Living museums get reprieve from state

By Kevin Deutsch

Living museums in the Bronx, already struggling amid a grim economic climate, got a much-needed boon last week when lawmakers restored state funding to New York’s zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums.

“This is huge,” said Claudia Bonn, executive director of Wave Hill, which was facing a loss of nearly $93,000 in funding. “It helps us tremendously.”

Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget cuts would have slashed support for living museums from $9 million to $4 million in 2009. State funding for the programs is still slated to be eliminated by 2010.

Legislators restored the 2009 funding on Feb. 3 after Albany received more than 46,000 pleading messages from concerned citizens and organizations.

Even with additional funding, living museums are still grappling with financial problems. Private donations continue to dwindle, and a volatile stock market isn’t helping, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the city’s zoos and aquariums.

In a sign of the weakened economy, Wave Hill has shortened the workweek of its 47 full-time employees to four days a week for 10 weeks.

“We all had to share the suffering rather than look at layoffs,” Ms. Bonn said, adding that shortened weeks and other cost-saving tweaks at Wave Hill won’t affect the experience of visitors.

Looking toward 2010, when New York’s zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums still face a 100 percent cut in state funding, the Wildlife Conservation Society is asking concerned New Yorkers to keep writing Albany.

“This is our next and hardest battle,” said Linda Corcoran, assistant director of communications for the Wildlife Conservation Society. “We don’t know what will happen.”