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Aquarium left high & dry – Governor proposes gutting aid to BK institution

Aquarium left high & dry – Governor proposes gutting aid to BK institution

Sea life lovers in Brooklyn are hoping that, someday soon, they won’t be talking regretfully of the “one that got away.”

Among the budget cuts proposed by New York Governor David Paterson, to close a multi-billion-dollar funding gap, are large reductions in state aid to Brooklyn’s New York Aquarium.

For Fiscal Year 2009, which is currently underway, the governor has proposed a 55 percent reduction in state funding to the Aquarium, with funding to the not-for-profit institution completely eliminated in FY 2010.

Those cuts aren’t sitting well with the Coney Island-based institution, the number one tourist destination in the borough, which drew 765,000 visitors in 2007.

“We can’t fire the fish, or lay off sea lions,” noted Jon Dohlin, the Aquarium’s director. “That leaves us with no choice but to put everything on the table, including layoffs and cuts in service to the public.” Because of the institution’s commitment to “the highest quality of care for the collection, which will not and cannot be compromised, “ he added, “the pain must be shifted down the line.”

The cuts are being made in the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Fund, a state program that has been in place for well over two decades, and all such facilities across the state would share the pain, said Dohlin.

However, Dohlin pointed out that, because the Aquarium and the Bronx Zoo are two of the biggest institutions receiving funding through ZBGA, the cuts proposed to those two institutions are particularly burdensome. “For the New York Aquarium and the citizens of Brooklyn, this is a big deal,” Dohlin stressed.

Dohlin also emphasized that Brooklyn would suffer disproportionately, because, between them, the Aquarium and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden would lose a total of $760,000 in FY 2009, and $1,368,000 in FY 2010.

Given that the Aquarium in  2007 spent approximately $13.4 million on program services, “You can imagine,” said Dohlin, “that this is an incredibly difficult thing for us to take. We don’t have a lot of flexibility to absorb the cuts.”

The loss is one, Dohlin said, that would be felt by the borough and beyond. “The Aquarium,” he told this paper, “is one of the only institutions available to children in the urban environment that allows them to get in touch with nature and learn about conservation.”

In addition, Dohlin contended that the cut would have economic reverberations, asserting, “The Aquarium and the Bronx Zoo generated almost $290 million in economic activity for FY 2008. Something as sizeable as these cuts would have a tremendous ripple effect and be particularly counterproductive in terms of tourism in Brooklyn.”

It could also be just the beginning in terms of funding reductions. Given the city’s budget deficit, Dohlin said, “We have to look at this in the context of the entire economic situation. We have to look at this as the first of several challenges.”

For this reason, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs the Aquarium, has started a campaign to raise awareness among visitors. In about two months, WCS has gotten nearly 12,000 signatures on a petition available at its institutions and on line.

The Aquarium has also turned to local elected officials for help. Noted State Senator Kevin Parker, one of the institution’s supporters, “I think the governor has been very courageous and up front in addressing the fiscal crisis in the state head-on. I respect him profoundly for that, though I disagree profoundly with some of the cuts he’s proposed. I am pledging myself to work with my colleagues to restore funding to cultural and art institutions across the state. The Aquarium is a very important institution. It’s a significant revenue generator and engine of economic development for southern Brooklyn, and we can’t afford for it to be dismantled at this important time in the state’s history.”

City Councilmember Domenic Recchia agreed. Calling the proposed cuts “devastating,” Recchia stressed that the Aquarium is an attraction that draws customers to other area businesses as well. “It not only brings jobs and creates an economic engine for the institution, it’s everyone around them, the restaurants and the shops,” Recchia emphasized. “That’s the point. They make money for the state and the city. When someone is making money for us, why are we hurting them?”