This paper discusses an internship experience at the Audubon Institute, a not-for-profit organization located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Audubon Institute oversees the management of several facilities dedicated to the cultivation and awareness of nature. The primary focus of the internship was development and fund raising. As intern the author was given the responsibility for several special projects, the purpose of which was to assist the Vice-president for Development with improving the operations of the department. In addition, the intern assisted with the ongoing activities of the department, including grant writing and special events planning. Special projects included a feasibility study for developing a new membership category for an out-of-state market, obtaining bids on an electronic screening service for the department's database, and financial studies of 2 major fund raising events. In addition, recommendations were made regarding the improvement of Development's donor research process. The primary impact of the intern's time upon the Audubon Institute was to provide a resource for analyzing Development Department plans and events in order to assist in future decision making. The results of all research and analyses are included in the Appendix.

The emergence of Progressivism at the beginning of the twentieth century influenced many aspects of American society. One of those aspects was urban parks. In the latter half of the nineteenth century Frederick Law Olmsted led a nationwide implementation of "Victorian" parks. These parks featured broad expanses of turf, waterways, and trees. Olmsted and the other Victorian park leaders designed the parks to cultivate Victorian values of self-restraint and independence among the citizenry. With the rise of Progressivism the ideals of the middle class changed. Led by Theodore Roosevelt, millions of Americans embraced the "strenuous life" and its emphasis on strength and leadership. Consequently, parks changed. The new Progressive park design favored athletic facilities over places for repose. Audubon Park in New Orleans was built just as this change was occurring, and therefore provides us an opportunity to study this moment in American history in detail.

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Thesis (Ph. D. )--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-131). Also available on the World Wide Web.

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In designing an Audubon Society Building, I sought to explore procession and its properties in relation to architecture. A structure of hint, pause, and reveal is set up as a shared condition to control movement. This anticipation, movement through, and discovery of space contributes spatial drama to the procession. In addition to the drama created, a continuous dialogue with man is opened up by giving meaning and depth to each space. Their focus on the context of the natural surroundings, as a critical element in the procession, reinforces the educational purpose of the building by bringing man closer to nature. Together, the establishment of these complex moments and the architectural choreography comprise the dual components of architectural procession. / Master of Architecture

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Laurence A. Clement / The word “equestrian” is generally not known to be synonymous with sustainability. Although there is a small progressive movement, sustainable design is currently not common practice in the horse industry and desperately needs promoting. Horsemen and women need to be made aware that these techniques exist as well as more information on how to implement them into the facilities that they own and manage. The Colorado Horse Park (CHP), one of the largest equestrian event venues in the nation, has great potential to become an example of successful sustainable design. As host to dozens of events and hundreds of visitors each year, the CHP presents the perfect opportunity to educate the horse community on sustainable practices. Using the Audubon Lifestyles Program and Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) as guides, I will promote the sustainable equestrian movement through the implementation of sustainable elements and an interpretive landscape at the CHP. The goal of this new design will be to educate site users on sustainable practices as well as motivate and inspire them to make changes to their own lifestyles and facilities. Using the theories established through research and precedent studies, a new design for the CHP was developed. There are three principles to this design: using circulation systems to make the facility more functional, implementing sustainable elements into the facility to serve as examples, and providing the visitors with educational opportunities in the form of interpretive exhibits. Function and safety are two major concerns at this type of venue, and are addressed through the re-organization of site elements and the establishment of a circulation system which creates separation between differing traffic types. Sustainable practices are applied in the forms of vegetated drainage ways, protection of riparian areas, xeric plantings, habitat restoration, and a manure composting operation. An interpretive landscape of signage and displays highlights each sustainable element and relates information on how visitors can incorporate sustainable techniques in their own facilities.

The United States Weather Bureau had published Technical Paper No. 40 (TP-40) in 1961 which provides a rainfall atlas for the United States. These rainfall frequencies have been used by engineers throughout the United States including Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Rainfall from Audubon and the New Orleans International Airport rain gauge stations were used with the Log Pearson Method to provide rainfall frequency for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The results from the frequency rainfall that were developed for this research along with the current Jefferson Parish design storm rainfall were applied to a typical urban development to evaluate the extent of flooding.

Municipalities throughout the country are increasingly seeking out innovative partnerships with the private sector to acquire, operate, and/or maintain public parks. An example of this is found in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Lafayette Consolidated Government recently purchased a 100-acre farm from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and collaborated with community leaders to form a public-private partnership with a new non-profit, Lafayette Central Park, Inc. This entity is currently undertaking the necessary steps to lease, plan, design, fund, build, operate, and maintain a new community park on the property. This report explores the history of public-private partnerships found within park administration, as well as the myriad legal, organizational, and financial structures in place within those partnerships. The research also highlights potential benefits and drawbacks to these partnerships, found within four case studies in the Southeast, as well as through precedents found in previous research. The four case studies are Audubon Park and City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Memorial Park and Discovery Green in Houston, Texas. The insights, challenges, and best practices found through the examination in this report are used to create a series of recommendations for the fledgling non-profit organization, Lafayette Central Park, for both short-term and long-term success. / text