HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Request - High Desert MuseumDeschutes County
Board of County Commissioners
Discretionary Grant Program
Board Meeting Date: December 12, 2012
Organization: High Desert Museum
Organization Description: Founded in 1974, the High Desert Museum offers exhibits, wildlife,
and living history to nurture creativity and develop critical thinking in its 155,000 annual visitors
and the Central Oregon community. The museum creates a place to explore multiple facets of
the High Desert's culture and environment in order to gain a better understanding of the region
as a whole. In 2011, the Museum was re -accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, an
honor awarded to fewer than 5% of museums nationwide and only six in the state of Oregon.
Project Name: Butterflies and Hummingbirds
Project Description: In fall 2010, the Museum presented Butterflies — an exhibit that
introduced butterfly species from around the world to 55,000 visitors. Of these, 80% were from
outside Central Oregon. The exhibit represented a significant draw for visitors to the region,
boosting the local tourist economy. Given this impact, the Museum has expanded the original
concept for 2012 and 2013 and will create an indoor garden hosting dozens of butterfly and
hummingbird species and allowing visitors up -close access to free -flying butterflies and
hummingbirds. The exhibit will also contain a pupae room so that visitors can watch butterflies
and moths emerge from chrysalises and cocoons before they are then released into the main
exhibit as well as informational panels to teach visitors about the life cycle, anatomy, diversity,
and conservation of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Project Period: 09/29/2012 — 04/07/2013
Amount of Request: $5,000 ($101,052 total cost)
Previous Grants:
09/22/08 - $1,000, Fired Up About Oregon's Forests
Approved:
Declined:
Deschutes County Board of Commissioners
1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960
(541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org
DESCHUTES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND
DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION
Direct Application to:
Commissioner Tammy Baney
Commissioner Anthony DeBone
Date:
9/24/2012
Project Name:
Project Beginning Date:
Amount of Request:
Commissioner Alan Unger
All Three Commissioners
Butterflies and Hummingbirds
9/29/2012
$5,000
Applicant/Organization:
Address:
Project End Date:
Date Funds Needed:
Tax ID #:
City & Zip:
Telephone:
Email:
High Desert Museum
59800 South Highway 97
Contact Name(s):
Fax:
Janeanne A. Upp
541-382-5256
Alternate Phone:
4/7/2013
1/31/2013
51-0179336
Bend, 97702
541-382-4754, x.326
jupp@highdesertmuseum.org
On a separate sheet, please briefly answer the following questions:
1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities.
2. Describe the proposed project or activity.
3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity.
4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health.
5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit.
6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the
source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will
support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future.
Attach:
Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status.
* Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget.
Tammy Baney: Amount: _ Signature:
Anthony DeBone: Amount: Signature:
Alan Unger: Amount: Signature:
HIGH DESERT MUSEUM
Butterflies and Hummingbirds
Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure and activities.
Founded in 1974, the High Desert Museum was built on the premise that museums should be collections
of unique experiences, repositories of memories, places of discovery; that they should focus on the
interrelationship of peoples and environments, and inspire personal exploration and inquiry. Through
exhibits, wildlife and living history, the Museum aspires to nurture creativity and develop critical
thinking in its 155,000 annual visitors and the Central Oregon community. Above all, the Museum
creates a place to explore multiple facets of the High Desert's culture and environment in order to gain a
better understanding of the region as a whole. In 2011, the Museum was re -accredited by the American
Alliance of Museums (formerly the American Association of Museums), an honor awarded to fewer than
5% of museums nationwide and only six in the state of Oregon.
Mission: Through exhibits, wildlife and living history, the High Desert Museum creates learning
experiences to help audiences discover their connection to the past, their role in the present and their
responsibility to the future.
To engage visitors and fulfill our purpose, the Museum provides diverse learning experiences through
exhibits, wildlife and living history programs. Through our Changing Exhibits initiative, we welcome nine
new exhibits every year in three galleries, in addition to our six permanent exhibits featuring the natural
and cultural history of the region. The Museum also cares for 200 animals ranging from mammals to
birds to reptiles to invertebrates; these animals play a vital role in engaging visitors in the study of the
High Desert and the relationships between people, wildlife and the environment. Finally, our living
history program provides visitors with first-hand interactions with characters on our 1904 ranch and
sawmill, helping to forge connections with the area's history.
The Museum is led by President Janeanne A. Upp. A certified public accountant with two decades of
museum management experience, Upp joined the Museum in 2008, having previously served as
executive director of the Tacoma Art Museum, associate director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Chicago, and vice president of finance of the Museum of Science and Industry, also in Chicago. Upp is
assisted by Vice President of Programs Dr. Dana Whitelaw, Vice President of Development Kelly Schukart
and Vice President of Communications Melissa Hochschild.
Describe the proposed project or activity.
In fall 2010, the Museum presented Butterflies—an exhibit that introduced butterfly species from
around the world to 55,000 visitors. Of these 55,000 visitors, 80% were from outside Central Oregon;
Butterflies represented a significant draw for visitors to the region, boosting the local tourist economy.
Captivating visitors with their beauty and grace, the hundreds of butterflies on exhibit served as an
entree to learning about insect migration, conservation and adaptation. Visitor response to Butterflies
was remarkable. One Bend visitor commented, "Butterflies ... encompasses the goals and vision of
meaningful, experiential learning at its best, for all ages." Butterflies had such an impact that visitors
routinely commented that they had visited the exhibit two, three or four times; one visitor from Bend
noted that he made two visits to the exhibit within its first five weeks.
Given the impact of the Butterflies exhibit, the Museum decided to expand the original concept,
presenting Butterflies and Hummingbirds in 2012 and 2013. In September, the Spirit of the West Gallery
will be transformed into an indoor garden hosting dozens of butterfly and hummingbird species. The
Page 1 of 3
majority of the gallery will be netted, allowing visitors up -close access to free -flying butterflies and
hummingbirds. The exhibit will also contain a pupae room, so that visitors can watch butterflies and
moths emerge from chrysalises and cocoons; these adult butterflies will then be released into the
exhibit. Outside the netted space, the exhibit will include informational panels to teach visitors about
the life cycle, anatomy, diversity and conservation of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Expanding the exhibit to include hummingbirds allows us to further explore the relationship between
plants and animals in an ecosystem. Both butterflies and hummingbirds rely on certain plants for food
sources and, in the case of some butterflies, will only lay eggs on those specific plants. In exchange, by
feeding on plant nectar, butterflies and hummingbirds help pollinate plants. While this symbiotic
relationship provides mutual benefits, it also means that a decline in habitat has a dramatic effect on
butterfly and hummingbird populations. Indeed, some scientists view butterflies as early predictors of
environmental changes in an ecosystem.
Butterflies and Hummingbirds will include both native and non-native species. Presenting these species
side-by-side helps illustrate adaptations to a specific environment, giving visitors insight into species
native to their own environment. Developing camouflage, for example, only works in a specific
environment where the camouflage matches the surrounding plants. Highlighting the diversity of
species, then, allows visitors to see the ways in which animals adapt to their habitat in order to improve
their chances of survival.
Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity.
The Museum will develop, produce and present Butterflies and Hummingbirds according to the
following timeline:
• May-November2011: develop outline and goals of the exhibit; research themes and content;
begin working with contractor Spineless Wonders to prepare for exhibit installation
• December 2011 -May 2012: start permit process to be able to exhibit butterflies and
hummingbirds; install humidifier in gallery
• June -August 2012: complete panel text, image selection and exhibit layout; prepare graphics for
installation; develop and finalize exhibit programming
• September 2012 -May 2013: install exhibit; exhibit opens to the public September 29; continue
to stock exhibit with butterflies, hummingbirds and necessary food; complete project evaluation
and report to project funders
As this timeline suggests, work to produce and install Butterflies and Hummingbirds is already well
underway, as the exhibit opens September 29. Funding will still be needed after installation of the
exhibit, as we must continually stock the exhibit with butterflies—which typically only live two weeks.
Supplying chrysalises, cocoons and food for the exhibit's lifetime is a large expense—$29,970. As a
result, funds from Deschutes County will help support vital elements of the exhibit, even though they
will be awarded after the exhibit opening.
Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health.
The High Desert Museum is the second largest tourist attraction in Central Oregon, behind only Mt.
Bachelor. We draw visitors from throughout the state and High Desert region; a full 80% of our annual
155,000 visitors come from outside of Central Oregon. On average, each visitor spends $10 at the
Museum, meaning we bring in $1.2 million from outside the region. This money, in turn, is reinvested in
Deschutes County through salaries for Museum employees and contracts with local service providers.
Page 2 of 3
Butterflies was a huge success in 2010-2011 and we expect that Butterflies and Hummingbirds will be
equally successful. The original exhibit shattered our predictions for visitor attendance. We originally
predicted that 24,000 people would see Butterflies; by the original close date, 35,034 people had
already visited the exhibit. We decided to extend the exhibit and when it finally came down in late
March, over 55,000 had experienced Butterflies, an attendance rate beyond all expectation. Likewise,
Butterflies provided a boost for membership rates. During the exhibit's tenure, the Museum
experienced significantly higher acquisition of new members, increased renewal membership rates and
lower drop rates than during the same time period in the previous year. As a result, the Museum closed
Butterflies with 604 more members than in the previous year. Given this level of popularity in 2010-
2011, the Museum expects Butterflies and Hummingbirds to be a major attraction for both local and
out-of-town visitors, serving as an economic driver for the Central Oregon community.
Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit.
Between September 29, 2012 and April 7, 2013, we anticipate that 64,000 people will visit the Museum
and see Butterflies and Hummingbirds. These visitors will fall into three categories: local visitors, area
students and visitors from outside Central Oregon. Local visitors—about 20% of the 64,000 visitors—will
benefit from Butterflies and Hummingbirds by learning about native species that they can recognize
throughout Central Oregon and why they have developed certain adaptations. Approximately 3,000
students will also visit Butterflies and Hummingbirds, learning about anatomy, behavior and life cycles of
these winged species. The bulk of the anticipated 64,000 visitors will come from outside Central Oregon.
These visitors will benefit from learning about hummingbirds and butterflies specific to Central Oregon,
as well as how these differ from wildlife encountered in other regions. Coming into close contact with
these captivating birds and insects, the exhibit will serve to inspire all types of visitors to continue
learning about the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. Out-of-town visitors are also expected
to spend money at other local businesses during their time in Central Oregon, magnifying their
economic impact.
Itemize anticipated expenditures. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and
amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an ongoing
activity, explain how it will be funded in the future.
For specific expenditures, please see attached budget.
We are requesting $5,000 through the Deschutes County Discretionary Grant program. These funds will
be help cover the costs associated with running Butterflies and Hummingbirds—supplying pupae for
almost seven months (butterflies typically only live for two weeks) and food for both butterflies and
hummingbirds. We have secured $15,000 in matching funds from Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Bend,
BendBroadband and OSU-Cascades, all longtime supporters of the Museum as a local attraction. We
have also secured a $25,000 grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation in Portland to
support our Changing Exhibits program, including Butterflies & Hummingbirds. In addition, the Museum
will fund staff costs ($14,082). The Museum also has several pending funding applications to support
Butterflies and Hummingbirds and has allocated admissions dollars to support this exhibit.
Page 3 of 3
HIGH DESERT MUSEUM
Butterflies and Hummingbirds Budget
EXPENSES
Budgeted
Installation
Spineless Wonders contract
Electrical
ASDM fee for hummingbird tutelage
Panels
Plants
Hummingbird feeding stations
Pupae room construction
Room preparation
Branches for hummingbirds
Butterfly feeding stations
Operating
Butterflies/pupae supply
Beneficial pests
Pupae room supplies
Hummingbird food
Butterfly fruit
Plant food
Staff training
Staff
Curator of Collections/Exhibits (80hrs x $26.45)
Exhibits Designer (80hrs x $30.23)
Exhibits Preparator (120hrs x $20.78)
VP of Programs (50hrs x $50.38)
Curator of Natural History (150hrs x $30.23)
TOTAL EXPENSES
47,000
1,000
500
3,500
2,000
800
600
1,000
100
500
24,000
1,600
450
2,100
350
150
1,320
2,116
2,418
2,494
2,519
4,535
$ 101,052
0'] T Doo rIni nt of Ilio Tromury
® .. Internal Revenue Service
r1.1
44,4
035725
OGDEN UT 84201-0038
MARGARET LEE
59800 S HWY 97
BEND OR 97702-7962
In reply refer to: 0437672883
Mar. 05, 2012 LTR 4170C 0
51-0179336 000000 00
00046753
BODC: TE
Person to Contact: Mrs Sheffield
Toll Free Telephone Number: 1-877-829-5500
Dear Taxpayer:
This is in response to your request of Feb. 23, 2012, regarding the
tax-exempt status of The High Desert Museum.
Our records indicate that a determination letter was issued in
February 1976, granting this organization exemption from Federal
income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Our records also indicate this organization is not a private
foundation within the meaning of section 509(a) of the Code because
it is described in section 509(a)(2).
Donors may deduct contributions to this organization as provided in
section 170 of the Code. Bequests, legacies, devises, transfers, or
gifts to the organization or for its use are deductible for Federal
estate and gift tax purposes if they meet the applicable provisions
of sections 2055, 2106, and 2522 of the Code.
Please refer to our website www.irs.gov/eo for information regarding
filing requirements. Specifically, section 6033(j) of the Code
provides that failure to file an annual information return for three
consecutive years results in revocation of tax-exempt status as of
the filing due date of the third return for organizations required to
file. We will publish a list of organizations whose tax-exempt
status was revoked under section 6033(j) of the Code on our website
beginning in early 2011.
If you have any questions, please call us at the telephone number
shown above.
MARGARET LEE
59800 S HWY 97
BEND 1]R 97702-7962
0437672883
Mar. 05, 2012 LTR 4170C 0
51-017933.6 000000 00
00046754
Sincerely you
s,
Sharon Davies
Accounts Management 1