Richard King Mellon Foundation Awards National Aviary $2 Million Grant For Free-flight Immersion Theater

PITTSBURGH – May 14, 2008

PITTSBURGH (May 12, 2008)

The National Aviary today announced a $2 million capital grant commitment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support construction of the country’s first indoor, year-round, free-flight bird theater.

The grant brings the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s total investment in the avian immersion theater project to $5 million and ups the total dollars raised to date for the project to $15.7 million. Construction of the theater, along with upgrades and renovations to the existing facility, is estimated to total $28.5 million.

The new theater will be the first of its kind, allowing the National Aviary to offer free-flight bird presentations in an indoor theater setting. Rare and endangered bird species from around the world will be featured, giving audiences the opportunity to see these birds in flight and demonstrating natural behaviors. Music, sound and educational messaging will enhance the presentation, creating a powerful learning experience for audiences.

“We thank the Richard King Mellon Foundation for helping the National Aviary awaken people’s interest in nature and to create a new generation of environmentally conscious Americans,” states Linda Dickerson, National Aviary CEO. She adds, “Pittsburgh’s foundation community has been extremely generous in supporting this new theater and the opportunities it provides for presenting conservation-focused programming.

The National Aviary is currently in the midst of refining its final master plan for the project, which comprises upgrades to the existing space as well as construction of the new theater. A series of meetings with North Side community groups is being conducted to gain input from the Aviary’s neighbors and to ensure that impact on the existing Allegheny Commons park space is kept to a minimum.

“We recognize that the park space surrounding the National Aviary is a vital and historic part of the community,” says Dickerson. “We are committed to making sure that the theater’s design and the enhancements to our facility integrate with the surrounding green space in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and visitor friendly.”

The National Aviary plans to break ground on the new theater in 2009.

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The National Aviary seeks to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds.

About the National Aviary – The National Aviary is America’s only independent, indoor, nonprofit zoo dedicated exclusively to birds. As an environmental organization composed of educators, conservationists and researchers, the National Aviary aims to inspire, educate and entertain its visitors through quality programming, and to play an active role in meaningful conservation and avian research projects. The National Aviary’s collection encompasses more than 200 species of birds, many of them threatened or critically endangered in the wild. Its large walk-through exhibits offer up-close interaction between visitors and free-flying birds, including opportunities to hand-feed and meet species rarely found in zoos anywhere else in the world.

The National Aviary’s educational programs currently include in-house classes and educational tours as well as outreach presentations to schools. Classes are designed to reach a variety of ages, from pre-K through high school, and include live, interactive bird presentations. In 2007, more than 9,800 children attended classes or tours at the facility, and more than 20,000 were reached through outreach programs.

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