Audubon Nature Institute marked many successes in 2019. The combined attendance at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, and Entergy Giant Screen Theater grew to 2.2 million visitors, and revenue from admissions was $18.0 million. Audubon Nature Institute's program service total for operation and management of all facilities was $33,162,968, which includes salaries incurred by Audubon Nature Institute employees. These salary costs were reimbursed by a management contract with Audubon Commission. With an eye on the future, Audubon remained committed to protecting the wonders of nature through outstanding guest experiences, educational opportunities, and developing partnerships. In September, Audubon hosted the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and International Marine Animal Trainer's Association's 2019 Annual Conference, which drew nearly 3,000 zoo and aquarium professionals to New Orleans. During the Conference, Audubon was recognized with the 2019 Excellence in Marketing Award for its "Audubon Zoo Lights presented by Children's Hospital 2018" campaign. This award recognizes excellence in marketing campaigns by AZA member facilities. Audubon also kept Conference events eco-friendly. Food and drinks were offered in recyclable and compostable serving ware, and waste bins for recycling and compositing were available. Audubon partnered with Schmelly's Dirt Farm, a local composting business, to make this initiative a success, and together, they kept over 5,000 pounds of waste out of landfills. Audubon looks forward to continuing to forge innovative partnerships on waste reduction and other green initiatives in the future.Audubon kicked off the year by signing on with a new advertising agency of record, Trumpet Advertising. This shift to a new creative agency elevated Audubon's efforts to align messaging with guest interests and animal conservation. Trumpet is responsible for collaborating on digital strategy, brand positioning, and creative campaigns to promote Audubon's attractions and mission. The agency also played a key role in Audubon's revisioning process, which will inform future organizational strategies and communications.Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo were once again among the top winners of the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest. The Aquarium ranked 3rd and the Zoo secured 9th place among 20 nominees that were "hand-picked by a panel of zoo and family travel experts."In May, Orleans Parish voters voted in overwhelming favor for a new parks and recreation millage that would benefit Audubon's public parks, City Park New Orleans, NORDC, and New Orleans Parks and Parkways. The plan ushers in a new era of cooperation and collaboration among the four agencies that manage New Orleans' public greenspaces and recreational facilities.In the spring, lions returned to Audubon Zoo. A new, spacious habitat welcomed a pride of four lions: sisters Kali, Nia, and Zuri and male Arnold and has room to accommodate cubs, which is fortunate, since Kali was found to be expecting at the end of the year. In October, Audubon celebrated the 30th anniversary of the opening of Woldenberg Riverfront Park, which was developed with a generous gift from the Dorothy and Malcolm Woldenberg Foundation. The Park gave the City its first direct access to the downtown Mississippi riverfront and provided a setting for Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Entergy Giant Screen Theater. The Park spans 17 acres of green space, contains numerous works of art, and has become home to several iconic New Orleans events, such as French Quarter Festival, Zulu Lundi Gras, and New Orleans Fireworks Celebrations like Go 4th on the River and New Year's Eve on the Riverfront.Critical conservation work continued at Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center on the West Bank of New Orleans, which is home to conservation programs such as the Alliance for Sustainable Wildlife, the Coastal Wildlife Network, and Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries. Whooping crane breeding and release efforts continued to thrive with an expanded flock and the release of 11 juvenile cranes into the wild. Coastal Wildlife Network became Louisiana's only marine animal stranding network in October 2019. CWN is also the sole program responsible for the rehabilitation of sea turtles and marine mammals in Louisiana. CWN staff cared for a stranded green sea turtle affectionately dubbed "Hulk" for 4 months beginning in April 2019 and collaborated with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to release him back into the wild in July.In 2019, Audubon's continued leadership in local efforts to fight plastic pollution garnered awards, including the 2019 Keep Louisiana Beautiful Everyday Hero Award for Corporate Leadership and the 2019 Love Your City Resource Management Award. Audubon challenged employees and community members to participate in EcoChallenge.org's Plastic Free July initiative, with Audubon's "Plastic Free New Orleans" team coming in third place among teams across the country. As part of the push to educate the community on the harms of single-use plastics and the importance of finding alternatives, Audubon youth volunteers hosted a popular free screening of the documentary "Straws" at Entergy Giant Screen Theater.Thanks to the Taylor/Audubon Students and Scholars Program, more than 219,000 high-achieving students in grades 7 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.Audubon expanded its commitment to educating our community about the wonders of nature through Audubon Community Connect. This new initiative increases accessibility to Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, and Audubon Louisiana Nature Center for Orleans Parish residents. The Audubon Community Connect program involves three components: Orleans Parish Appreciation Days, which offer free admission to a rotating Audubon attraction on Wednesdays; the Audubon SNAP Program, which provides free admission every day for SNAP benefit recipients and their families; and the Audubon Museum Culture Pass, which allows Orleans Parish Public Library cardholders to check out admission passes.Audubon celebrated new births, including Bulan, the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, three tomistomas, a porcupette, three Home's hinge-backed tortoises (the first successful hatching of this species at Audubon Zoo), Ruby the barasingha deer fawn, nine annulated tree boas at the Zoo and cownose and yellow stingrays, yellow seahorses, and euphyra (swimming moon jellyfish) at the Aquarium. The Species Survival Center enjoyed a baby boom consisting of giraffe, sable antelope, bongo, eland, sitatunga, whooping cranes, and Mississippi sandhill cranes.The Zoo also welcomed some new members of the Audubon family from other conservation organizations, including Liem the Malayan tiger, a two-toed sloth, a female babirusa named BB, a pair of red river hogs, a Baird's tapir named Ixchel, a Wolf's guenon named Fontina, a golden lion tamarin named Brazil, an armadillo named Louise, and three lace monitors. At the Aquarium, hooded Merganser ducks and blue-spotted stingrays joined the family.In summer 2019, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center invited guests to discover the biological wonders of sanguinivores-creatures that eat blood-in its Interpretive Center, which is free to the public. "Attack of the Bloodsuckers!" explored the science of what's biting you in this skin-crawling installation. The kid-friendly temporary exhibition examined the what, why, when, and how of mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, leeches, and other parasites. Guests learned why bloodsuckers are important to the ecosystem-and how to keep them out of your system.Add the end of the year, the Butterfly Garden and Insectarium added a colony of honeypot ants in the Main Hall. The colony was generously donated by Isaac's Ant Foundation. Honeypot ants are usually found in arid or semi-arid habitats, and the species (Myrmecocystus mexicanus) on display at the Butterfly Garden and Insectarium comes from particularly hot, dry parts of the southwestern United States. Honeypot ants do not make honey. Rather, they make honey-like liquids that are stored in the ants themselves.Audubon Nature Institute is a well-established organization. It was founded way back in 1975. This time-proven organization loves to hire graduates from University of New Orleans, with 26.5% of its employees having attended University of New Orleans. Want to explore some other great places to work in New Orleans, LA? You can check out our full list of Best Companies to Work For in New Orleans, LA.Audubon Nature Institute is a medium non profits organization with 750 employees and an annual revenue of $40.0M that is headquartered in New Orleans, LA.
Audubon Nature Institute's mission statement
Educate our diverse audience about the natural world. Enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation.
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Audubon Nature Institute employee reviews
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Audubon Nature Institute benefits
Working in a park like atmosphere is very rewarding. The fact that you are near such beautiful animals is unique.
Cons of working at Audubon Nature Institute
The politics runs rampant and can be draining and exhausting. It affects employees daily and management is either responsible or indifferent.
Pros of working at Audubon Nature Institute
Working in a park like atmosphere is very rewarding. The fact that you are near such beautiful animals is unique.
What do you like best about Audubon Nature Institute's CEO and the leadership team?
Ron is a visionary and has all the correct political connections.
How would you improve Audubon Nature Institute's culture?
Start by taking a hard look at the average employee’s demeanor. Ask honest questions as to why such a high turnover exists. I believe you will find that hard work does not necessarily lead to either reward or recognition. In fact it can lead to persecution.
How did you prepare for the Audubon Nature Institute interview?
Prepared a list of likely question that might be asked and had thoughtful responses. Reminded myself to exhibit humble confidence.
How does your compensation at Audubon Nature Institute compare to the industry average?
I found compensation was just below average.
What's the diversity at Audubon Nature Institute like?
Audubon has a very diverse demographic makeup.
What brings you the most joy at Audubon Nature Institute?
Recognition for a job well done. Money is not the only motivator. While money is important, minimizing the political makeup would go far in improving employee satisfaction.
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The team at Audubon Nature Institute
The key people at Audubon Nature Institute is L. Ronald Forman.
Key people
L. Ronald Forman
Audubon Nature Institute rankings
Audubon Nature Institute is ranked #12 on the Best Non Profits companies to work for in Louisiana list. Zippia's Best Places to Work lists provide unbiased, data-based evaluations of companies. Rankings are based on government and proprietary data on salaries, company financial health, and employee diversity.
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Audubon Nature Institute diversity
8.7
Diversity score
We calculated Audubon Nature Institute’s diversity score by measuring multiple factors, including the ethnic background, gender identity, and language skills of Audubon Nature Institute’s workforce.
Audubon Nature Institute diversity summary. Zippia estimates Audubon Nature Institute's demographics and statistics using a database of 30 million profiles. Zippia verifies estimates with BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. We calculated Audubon Nature Institute's diversity score by measuring multiple factors, including the ethnic background, gender identity, and language skills of Audubon Nature Institute's workforce.
Audubon Nature Institute has 750 employees.
60% of Audubon Nature Institute employees are women, while 40% are men.
The most common ethnicity at Audubon Nature Institute is White (54%).
24% of Audubon Nature Institute employees are Black or African American.
14% of Audubon Nature Institute employees are Hispanic or Latino.
The average employee at Audubon Nature Institute makes $30,000 per year.
Employees at Audubon Nature Institute stay with the company for 4.9 years on average.
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Audubon Nature Institute financial performance
8.6
Performance score
Highest paying Audubon Nature Institute competitors
Compare Audubon Nature Institute salaries to competitors, including Corning Museum of Glass, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Central City Association. Employees at Corning Museum of Glass earn the highest average yearly salary of $53,757. The salaries at Wildlife Conservation Society average $38,473 per year, and the salaries at Central City Association come in at $37,633 per year.
Rank
Company
Average salary
Jobs
1
$53,757
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2
$38,473
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3
$37,633
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4
$35,261
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5
$34,661
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6
$34,497
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7
$33,930
0
8
$33,860
0
9
$33,522
0
10
$32,398
0
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Audubon Nature Institute FAQs
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Audubon Nature Institute, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Audubon Nature Institute. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Audubon Nature Institute. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Audubon Nature Institute. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Audubon Nature Institute and its employees or that of Zippia.
Audubon Nature Institute may also be known as or be related to Audubon Nature Institute and Audubon Nature Institute Inc.
