NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 5, 2009 -- The following statement was released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Public Affairs John Calvelli:

We applaud the New York State Legislature for rejecting Governor Paterson’s proposal to disproportionately cut the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums (ZBGA) budget line by 55 percent for Fiscal Year 2009. This was a strategic decision by our state legislators who recognize the economic, educational and environmental importance of all 76 institutions funded by the ZBGA budget line. While the decision to protect the funding this year was vital, we ask that our state legislators recognize the importance of the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to all New Yorkers and reject the governor’s proposal to zero out the ZBGA budget line in Fiscal Year 2010.  We hope that Albany will use a scalpel, and not an ax, to make targeted reductions that will allow our institutions to weather this financial storm.

This week’s vote will ensure that living museums across our state, including the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, funded by ZBGA will get the original $9 million allocated to them at the beginning of Fiscal year 2009. We want to thank the Bronx and Brooklyn state legislative delegations, more than 60 community organizations and businesses, and all the New Yorkers who helped to send more than 46,000 messages to Albany asking that zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums get the funding they need as they face dwindling private donations and repercussions due to a volatile stock market.

All these ZBGA living museums are integral to our state’s local communities as they face great challenges with the financial crisis. These ZBGA-funded institutions attract more than 12 million tourists a year that help local merchants with their sales and bottom line.

The 114-year-old Bronx Zoo and 113-year-old New York Aquarium are part of the rich history and fabric in New York State and are located in some of the most underserved areas in New York. The Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages these facilities, educates millions of students and future conservationists, employs more than 4,000 staff worldwide, and pumps more than $290 million into our state’s economy. More than 4 million tourists visit WCS facilities each year, buying from the local merchants in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and across New York.  The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium employ approximately 1,200 seasonal workers in the summer, many of whom are retirees, citizens on public assistance, and students. And each year, we train 2,000 public school teachers and nearly 2 million students visit our facilities, including 70,000 who attend our formal education programs.

If the state government eliminates funding for the Wildlife Conservation Society, it will be the first time since 1895 that we, a state chartered institution, receives no support from the state.  We think that's an abdication of the state's century-old commitment to us and the people of the State of New York.

Even with this week’s vote, we ask that New Yorkers send a message of support to Albany by going to www.wcs.org. We continue to face a 100 percent cut of funding from the state as proposed by the governor for Fiscal Year 2010.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide.  We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo.  Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony.  WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit: www.wcs.org

Note to the Media: The Wildlife Conservation Society encourages all New Yorkers to go to wcs.org to sign a petition asking Albany to restore its state funding.