The Coyote Point Museum (Museum), a non-profit corporation, operates a regionally focused Natural History Museum at Coyote Point Park. The non-profit took over the operation of the Museum from the County in 1978 to continue the environmental education programs for school children and park visitors for over 100,000 visitors annually. This highly successful collaboration creates a partnership where the County is responsible for maintenance of the exterior features of a 28,000 sq. ft. building, with the Museum providing the internal improvements and the staff to maintain and operate the facility. The Museum features an Environmental Hall, an outdoor, walk-though aviary, wildlife habitat for over 150 rescued, non-releasable mammals, reptiles and birds and an outdoor native plant garden. In addition to the visitors to the Museum, the Museum Association provides environmental education materials for teachers relevant to classroom science requirements. In further collaboration with the County, the Museum handles reservations for class visits to County Parks' Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and assists with the training of the docents for the Reserve. It is certified by the American Zoological Association (AZA) and the American Association of Museums (AAM). In 2000, the voters of the State of California passed Proposition 12, the State Park Bond Act. Funding in that bond was designated in several broad categories that are apportioned through a competitive grant program. The Museum is eligible to apply in two categories: the Dr. Paul Chaffee Zoological Program - Wildlife Care Facilities (WCF) Grant and Zoos and Aquarium Facility (ZAF) Grant. They have applied for $75,000 under the Wildlife Care Facilities grant to replace the netting for the outdoor aviary and are eligible to receive nearly $300,000 as a qualified, accredited facility by the American Zoological Association if they meet certain other criteria. The second grant would be used to fund renovations to the animal habitats. |
The California State Department of Parks and Recreation, which administers the grants under discussion, has certain criteria that must be met for applicants to be deemed eligible. These include certain land tenure requirements. The State requires that the property be used for public recreation use with a land tenure requirement extending at least 10 years for improvements up to $100,000 and up to 20 years for grants over $100,000. In the case of the Aviary Netting project, the Museum must have land tenure through 2012. In the case of the ZAF funding, the agreement must run through the year 2024 to allow for 22 years land tenure from the date of execution of the sixth amendment (2002) which includes two years in which grant funding and project construction will be completed and the State's requirement that the Museum be permitted to continue to occupy and use the premises for at least twenty years after improvements are completed. The current agreement expires in 2019. Initially, the State's Grant Administrator thought that the language in the existing agreement would be sufficient with an assurance from the County that the Museum would continue to be located in the park. However, there is so much competition for the funding, the State has recently advised the Museum that they had to have a draft of an agreement amendment extending the term of the agreement for land tenure to their offices by April 12, 2002. In addition, grant applicants were required to submit the date on which the policy board would consider the agreement amendment. County staff worked with the Museum to meet the April 12 deadline and are requesting approval of the agreement amendment before you. |
