Zoological Society top donor to Prop. 2

The Woodland Park Zoological Society, the nonprofit that runs the Woodland Park Zoo and stands to gain $3.2 million a year from King County Proposition 2, is the leading donor to the levy campaign.

The Zoological Society's $113,226 cash and in-kind contributions account for more than half of the $214,520 given by all donors through last week to the Parks and Recreation Coalition's campaign for two parks levies on the Aug. 21 ballot.

The society, founded in 1965 as the fundraising arm of the Seattle-owned zoo, has operated the zoo since 2002.

If Proposition 2 — "the expansion levy" — passes, the zoo will receive 1 cent out of every nickel raised from the levy, the remainder going to King County and its cities. The zoo revenues would pay for a range of activities, including educational programs for children and maintaining exhibits, said Jim Bennett, the zoo's director of communications and marketing.

Zoo officials view the funding as critical, because the city of Seattle hasn't decided to renew the 2000 Pro Parks Levy that will provide the zoo nearly $3 million a year through the end of 2008.

The Zoological Society contributed $299,327 of the $574,066 raised by Neighbors for Seattle Parks for its Pro Parks Levy campaign. Besides supporting the zoo, the $198 million, eight-year levy bought neighborhood parks and greenbelts, improved park maintenance and paid for recreation programs.

Zoo employees and volunteers will spend three days this week at a phone bank calling likely voters and urging their support for the county parks levies.

Earlier, zoo employees and paid callers contacted zoo members and donors with a message about the levies, Bennett says: "We tell them we know you really like the zoo. We want you to know the zoo is going to benefit from this. We want to encourage you to vote. ...

"We don't need to tell people how to vote, we just need to encourage them to vote."

Other top donors to the parks-levy campaign include Aldus software founder Paul Brainerd; engineering firm Brown and Caldwell; environmentalist Maryanne Tagney-Jones; the Washington State Council of County and City Employees; and Yarrow Bay Development.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com