audubon Nature Institute, is of course proud of the financial influence of the organization he heads, but he sees it as way to support Audubon's greater goals. "From our hearts, we got into this in order to teach the kids of New Orleans about the beauty of life. We want them to know that there's a world outside of the city, that nature exists." he says. "So we built Audubon for the local kids, not the tourists. The tourists help fund it, and I'm glad they enjoy it, too. But they're not our most important audience." On occasion, Forman self-effacingly refers to himself as a "zookeeper," but that that title doesn't accurately reflect his prominence in civic life. Although he missed the run-off, he was a serious candidate for mayor in 2006, and he considers Governor Bobby Jindal a friend. This zookeeper rose to prominence by doing what many in the city consider miraculous—reforming the "animal ghetto." Exotic animals have lived in the current location of Audubon Zoo since the 1884 world exposition, and much of the zoo's infrastructure was built in the 1930s by the WPA, the agency President Franklin Roosevelt formed to create jobs during the Depression. The zoo was beloved, but it never had the resources to be a world-class institution, and by the 1970s, it was in sorry shape by all accounts. Animals sulked in dirty cages, and the atmosphere was like a concrete jail—not like the verdant grounds and the expansive animal habitats there now. Back then, people were talking about shutting the zoo down altogether. While in his early twenties, Forman's career was still unfocused when he heard Mayor Moon Landrieu give a talk about a program, a sort of municipal Peace Corps, that had young people spend a few years serving in city government. Forman accepted the call and was assigned to analyze the zoo in crisis. According to Forman, the "mothers with baby strollers" wanted a great zoo to take their kids to, and they fought to save it. With their support, the first Zoo-To-Do (Audubon's annual fundraising party) was held to great success. And Forman started making changes. One important development was his push to take Audubon out from under the thumb of the city and restructure it as a private non-profit organization. It's been three decades since Forman took over, and a civic shame is now a civic success. |
