SAN MATEO
Global warming group eyes museum
- Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer, Thursday, August 3, 2006
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Fans of the popular-but-struggling Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo are worried about the future of the 52-year-old wildlife learning center, but the nonprofit’s directors on Wednesday said the Peninsula mainstay would stay open because two groups have expressed interest in helping.
But Rob Thomas, president of the center’s board of trustees, wouldn’t directly address reports that a group with ties to former Vice President Al Gore — the Silicon Valley-based 11th Hour Project — is interested in scrapping the center and rebuilding it as a global-warming education hub.
The uncertainty is fueling fears on the Peninsula that the public will lose its only center focusing on local wildlife and ecosystems.
“We are interested in saving what we have here — they want to tear it down,” said Linda Lanier, co-chair of Campaign to Save Coyote Point Museum.
That group, made up of local residents, includes some that helped found the museum. The group has raised more than $107,900 since Sunday and intends to collect $300,000 by the end of the month — enough to cover about half of the museum’s projected 2006 deficit.
Lanier and other Chronicle sources say the 11th Hour Project’s proposal could include an IMAX theater, underground parking garage, restaurant, ferry landing and a farmers’ market.
“It sounds fabulous but don’t tear down this resource to build it — do it somewhere else,” Lanier said.
At a news conference Wednesday, Thomas would not expand on the 11th Hour Project’s possible plans except to say that the organization had been in talks with architects and that its organizers — who he called local entrepreneurs — have asked not to be identified while they are still in the planning stages. Thomas said he didn’t think an IMAX theater was part of the project: “The plan is still being developed,” he said.
An 11th Hour Project representative was not present at the news conference and no one from the organization returned calls Wednesday.
“They want to bring to Coyote Point a world-class, fabulous environmental experience … an environmental education center that is a nationally recognized leader,” Thomas said. “It would focus on teaching children of all ages about environmental issues and what they can do to make a difference.”
While Thomas insisted that the two group’s efforts aren’t mutually exclusive, Lanier disagreed.
“We are only in business to save and run the museum as it is, and updating it,” she said.
The museum, located east of Highway 101 at the tip of Coyote Point Recreation Area, attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year, including about 20,000 schoolchildren. The museum features dozens of local animals and plants, including a golden eagle, river otter and, of course, a coyote. Inside, there are classrooms and interactive exhibits, including an environmental hall outlining the six major ecosystems in the Bay Area. In the summer, there are day camps for children, and during the school year, classes visit the museum.
Admission to the museum costs $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for children ages 3 to 13. Children under 3 are free.
“I hope it doesn’t close,” said Foster City resident Angel Hsieh, as her 2-year-old daughter, Kendall, explored a temporary microbes exhibit Wednesday. “I first brought her here when she was 4 months old, and we’ve been members for about a year. It’s really an asset to the community.”
San Mateo City Councilwoman Carol Groom also said she is hopeful the museum will be kept as is.
But San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill said that may not be possible. The nonprofit museum, which leases its land from the county for $1 a year, has faced increasing costs that its revenues cannot match. The expenses include paying staff and maintaining or improving exhibits. “It’s been part of the fabric of the community for many years, but without an infusion of sustainable resources it will be difficult for them to continue,” Hill said. “If there is a sustainable source of funding that’s one thing, but if not, it may be necessary to look for other assistance or partnerships.”
Moving forward, Hill said, county officials have asked to be a part of discussions on the future of Coyote Point Museum.
“The county wants to work with them and we want to see the museum succeed,” he said.
Visit the museum’s Web site at www.coyoteptmuseum.org.
E-mail Marisa Lagos at mlagos@sfchronicle.com.
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