Nay Aug Park, Genesis Wildlife Center, cruel relic from the past? (Erie: lawyers, transfer)

[scrantonluna]

MBS, all excellent points there, I won't dispute any of them. The question remains, however, where do we go from here? I'm going to take a few minutes this weekend and draft a number of letters to 'the powers,' so to speak. May not be much, but it is a start. Are there any grants available? There must be some sort of federal money for this type of thing. MBS, I'm going to give you a charge. I would like to ask that you use your network of animal lovers to put the word out, in a responsible and positive way, that the center is in need of funding and deserves attention. I am also going to forward this thread to their e-mail in the hopes of a personal response from them as well. I know you are uneasy with the idea of donating to a cause you feel is critically flawed, but it is in the best interest of the animals. I hope you can see that. Last but not least, please let us not forget the hard work and dedication of the staff at Genesis. If there are any problems there, they are certainly due to either budgetary or educational/resource shortfalls, but in no way should these things detract to the generosity and sacrifice of the individuals there.

[mbs7]

Scrantonluna, I really appreciate your attention to this problem, as well as your intention to write letters to the powers that be. I understand your position--believe me I do--I can't get the images of the animals out of my mind, so the impulse to help them with immediate donations is certainly one I can relate to. But for reasons that I have already explained, I do not feel that donating to the the Genesis Wildlife Center is the best approach at this time. Given that belief, I am really not in a position to ask other people to donate. What I have been doing, and will continue to do, is to call people's attention to the conditions at the center, in the hope that all of us, working in whatever way(s) we believe best, can effect a positive change at the center.

The fact that you have shown concern about this issue and are continuing to show concern has earned my respect, even though you and I may disagree about exactly what steps should be taken to improve the situation. Incidentally, when my husband and I visited the center, we did make a donation at the door. Had we been positively impressed with what we saw inside the center--and I am talking here not just about the physical setup, which is obviously influenced by how much funding is available, but also about the philosophy and skills of those running the center--then we would have followed up that initial very modest donation with a more sizable contribution. If, at some future time, we become convinced that the center is truly moving forward, we will certainly send a contribution and encourage others to do the same. Thanks again for reading my posts and for taking this issue seriously.

One final point--I agree that the folks who work at the center are very generous and have made their own sacrifices for the animals. I just think that those who are managing the center have made some poor choices, with very sad results for the animals, the people who visit the center, and the city of Scranton. And I do not think the city is entirely blameless in this situation. As I've said before, I think the city and/or the center needs to secure some skilled, professional help in order to start sorting out the mess.

[scrantonluna]

Let's see what we can get done. I may post a generic letter of concern that anyone can print out or email to their favorite rep, and I will certainly be listing contact information for any Lackawanna County/Scranton elected officials. How nice it would be to see the center get a nice chunk of land along Elmhurst Blvd and a new facility...

[mbs7]

Posting the relevant contact information is a great idea, Scrantonluna. (Thank you!)

Also, I just wanted to add a suggestion for anyone writing their reps and/or the director of the Genesis Wildlife Center: if you have personally witnessed any specific conditions or incidents at the center that seemed questionable, it might be a good idea to include a very brief summary of those conditions or incidents in your letter. If you believe that conditions at the center are, in general, substandard, then by all means make that general statement of concern. But I think that adding a very brief description of specific points of concern will give the letter more weight. (Scrantonluna--I think you said something earlier about an incident concerning a tortoise? If you think that is relevant, you might want to mention it in any letters you send to reps.) Also, if anyone who is writing a letter has had any special training or experience in matters of animal welfare and health, that should also be mentioned in the letter.

[weluvpa]

As long as the city of Scranton and the current admin is involved you will GET NOTHING accomplished. The will deflect the comments from our reps or senators or such. I understand what your trying to to do but in reality its a wildlife center. I have been trying for years to get a company closed that is polluting the enviroment in our city and its also affecting the health of residents. These same residents have contacted, as well as myself, congressmen and reps to no avail. In turn the company sued me to shut me up and give the city a lawsuit to hide behind instead of enforcing THEIR own zoning laws. I wish you luck but your are wasting your time. This is nothing new last winter the cry for help went out over the frozen pipes and they still did nothing all winter while the water was carried in by hand.

[mbs7]

weluvpa: I understand what you're saying, but even a small chance for change is better than none; if no one complains, then things are almost guaranteed to remain the same.

While walking around Nay Aug Park, I saw a number of very significant improvements that truly impressed me (e.g. the "treehouse" and other observation platforms overlooking the gorge; the very nice fish pond by the museum). Are all of these improvements perfect in every way? Probably not. But they ARE improvements over the former state of the park. Right now, in my opinion, the Genesis Wildlife Center sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise generally positive experience for visitors to Nay Aug. And, whatever disagreements I may have with the folks at the Genesis center, I do believe they mean well and want to help the animals. I am hoping the concerned residents and park visitors, the city of Scranton, and the people at the Genesis center can all work together to make the center a better place for the animals and for park visitors.

[weluvpa]

Well there was a electrical fire at the zoo last night. From what I have heard there was no harm to the animals, but the structure is the cities responsiblity and I wonder if its up to code.

[NYRangers 2008]

Dan, that structure is very outdated and needs to be upgraded. Why can't our wonderful city find some money to put into that. That's right, they're too busy giving raises to people who don't need them.

[mbs7]

It's hard to tell, from the newspaper account, whether the recent fire had anything to do with code issues in the building. However, I think most of us would agree that the building is antiquated and substandard. I (and others) also have concerns about how the animals are handled and displayed. One Scranton resident I talked to recently described the Genesis Wildlife Center as "an accident waiting to happen." I hope she's wrong, but I fear she may be right.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm a bit worried about this city's code enforcement (or lackthereof). The newer parking garage above the Marquee Cinema downtown flooded yesterday afternoon when pipes burst in five different places, sending some water into the theater below. How common is that to have such faulty pipes in a newer building like that?