KEY WEST BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY, INC. TO PARTICIPATE IN HERITAGE PRESERVATION’S CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden has been chosen to participate in the 2013 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP), joining 2,800 museums that have participated in CAP during its twenty-two year history. CAP is funded through a cooperative agreement between Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. CAP assists museums by providing funds for professional conservation and preservation specialists to identify the conservation needs of collections and recommend ways to improve their conditions. In awarding the $ 3,390 support, Heritage Preservation’s President, Lawrence L. Reger, praised the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden for “making the vital work of caring for collections (and sites) a priority of their institution, even in these challenging financial times, and helping ensure that they are available to present and future generations.”
The CAP grant enables on-site consultation, assisting the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden to evaluate its current care policies, procedures, and environmental conditions of the Garden’s living collections. Next week, a professional environmental conservationist with expertise in South Florida ecology, George Gann, will spend two days surveying the site and three days preparing a comprehensive report that will identify priorities – immediate, mid-range, and long-range. Specifically, the assessment will delineate the diverse habitats in the garden and guide both the improvement of the extant conservation zone and the restoration of the section of historic WPA-era Garden grounds that had been demolished after WWII to make way for the Monroe General Hospital. Mr. Gann is well-suited to the task, having co-founded the Institute for Regional Conservation and directed the Gemini Botanical Garden.
The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is located at 5210 College Road, Key West, FL, 33040, and specializes in native flora and fauna of the Florida Keys, Cuba and the Caribbean Basin. It is open from 7 days a week, 10:00 Am – 4:00 PM. Visit www.kwbgs.org for updates on special events and continuing programs in the Forest & Garden.
Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage. To learn more about Heritage Preservation, please visit www.heritagepreservation.org.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. The Institute provides leadership through research, policy development, and grant making. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.