The park is precious to our city, and we all agree that good supervision and public input are important in its management. That is why we feel the need to share some important clarifications with our community.

We have become increasingly aware of the widespread misconception that the Audubon Nature Institute operates without public oversight. This simply is not true.

The Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans establishes the Audubon Commission as the entity responsible for the oversight of all Audubon Park projects.

This commission is not to be confused with the Audubon Nature Institute.

The Audubon Nature Institute operates the Audubon Park and Zoological Gardens pursuant to an agreement with the Audubon Commission. Audubon Commission members are appointed by the mayor, confirmed by the City Council and required by law to hold public hearings on projects in the park.

Resolution 02-192, which was withdrawn at the June 6 City Council meeting, would have called for a second review of the clubhouse project by the City Plannning Commission. While researching this issue, we requested the advice of the City Planning Commission and of the city attorney.

Both agreed that to ask the City Planning Commission to duplicate the Audubon Commission's review of the clubhouse project would be redundant and unnecessary.

Many thanks to all of our concerned neighbors who wrote and called to update us on this issue. Our open dialogue has already produced many positive results. We commit ourselves to continuing this trend of issues-focused discourse, free of both personal slander and inflammatory inaccuracies.

For more about the issues discussed here follow these links :

800lb Gorilla Devours Master Plan 06/18/2002 - Jim Segreto A letter to the Times Picayune concerning Audubon Park's 800lb gorilla and its appetite for expensive city paperwork.

Batt means Business-as-usual? 06/18/2002 - SaveAudubonPark More about Mr Batt's grounds for scuppering R-02-192 and some commentary.

Carrollton Candidate Forum 01/24/2002 - SaveAudubonPark A reminder of what Mr Batt said about these very issues before the election.

New Contract Arrangements 01/16/2002 - SaveAudubonPark A discussion of the revised contract between the Audubon Commission and the Audubon Institute, revealing why some people need to be occasionally reminded that "This commission is not to be confused with the Audubon Nature Institute."