Planning Proposal: Strategic Planning for Audubon Nature Institute's Species Survival Center

This project will support the development of a strategic plan for Audubon Nature Institute's Freeport-McMoRan Species Survival Center. Audubon Species Survival Center is a ~1100-acre complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, dedicated to wildlife care and endangered species research and conservation. The complex includes 260-acres for holding and breeding endangered wildlife in large outdoor enclosures; a 36,000 ft2 research complex with laboratory and veterinary hospital space; a 30,000 ft2 complex for housing, rehabilitation, and propagation of aquatic species; an onsite dormitory to house interns, students, and visiting researchers; an 128-acre public nature park with interpretive center; and more than a dozen support buildings. Audubon is seeking a new mission and vision for the Species Survival Center that takes advantage of its broad set of research resources spanning scales of biological organization from molecules to ecosystems, across terrestrial and marine ecosystems, to develop new interdisciplinary partnerships across the Gulf South region, and to re-focus on conservation research and research training for the protection of rare and endangered species and habitats. This activity is aligned with the NSF priorities in Biotechnology. This project will develop a strategic plan by holding a 4-day in person workshop at the Species Survival Center. Workshop participants will include internal stakeholders, as well as current and prospective research partners, and the workshop will be moderated by an external facilitator. The planning workshop goals will be to: 1. Create a five- or ten-year strategy for research and research training at Audubon Species Survival Center. 2. Identify and prioritize key research areas linked to Audubon's mission and existing resources. 3. Identify and prioritize facility needs to advance the research and research training agenda. 4. Identify and engage with key external partners, including direct neighbors, local academic institutions, similar facilities across the US, and state and federal agencies. 5. Develop optimal strategies to synergize with other Audubon facilities. Audubon Species Survival Center holds a unique combination of resources for conservation research and research training that are unique across the Gulf South of the US, and the strategic plan identified in this project will lead to impactful conservation science and education with benefits across a multi-state region. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2552657 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Steven Whitfield | Institution: AUDUBON NATURE INSTITUTE, INC., NEW ORLEANS, LA | Award Amount: $24,965 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2552657 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2552657.html