OAKLAND, CA – Assemblymember Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) came to the rescue of the Oakland Zoo last week, securing a $300,000 grant for its California! Project from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.  The project, designed to educate visitors about California’s native wildlife and landscape, did not have a funding reservation in the Endowment’s final grants review and would have received no funds.  Assemblymember Hayashi lobbied the Endowment’s board members and testified before the grants review panel to urge funding for the environmental education project.

“California! Project is a one-of-a-kind endeavor to educate the public about global and local conservation,” stated Assemblymember Hayashi.  “We need this exhibit to tell the untold story of California’s natural heritage, demonstrating the impact we have had on our state’s wildlife, and what we can do to preserve California’s distinct biodiversity.”

The Oakland Zoo’s California! Project is a multi-million dollar construction project that will immerse visitors in a landscape of historic, native, and endangered California plants and animals.  The 40-acre exhibit will be set in the hillsides of Oakland where bison and tule elk are currently living, and will bring back endemic and threatened species such as the grizzly bear.  The zoo had applied for funding from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, which directs Proposition 40 grants and loans to protect and preserve California’s cultural and historic resources.  While the Oakland Zoo’s proposal had moved into the final round, it was not slated to receive funding until testimony from Assemblymember Hayashi helped convince the Endowment of its relevance and importance.