2025-02-03T10:17:40-06:00 2023-12-31 721088864 LaPorte APAC 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd 600 Metairie LA 700054958 990 2023-01-01 510157624 Audubon Nature Institute Inc AUDU 5048612537 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 Laurie Conkerton Executive VP/CAO 5048612537 2025-02-03 1 1 John S Wiles CPA P01222673 5048355522 2025-02-03 2023 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z L Ronald Forman 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 46486215 0 X www.audubonnatureinstitute.org X 1975 LA Operation of museums and parks dedicated to nature on behalf of the City of New Orleans. 27 27 930 167 3767757 71280 12748494 15484596 19210286 22628284 18247 75708 10126246 6667864 42103273 44856452 499236 1424125 0 0 23081114 26283861 100891 0 1425183 19436687 24203205 43117928 51911191 -1014655 -7054739 13187344 9986561 8404155 12128021 4783189 -2141460 X See Schedule O 0 0 34979433 1424125 22628284 See Schedule O 34979433 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 20 1 1 930 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 27 27 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 X X Caroline Tierney 5048612537 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 L Ronald Forman President & CEO 40.00 1.00 X 670221 0 161878 Kyle Burks Exec VP/COO 40.00 X 241647 0 18909 Laurie Conkerton Exec VP/CAO 40.00 3.00 X 203897 0 16045 Toni Mobley Exc. VP/Chief Service Officer 40.00 X 188778 0 14496 Richard D Toth Jr Senior Vice President 40.00 X 147387 0 19992 Daine Appleberry Senior Vice President 40.00 X 154317 0 10846 Alicia Bunnell Vice President of Marketing 40.00 X 153543 0 9219 Caroline Tierney Vice President of Finance 40.00 X 134600 0 19498 Christine Proctor VP of Construction & Exhibitry 40.00 X 138162 0 9926 Willard L Dumas Chairman 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Dennis P Lauscha First Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Leslie P Gottsegen Second Vice Chair 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Anne E Long Recording Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Vincent J Palumbo Corresponding Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Lynes R Sloss Immediate Past Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Kay Kerrigan Part Year Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Bill Langenstein Part Year Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Wilmer J Jacobs Part Year Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Ludovico Feoli Part Year Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Walt Leger Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Thomas D Westfeldt Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Susan L Stall Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Sandy Villere III Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Rick Buchsbaum Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Peter E Moss Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Megan Eustis Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Linda G Baum Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Leah Brown Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kenneth B Farris Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Julie A Quinn Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Joseph A Jaeger Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Jonathan H Cazes Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 John R Nickens Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 John Payne Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 John Davies Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 James Ewers Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Edgar L Chase Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Chris Bardell Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Caryn Rodgers-Battiste Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Caroline Z Calhoun Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Beth V Lambert Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Bernard Van der Linden Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Beau J Box Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Angus R Cooper Board Member 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 2032552 0 280809 15 0 1 0 SEARCH INFLUENCE 1423 PINE STREET NEW ORLEANS LA 70118 DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES 1587941 LR3 CONSULTING LLC 2133 SILVERSIDE DR SUITE K BATON ROUGE LA 70808 PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS 435414 SIRIUSWARE INC 1025 GREENWOOD BLVD SUITE 500 LAKE MARY FL 32746 ONLINE FEES AND MAINTENANCE 339923 DEVENEY COMMUNICATION CONSULTING LLC 1733 CONSTANTINOPLE STREET NEW ORLEANS LA 70115 PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS 304959 SELA AQUATICS LLC 5559 GOVERNMENT STREET BATON ROUGE LA 70806 CONTRACT PERSONNEL FOR ATTRACTIONS 294079 15 896273 11952606 730716 1905001 50491 15484596 FACILITIES ADMISSIONS 713110 16720996 16720996 MEMBERSHIP 713110 4046059 4046059 GUEST SERVICES & ATTRA 713110 992666 992666 OTHER PROGRAM RELATED 713110 505801 505801 LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT 611710 362762 362762 22628284 37581 37581 56710 0 56710 56710 56710 38127 0 38127 38127 38127 495632 896273 569579 -73947 -73947 99800 9297 90503 90503 1904930 1050887 854043 263136 590907 SPECIAL EVENTS 722320 2174879 1731652 443227 Gift shop and Food com 900099 1792707 1792707 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0.00000 0 1 1 4501524 3575091 926433 926433 Deferred COMPENSATION 1176235 1176235 X 46616306 130095 1629759 1759854 44856452 0 44856452 53540955 1629764 1629764 51911191 0 51911191 Part V, Line 4: The endowment funds listed in Part V are held by Audubon Nature Institute Foundation ("ANIF"), a related organization of Audubon Nature Institute ("ANI"). ANIF's endowment funds are intended to provide funding for the facilities, programs and other activities managed by ANI. Part X, Line 2: The Institute is exempt from income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the Institute qualifies for the charitable contribution deductions under Section 170(b)(1)(a)(vi) and has been classified as an organization other than a private foundation under Section 509(a)(2). Any unrelated business income may be subject to taxation. The Institute's significant sources of business income include sales of certain items from the gift shops, golf course income and certain rental of facilities and services provided for rentals. Income taxes for unrealted business income were approximately $43,000 and $124,695 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America provide accounting and disclosure guidance about positions taken by an entity in its tax returns that might be uncertain. The Institute believes that it has taken appropriate support for any tax positions taken, and management has determined that there are no uncertain tax positions that are material to the financial statements. Penalties and interest assessed by income taxing authorities, if any, would be included in income tax expense. Part XI, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: DIRECT FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 578,876. COST OF GOODS SOLD 1,050,883. Part XII, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: DIRECT FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 578,876. 457 DEFERRED COMPENSATION - UNREALIZED GAIN(LOSS) COST OF GOODS SOLD 1,050,888. Zoo To Do 1208395 769883 438512 444544 SCALES & ALES 183510 126390 57120 125035 1391905 896273 495632 569579 569579 -73947 99800 9297 0 99800 9297 9297 90503 LA 1 0 1 0 1.00000 Caroline Tierney 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 0 Laurie Conkerton 5995 Overall management and supervision of fundraising and gaming. X 0 1 Audubon Commission-Audubon ZooPark 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 726000962 Aububon Commission 682320 0 Supports Programs, Capital Projects, and Operations of Facilities. Audubon Commission-Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 726000962 Aububon Commission 309940 0 Supports Programs, Capital Projects, and Operations of Facilities. Audubon Nature Institute Foundation 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 581958248 501(c)(3) 222500 0 Supports Programs, Capital Projects, and Operations of Facilities. Audubon Commission-Aquarium of the Americas 6500 Magazine Street new Orleans LA 70118 726000962 aububon Commission 209365 0 Supports Programs, Capital Projects, and Operations of Facilities. 2 Part I, Line 2: Audubon Nature Institute manages a family of museums and parks (facilities). These facilities receive all of the grant money that Audubon Nature Institute (ANI) grants in a year. Since ANI is managing the facilities that receive the money, ANI has the information readily available to monitor the use of grant funds. Through reporting and accounting records and through communications with managers of the grant funds, ANI can verify that the monies are being spent in the correct manner. X X X X 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L Ronald Forman President & CEO 647721 0 0 0 22500 0 147518 0 14360 0 832099 0 0 0 Kyle Burks Exec VP/COO 241647 0 0 0 0 0 7407 0 11502 0 260556 0 0 0 Laurie Conkerton Exec VP/CAO 203897 0 0 0 0 0 4563 0 11482 0 219942 0 0 0 Toni Mobley Exc. VP/Chief Service Officer 188778 0 0 0 0 0 3646 0 10850 0 203274 0 0 0 Richard D Toth Jr Senior Vice President 147387 0 0 0 0 0 4685 0 15307 0 167379 0 0 0 Daine Appleberry Senior Vice President 154317 0 0 0 0 0 4684 0 6162 0 165163 0 0 0 Alicia Bunnell Vice President of Marketing 153543 0 0 0 0 0 3611 0 5608 0 162762 0 0 0 Caroline Tierney Vice President of Finance 134600 0 0 0 0 0 4291 0 15207 0 154098 0 0 0 Part I, Line 4b Audubon Nature Institute, Inc. has a discretionary 457 Executive Retirement Plan for one of its officers, President and CEO L. Ronald Forman. The plan provides additional compensation based on years of service and estimated pay at retirement. The assets of this plan are owned by Audubon Nature Institute. The plan was developed in 2004 as a best-practices strategy to retain seasoned professionals in senior leadership positions. During 2023, Ron Forman received a contribution of $139,081 to his 457f retirement plan. C Dumas See Part V 42091 Employment 0 Sch l, Part IV, Business Transactions Involving Interested Persons: (a) Name of Person: C. Dumas(b) Relationship Between Interested Person and Organization: Family Member of Board Member. (d) The process involving the interested person included documentation of the decision by an independent party, as well as services being rendered at Fair Market Value. X 1 50491 trading value 0 0 0 FORM 990, PART I, LINE 1, DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION MISSION: Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of museums and parks dedicated to nature on behalf of the City of New Orleans. Facilities include Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium, Audubon Insectarium, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Wilderness Park and Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center. There are eight basic tenets of Audubon Nature Institute's mission statement that guide decisions at all facilities. The tenets are as follows: Provide a guest experience of outstanding quality, exhibit diversity of wildlife, preserve native Louisiana habitats, educate our diverse audience about the natural world, enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation, provide opportunities for recreation in natural settings, operate a financially self-sufficient collection of museums and parks, and weave quality entertainment through the guest experience. Form 990, Part III, Line 4a Audubon completed significant renovations to its downtown campus, encompassing Audubon Aquarium, Audubon Insectarium, and Woldenberg Riverfront Park. The new complex reopened in summer 2023 and involves collaborations with local partners, including the RTA, to create a revitalized walkable downtown area and an unparalleled destination celebrating New Orleans' connection with the Mississippi River. Audubon continued planning efforts for Riverfront for All, a visionary project that will forever change the Mississippi Riverfront in downtown New Orleans, creating uninterrupted pedestrian and bicycle access across 2.25 miles of contiguous riverfront. Wings of the World took flight at Audubon Zoo when it opened in March. Wings of the World is the largest and most immersive experience of its kind regionally, with new exhibitry, a free-flight aviary, and more than 60 birds from around the world. The reimagined planetarium reopened at Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, taking guest from bayous to black holes in one afternoon. USA Today readers voted for their favorite North American AZA-accredited zooa and aquariums - facilities that excel in the fields of animal care and enrichment, while also facilitating meaningful interactions between animals and human visitors. The Aquarium ranked #5 and the Zoo ranked #7 among 20 nominees. Audubon's Coastal Wildlife Network is Louisiana's primary marine mammal and sea turtle stranding responder and the State's only permitted marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation facility. CWN responded to 59 strandings, including 4 live dolphins and 3 sea turtles. CWN also conducted stranding surveys in the stranding hotspots of Grand Isle and Southwest Louisiana. Coupled with public reporting, these surveys are important in gathering data to determine the most realistic picture of strandings in Louisiana. Audubon's Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries partnered with Certified Seafood Collaborative (CSC) Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) to transition the GULF RFM Scheme and continued its Chef Council and Restaurants Partnership. In May, the Gulf shrimp fishery entered into sustainability assessments under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and CSC RFM certifications - two of the world's leading fisheries sustainability schemes. GULF also developed a partnership with Aramark, including training chefs about Louisiana and Gulf seafood species and sustainability and identifying ways to source more local seafood with their supply chain. Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Servival Center continued successful recovery efforts, including working with partners to add four whooping cranes to White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area as part of an ongoing effort to protect this endangered species from extinction. Three of the juvenile whooping cranes were hatched and reared at Audubon and the fourth crane came from Dallas Zoo. This release increased the Louisiana population to 85 cranes. More than 170 births occurred throughout the year, including black and white ruffed lemur twins, an African penguin, and a magpie shrike. Audubon Education continuted offering outreach programs for children across Louisiana. Thanks to Chevron's support, Audubon was able to offer free virtual programming to Title 1 schools in Louisiana. Audubon's Youth Volunteer Program grew to more than 90 volunteers. They earned 9,542 volunteer hours through two programs: Counselor-in-Training (CIT) and Conservation Krewe. CITs assist with camps and the Nature at Night series. Conservation Krewe assists with guest interpretation. Thanks to the Trumball Family Foundation's generosity, four CITs and three Conservation Krewe received scholarships. Any youth who qualifies for a free or reduced lunch at school and/or receives SNAP benefits is eligible to apply for a scholarship. Audubon launched Wild Encounters, a new behind-the-scenes experience at Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium, and Audubon Insectarium. Wild Encounters include Penguin Party, Maya Snorkel, Butterfly First Flight, Orangutan Family Fun, and Sea Lion Splash. During these unique encounters, guests learn directly from animal staff, including insights on the animals' specific needs, enrichment activities, food preferences, conservation status, and more. Audubon completed educational video content and resources for Harry's Big Adventure in partnership with Terminix. Videos featuring Audubon Insectarium experts discussed topics like insect anatomy and spiders. Audubon continued its Community Connect access initiative in 2023, which involves three components. Orleans Parish Appreciation Days offers free admission for Orleans Parish residents on a rotating schedule; the Audubon SNAP Program provides free admission for SNAP benefit recipients and their families; and the Audubon Museum Culture Pass allows Orleans Parish Public Library cardholders to check out admission passes. In 2023, Community Connect made it possible for more than 70,000 community members to visit Audubon attractions. Through the Taylor Student Awards Program, more than 240,000 high-achieving students in grades 6 through 12 statewide received free Audubon Memberships as part of the ongoing initiative established by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation to reward Louisiana students' hard work. After a four-year hiatus, Scales & Ales returned in October as the premier fundraiser for Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Insectarium. Audubon has continued to strengthen its social media initiatives, adding fans, friends, and followers daily. At year end, Audubon's social media network included 674,848 followers and more than 20 million engagements on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok. The combined attendance at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo in 2023 was 979,000 visitors, and revenue from admissions was $16.7 million. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2 Chris Bardell and Caryn Rodgers-Batiste have a business relationship. Walt Leger has a business relationship with ANI. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 6 The members of the Audubon Nature Institute consists of the following classes: individual, student, senior citizen, family, individual plus one, family plus one, bronze patron, and honorary member. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a The members of the Audubon Nature Institute consist of the following classes: individual, student, senior citizen, family, individual plus one, family plus one, bronze patron, and honorary member. The members elect the governing body. Each membership, except honorary members, is entitled to one vote on any matter submitted to a vote of the membership. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The 990 is reviewed by the VP of Finance and the Executive VP/Chief Administrative Officer. The return is also reviewed by the tax department of a public accounting firm. Once the return has been reviewed by the accounting firm, it is provided to the board of directors for review, with the exception of the donors' names and addresses on Schedule B, and then the return is filed with the IRS. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c Audubon Nature Institute has a conflict of interest policy that has procedures in place to handle disclosing conflicts, determining whether a conflict exists, addressing the conflict, and violations of the policy. Annual statements are signed regarding the policy and periodic reviews are conducted to ensure the policy is being followed. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 The compensation of contracted Executive Staff shall be approved by the Executive and Compensation Committees. The Compensation Committee, consisting of the ANI Board Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Immediate Past Chairman and Treasurer, shall meet every three (3) years or prior to contract expiration, whichever is shorter. The Compensation Committee shall be provided with the following for their review: 1.Compensation analysis from comparable zoos, aquariums, museums, and other national attractions. 2.Independent salary and benefit studies of other similar entities including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, IRS Form 990s of similar organizations or documented phone calls with similar organizations. 3.Six (6) year history of the Personal Service Agreement, outlining raises, length of term and any notable changes. 4.Most recent Compensation Survey conducted by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) that compares the salaries of the Officers with that of similarly qualified individuals, in comparable positions at similar organizations, with a comparable number of facilities, annual visitation, staffing and operating budgets. This information shall be compiled by Staff and overseen by the Chairman, who shall act independently without undue influence from the contracted Officers. The Compensation Committee shall make and approve a resolution to set the base salary and benefits. The resolution of the Compensation Committee shall then be presented to the ANI Executive Committee for final approval. The Executive Committee is authorized by the ANI Board to enter into the Personal Services Contract with the Officers. The ANI Board, as executed by the Chairman, shall enter into a written Personal Services Agreement (or amended Agreement) with the Officers. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 18 Audubon Nature Institute's Form 990 is available on the organization's website. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 Audubon Nature Institute makes it governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request. Form 990 Part XII Line 2C The organization did not change its audit oversight process or selection process. Audubon Nature Institute Foundation 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 581958248 Provide funding for the facilities managed by Audubon Nature Institute. LA 501(c)(3) Line 12a, I 1 Audubon Commission 6500 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70118 726000962 Governmental Unit-Owner of Parks and Museums LA 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Audubon Nature Institute Foundation B 222500 Cash amount Audubon Nature Institute Foundation C 5778098 cash amount