Support your Zoo - Tell Lehigh County Commissioners to support Quality of life initiatives

Dear Friends of the Lehigh Valley Zoo:

We need YOUR help today!

At Lehigh County's Budget Hearing Overview on September 25th, Gregg Marzano, Lehigh Valley Zoological Society's Chairperson and Stacey Johnson, Lehigh Valley Zoo's Executive Director presented a solid case for support to the Lehigh County Commissioners to request an additional allocation of $200,000 in the 2009 County budget, thereby continuing taxpayer support of the Zoo at the level of $350,000 annually.

YOU can help the Zoo by contacting all of the Lehigh County Commissioners: commissionersoffice@lehighcounty.org by Wednesday, October 1st to express your continued support for your Zoo and to request that the County of Lehigh continue taxpayer support of the Lehigh Valley Zoo at the level of $350,000 annually. The Lehigh County's Budget Overview Follow-Up is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd.

Why should the County of Lehigh fund the Lehigh Valley Zoo?

· There is a renewed sense of energy and purpose for the Lehigh Valley Zoo.
· It is a key community institution in Lehigh County.
o Attendance recovery: increased more than 45% over three years, from approximately 63,000 to over 98,000 between 2005 and 2007.
o Membership increased from 100 families to more than 1,800
o Fifteen percent of the Zoo's annual attendance comes from school field trips
· The zoo is the first place where many of our guests make their first connection with animals.
o One example: in 2007 a middle school student from inner city Allentown arrived on a field trip and was frightened even to walk under the trees because they might fall on her - but by the end of her visit was excited and looking forward to the next time.
· Professional accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 2006.
· Seven new animal exhibits have been created in three years by utilizing or remodeling existing structures to make best use of resources at hand.
· Active working partnerships with Wildlands Conservancy, Da Vinci Science Center and Lehigh Carbon Community College to improve science education in the Lehigh Valley and provide dynamic opportunities never previously available.
· Successful completion of third-year lease review in collaboration with a County-appointed blue ribbon panel in 2007. Among the committee recommendations:
o The Zoo's completion of a five-year strategic plan outlining program growth, capital exhibit development and fiscally conservative business management in 2008.
o Routine and basic reporting of operational data (examples: animal inventory, attendance, profit and loss statements, etc.) to Lehigh County administration.
o Continued AZA accreditation as a condition of future funding.
o Lehigh County should continue operational support at a level between $250,000 and $400,000 annually beyond the first five years of the lease.
To date, the Zoo continues to comply with each of the recommendations set forth in the committee's final report.

Continuing Community Engagements

· Four Sunset Safari after-hours events hosting community and state leaders to acquaint them with Zoo programs and initiatives, June-September, 2008.
· ZooGala with more than 200 guests, September 2008.
· Recent editorial endorsement of progress and goals by The Morning Call.
· The Zoo hosted WFMZ's Sunrise program at the Zoo in July 2008.
· Stacey Johnson initiated monthly visits to WFMZ Sunrise program (this week) in September 2008.
· Fashion photo spread in Lehigh Valley Social magazine in June 2008.
· Multiple RCN4 Community Spotlight program and Connections features filmed during summer 2008.
· East Penn Business Journal feature in 2007.

Economic Impact

· According to the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, a cultural institution in the region with an annual attendance of approximately 100,000 and an annual budget of approximately $1million (Lehigh Valley Zoo budget in 2008 is $1.75million) creates 128.5 full-time jobs with over $4.7million in expenditures; generating local revenue of $275,161 and state revenue of $308,356.
· Tourism and hospitality are the fastest growing industries in the region and the Lehigh Valley Zoo has an economic and quality of life impact on the residents of Lehigh County.

Institutional Goals

· Become the zoo experience which Lehigh Valley residents recognize and seek before traveling to another metropolitan area.
· Become the most-visited community-owned family attraction in the Lehigh Valley
· Establish the Zoo as the reliable wildlife conservation resource in the Lehigh Valley.
· Reach and maintain annual attendance of 200,000.
· Manage a consistently balanced budget by 2013.

Background statistics on 204 accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States

· Across the country, accredited zoos are viewed as important community assets and a large majority receive significant public operational support:
o 83 are 100% publicly funded
o More than 56 receive some significant public support
o 65 are privately funded
· Nationwide public opinion is overwhelmingly pro-zoo:
o 88% have a favorable opinion of zoos
o 76% are likely to visit in the next year
o 70% say they are important to their community's quality of life
o 80% say zoos are important enough to be partially supported by government funding
· Partial public support tends to range between 15 and 30%:
o Philadelphia Zoo receives in-kind city support via paid utilities.
o Beardsley Zoo receives 30% of its annual budget from the city of Bridgeport.
o All the accredited zoos in New Jersey are completely funded by their county governments.
(The aforementioned selected data compiled from a census-representative survey conducted by the PRIME Group in 2008, 2020 people surveyed; +/- 2.2% margin of error.)

Your support has propelled the board and staff of the Lehigh Valley Zoo to work diligently to improve the Zoo for families of all ages. We want to keep the excitement at your Zoo and we are certain you do too.

Please join us in a united effort to petition Lehigh County Commissioners by Wednesday, October 1st to continue taxpayer support of the Zoo
at the level of $350,000 annually.
Your voice will make a difference!
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