Senate President Disses Zoo and War Memorial Park

It sounds like Arkansas Senate President, Bob Johnson, hates a major part of our city. He was quoted as saying, "Nobody wants to take away a zoo, but if we’re going to have one, how about this novel idea. How about one that we’re proud of," and "All these pro park people, when is the last time they had a picnic out there? When is the last time some of these greenies have caught fish out there on the game and fish stock pond. The fact of the matter is this is an economic opportunity." because he thinks that the area in midtown should be a research corridor. KARK has his conference.

This is part of the ongoing debate about Ray Winder Field.

I do have to agree with him, maybe we should be proud of our zoos and parks. But pride doesn't come from the location. To have something you're proud of, you have to invest in it. Maybe our zoo and parks need to be supported more by the city. Most great zoos have great financial support from either private firms, the city or the state, and they didn't become great overnight. Our zoo does not have that kind of financial support. The improvements they've made with what they do have should make the city proud.

In Johnson's defense, he did say that if there is to be a quality zoo in Arkansas, maybe the state should make a commitment to running one. However, I don't think he gives our current zoo enough credit. Most zoos are "landlocked," to a certain extent.

War Memorial Park is a great park too. I don't see why people don't fish or picnic there. Actually, in the spring the park is always full when I pass by it. It's a fun, free way to spend the day in the city. This "pro park" person went there about a dozen times this spring and volunteers the zoo about twice a week.

The biggest tourist attraction in most major cities is their zoo. In my opinion it's ridiculous that ours is treated with such disdain by our lawmakers. The zoo could be the "economic opportunity" he speaks of. Just look at Memphis. They have a wonderful zoo that people actually travel to see. Just a few decades ago, it wasn't much better than ours. They had to get private funding to make theirs better, but many city or state funded zoos are great tourist attractions too (Saint Louis, for example).

We have to appreciate our parks in order for them to improve. It does not sound like Mr. Johnson appreciates our parks at all.