The recipient entity's physical address:
           6500 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70118

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           P.O. Box 4327
New Orleans, LA 70178

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          Agent: Rebecca Dietz
Officer: Ron Forman, Kyle Burks PhD

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  7624

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $18,576,874

What type of request is this?  Capital Outlay Appropriation

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           Lynes R. Sloss, Chairman, 525 St. Charles Avenue, #400, New Orleans, LA 70130
Willard Dumas, 1st Vice Chair, 5427 Bancroft Dr., New Orleans, LA 70122
Dennis Lauscha, 2nd Vice Chair, 1221 First Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Vincent Palumbo, Recording Secretary, 2329 Edenborn Avenue, Metairie, LA 70001
Quentin Messer, Corresponding Secretary, 935 Gravier Street, Suite 2020, NO, 70112
Leslie P. Gottsegen, Treasurer, 2633 Napoleon Ave Ste 610, New Orleans, LA 70115-7418
Ludovico Feoli, Parliamentarian, 1523 Soniat St., New Orleans, LA 70115
Chris Bardell, Immediate Past Chairman, PO Box 2486, LaPlace, LA 70069-2486

Linda Baum, 1 Cromwell Pl., New Orleans, LA 70118
Beau Box, 5500 Bankers Ave., Baton Rouge, La 70808
Leah Brown, 5125 Perlita Street, New Orleans, LA 70122
Caroline Calhoun, 452 Audubon Street, New Orleans, LA 70118
Hunter Cazes, 1123 Arabella Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
Edgar Chase IV, 4748 St. Roch Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122
Henry L. Coaxum, Jr., 231 Harbor Circle, New Orleans, LA 70126
K. Barton Farris, 104 English Turn Dr., New Orleans, LA 70131
Wilmer Jacobs, 150 3rd Street, Suite 200, Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Joseph A. Jaeger, 3001 17th St, Metairie, LA 70002-3805
Stephen Kupperman, 5924 Coliseum St., New Orleans, LA 70115
Anne Long, 920 State Street, New Orleans, LA 70118
Nolan Marshall, 1916 Bienville Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Peter Moss, 109 Bellaire Dr., New Orleans, LA 70124
John Nickens, 200 Henry Clay Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118
John Payne, 1444 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118
J. Stephen Perry, 2020 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130
Julie Quinn, 326 Rue St. Peter, Metairie, LA 70005
Mark Romig, 47 Fontainebleau Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125
Nathalie Simon, 522 Montegut St. Apt. 317, New Orleans, LA 70117
Susan Stall, 3427 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Bernard Van der Linden, 320 Rue Saint Ann, Metairie, LA 70005
Thomas D. Westfeldt, PO Box 51750, New Orleans, LA 70151-1750
Qiana Wiggins, 610 Saint Andrew St., New Orleans, LA 70130

The criteria for Audubon Nature Institute Board members includes: evidence of civic or business leadership; experience on other area non-profit boards; past support or capacity to support Audubon at a significant level; ability to connect Audubon to new funding opportunities; commitment to improving the quality of life for the entire community.

President/CEO: Ron Forman, 1806 Palmer Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118
Executive Vice President/COO: Kyle Burks, PhD, 914 7th Street, New Orleans, LA 70115

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           Audubon Nature Institute operates facilities owned by the City of New Orleans through a management contract with Audubon Commission, a quasi-public agency created by LA State Act $191 to oversee Audubon Park operations. Audubon requests a total appropriation of $18.6 million in state capital outlay, reauthorizing funding that was in 2020 Act 2; moving $9.7 million from P5 to P1 to support renovations at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas; and adding $3 million in new funding for renovating Audubon Zoo’s Earth Lab and grounds into an Animal Ambassador facility and creating a giraffe feeding experience. The total request includes:

· $9,704,410 in Priority 1: Funding was in P5 of 2020 Act 2 and had received a non-cash line of credit in 2019, so reauthorization is anticipated when 2020 Act 2 non-cash lines of credit are considered.
· $8,872,464 in Priority 5: Funding was in P5 of 2020 Act 2; $5,872,464 had received a non-cash line of credit in 2019 and $3,000,000 was new funding with no prior non-cash line of credit.

An executed CEA is in place for Audubon 2020.

Audubon manages the nation’s largest collection of nature-themed attractions that are among the state’s top paid attendance destinations. Audubon 2020 will improve facility infrastructure and exhibits while making additions and enhancements that invest in a dynamic existing business in a growing sector—a plan consistent with economic development best practices.

Audubon Nature Institute is adding $125 million in new projects by 2023. This $18.6 million capital investment by the State of Louisiana in 2021-22 (to be matched by dollar for dollar by funds raised by Audubon Nature Institute) is a significant step in helping Audubon keep pace with other national nature attractions while ensuring New Orleans remains a driving force in regional tourism.

Audubon Nature Institute board certified that as of June 30,2020, state participation in Audubon 2020 projects totaled $22,620,228. Audubon had invested $19,005,771 in projects with state participation and an additional $54,021,502 in projects without state participation. Audubon funding in Audubon 2020 is 76.35%.

Audubon’s operational spending, along with its visitors’ spending, generates an annual economic impact of more than $651 million, yielding $28 million for state and local tax collections (ConsultEcon, Inc., Economic Impact of the Audubon Nature Institute and Proposed Master Plan, May 2019). When completed, Audubon 2020 capital projects would increase that annual economic impact to $677 million. Funds generated annually through local and state tax collections would increase to $30.1 million. Total jobs sustained by Audubon’s economic impact would increase from 6,936 to 7,223. In addition, one-time total economic impact from Audubon 2020 construction activities is $140 million in expenditures, $51 million in wages and salaries, and 944 person-years of employment.

Audubon 2020 encompasses $73 million in new projects and $52 million in major upgrades to existing facilities starting in 2009 and concluding no later than 2023. Projects in our 2021-22 request are expected to be completed by 2023, including the Aquarium’s Lobby, Exhibits, and Butterfly Garden/Insectarium renovation which will be performed using Construction Manager at Risk with a pre-construction contract awarded before December 2020. All other projects are in schematic or conceptual design phase.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $0
          Professional Services. . . $10,417,860
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $104,178,600
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $0
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $0
          Operating Services. . . . $0
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $10,417,860

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          Audubon Nature Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit family of facilities linked with the unifying purpose of celebrating the wonders of nature and an ambitious vision to enrich the City of New Orleans with an unrivaled collection of living science museums, tranquil parks, and renowned research centers. Through its public facilities - Audubon Zoo and Audubon Park, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Insectarium, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center and Audubon Wilderness Park - Audubon gives New Orleans families and their visitors new and ever-expanding opportunities to enjoy and contemplate the marvels of life. And through its conservation campus, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon works to ensure the same opportunities for future generations through programs such as Alliance for Sustainable Wildlife and Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries.

The eight basic tenets of Audubon’s mission statement guide decisions at all facilities.
• Provide a guest experience of outstanding quality.
• Exhibit the diversity of wildlife.
• Preserve native Louisiana habitats.
• Educate our diverse audience about the natural world.
• Enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation.
• Provide opportunities for recreation in natural settings.
• Operate a financially self-sufficient collection of museums and parks.
• Weave quality entertainment through the guest experience.

Audubon Zoo opened in 1919 in uptown New Orleans on the site of the 1884 World’s Fair and Cotton Exposition. The success and growth of Audubon Zoo waxed and waned until the 1970’s, when declining resources and limited interest found the Zoo at an all-time low. The City took action and, through the Audubon Commission’s governance and with public and private support raised through Friends of the Zoo, transformed the Zoo’s image from an “animal ghetto” to an “urban oasis.” Friends of the Zoo, which originally held the management contract with the city, has evolved into Audubon Nature Institute, which currently operates ten Audubon facilities on behalf of the City of New Orleans.

Celebrating the Wonders of Nature in a city where celebrations are woven into the basic fabric of life, each member of Audubon Nature Institute’s family has been greeted with success, measured in such tangibles as: visitor attendance which far surpasses projections; the hatching of critically endangered birds such as Mississippi sandhill cranes and whooping cranes; the births of endangered species including Amur leopards and Sumatran orangutan; and research firsts such as the birth of endangered African wildcats through the use of assisted reproductive technologies like cloning. The annual economic impact of Audubon is estimated at $651 million, with an increase to $677 million expected after Audubon 2020 projects are completed (ConsultEcon, Inc., Economic Impact of the Audubon Nature Institute and Proposed Master Plan, May 2019). The one-time economic impact from Audubon 2020 construction activities provides an additional $140 million in expenditures, $51 million in wages and salaries, and 944 person-years of employment.

Audubon’s state capital outlay request will build upon its proven track record of success, giving a strong framework to ensure Audubon Nature Institute continues to provide a stimulus for tourism for the city, a positive economic impact for the state, and a cultural and conservation resource for the region.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          Audubon Nature Institute’s $18.6 million appropriation request for state capital outlay funds ($9.7 million in Priority 1, $8.9 million in Priority 5) reauthorizes funding approved in 2020 HB2, Act 20 and is part of a $125 million drive to sustain the vision and mission of Louisiana’s most visited attractions. State funding, coupled with other public and private dollars raised by Audubon over the next several years, will ensure Louisiana’s leader for exceptional family fun can continue to provide world-class, educational experiences for Louisiana residents and visitors.

Using current economic impacts as a baseline, Audubon 2020 will:
• Increase annual Audubon facility visitation from 1.7 million unique paid visitors to 1.8 million. These numbers translate to over 2 million paid visits to the Zoo, Aquarium, Giant Screen Theater and Butterfly Garden and Insectarium.
• Secure top-rated national status of Louisiana’s most popular attractions with $73 million in new projects and $52 million in major upgrades.
• Increase total annual economic impact by 4%, from $651 million to $677 million.
• Increase the number of jobs created and supported by Audubon activities 42%, from 6,936 to 7,223.
• Increase the annual amount of Audubon-related state and local taxes collected 11%, from $28 million to $31 million.
• Contribute an additional $140 million in expenditures, $51 million in wages and salaries and 944 person-years of employment due to project construction
• Strategically position Audubon to serve the next generation of Louisiana’s families and visitors as the nation’s leading operator of nature-focused family attractions.

The requested state funding is an initial stimulus for economic growth and development with a proven leader in the region. Investments in Audubon 2020 will provide returns for the state, the city, and our citizens far beyond the year 2020.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           The projects associated with this 2021-2022 request are expected to be completed by 2023. The entire Audubon 2020 project will be active through 2023, with the majority of funding in place by 2021 and all construction completed by 2023.

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                 

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
              

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
               

          What is the nature of the relationship? 

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               


Contact Information
name:  Laurie Conkerton 
                                       address:  6500 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70118
                                       phone:  504-212-5221
                                       fax:  504-865-7332
                                       e-mail:  lconkerton@auduboninstitute.org
                                       relationship to entity:  Executive Vice President and CAO