Latest news with #Audubon
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Memphis residents can cool down and chill out as public pools set to open soon
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memorial Day marked the first day of summer break, and as the weather begins to heat up, the City of Memphis is making sure families have a way to cool down. Opening dates are coming up for swimming pools across Memphis. From the Ed Rice location to Riverview, beginning next Tuesday, 12 pools will be open to the public. 'We have some family lessons at our pools, at our indoor and some of our outdoor pools. So, one of the things they are very affordable. They are $25 for two weeks of swim lessons,' said Marcha Allen, Interim Director of Memphis Parks. 'We are fully staffed to open our eight outdoor pools and to keep our four indoor pools operational. However, we are always looking to hire lifeguards.' 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. The North Memphis community will see some changes to Douglass Park soon, as the city has invested in building a splash pad for kids to enjoy. Construction for the $1.5 million project is already underway. The project is expected to be completed by July 25, but that's not the only investment being made. 'Audubon splash pad will come on board by next summer. So, we'll have that. When there was a grant, that the city of Memphis and Memphis Parks was awarded. So, it'll complete that part of out of the park. And then right now, we're also currently heavily investing in Bickford Aquatic Center,' said Allen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
10+ splash pads in New Orleans metro to check out
Splash pads are just what kids need on a hot, sticky day in New Orleans. The big picture: Here are some splash pads and water parks in the area and a few more within driving distance. New splash pad in Algiers The city opened its first public splash pad this year at Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Park. There's indoor swimming next door at the new natatorium. Go deeper. Admission is free. Kenner's new splash pad Kenner's new splash park opens Saturday at 939 Rev. Richard Wilson Drive. It's next to the playground and has restrooms and picnic tables. The splash pad is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 31. Go deeper. Lafreniere Spray Park The spray park in Metairie opens for the season Saturday. It's fenced in and has park benches and 12 water elements, including water cannons. Hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 7pm. Admission is free. Wading pool at Audubon Park Hyams Fountain in Audubon Park is a shady place to go with children. It's free and is less than two feet at its max depth. To access it, park on the left side of the zoo's parking lot and follow the path. There are no bathrooms so plan ahead. Audubon's Cool Zoo Audubon Zoo's Cool Zoo has several areas for different ages, such as a quieter splash pad for toddlers along with the bigger water slides and lazy river. It requires a fee on top of zoo admission. Monkey Hill Audubon Zoo also has a free water option included with admission. Next to Monkey Hill is a tropical, shady area with a small waterfall, multi-level stream and rocks to climb. Parc des Familles Spray Park This parish-run spray park in Marrero has 20 water features. It's fenced in and has benches and shade structures, too. It's open daily. Admission is free. Claudette B. Fennidy Splash Pad The Claudette B. Fennidy Splash Pad debuted last year at Johnny Jacobs Playground in Marrero. It opens for the season on Memorial Day. Go deeper. Admission is free. Ochsner Fitness Center You can get a day pass or an annual membership to the pools at the Harahan location. There's a mushroom-style splash pad along with kiddie pools. Go deeper. Ormond Spray Park The park in Destrehan has multiple water features, including a water-spraying tube tunnel. It's free. It's also fenced in and has benches and some shade. Hours. West Bank Spray Park This $2 million splash pad opened last year in Luling. It's swamp-themed and has water features, shade sails, benches and bathrooms. Hours. Admission is free. North Shore splash pads Head across the Causeway for splash pads in Mandeville, Covington and Madisonville. There's a nice one in Fountainbleau State Park, too. NORD pools The city's pools are expected to open next week for the summer. Check hours before you go. Up for a drive? We've got a few ideas if you want to head of out of town for bigger thrills. Buccaneer State Park: This park in Waveland, Mississippi, has a 4.5-acre water park with a wave pool, water slides and kiddie splash pad. Gulf Islands Park: This Gulfport waterpark has slides, a wave pool and other water activities. Salvation Army Kroc Center: This indoor option in Biloxi has a splash pad, pool, slide and lazy river.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Tuning into beetle mania: At the Audubon insectarium in New Orleans
Leaf insects are masters of disguise, staying hidden while they feed and rest. Cactus longhorn beetles are food specialists, surviving (both as larvae and adults) solely on cactus. The desert ironclad beetle defends itself by playing dead when startled. These are just some of the astonishingly varied insects, critical to life on Earth, that one may encounter and come to appreciate at the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium in New Orleans, Louisiana. This stellar living museum underwent a $41-million redesign and reopened in 2023. As one journeys through the insectarium, entomologists help one experience insects through all five senses. The sense of sight is deployed in the viewing of live specimens in glass chambers, where one can observe body shapes and behaviours. The sense of touch and hearing are employed as one is offered the chance to handle, and listen to, certain creatures. One may hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach, for instance, light as a feather in one's palm. When disturbed, it forces air through its breathing apertures, to signal warning or a plea for help to its roach friends, or in an attempt to deter a predator. Hollywood loves this docile, distinctive and easy-to-handle bug, I am told. When filmmakers are determined to avoid using CGI, these are the creatures released, in films ranging from Bug (2006) to Men in Black (1997). Next, smell and taste are harnessed in the Bug Appetit room, which invites visitors to sample cheddar bacon crickets, and chocolate chirp cookies, challenging our notions of what we consider edible. As the signboard reasons, if we're willing to eat crabs, crawfish and lobsters, which are also arthropods, why not extend our scope to include grasshoppers and ants? They offer more protein and less fat per 100 gm than livestock, and require less land, water and feed to breed. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Crickets contain high levels of calcium; termites are rich in iron. A 100-gm serving of giant silkworm-moth larvae contains one's daily requirements of copper, zinc, iron and riboflavin. It's why they remain integral to traditional cuisines in large parts of the world (Africa, Asia, Latin America). The renowned Audubon institute, set up in 1990 on the banks of the Mississippi River, is named for the legendary American ornithologist and artist John James Audubon (1785-1851), who lived and worked for years in Louisiana. Its aquarium is home to more than 3,600 animals across 250 species. The 17,000-sq-ft butterfly pavilion, a new addition, holds hundreds of free-flying butterflies. Visitors can watch as they drink nectar, fly around, even land on one's shoulder. Across the centre, signboards, often interactive, impel the visitor beyond ignorance, fear and revulsion and offer reminders that life on Earth would not survive without insects. They are vital pollinators. They drive waste disposal and the decomposition of the dead. In performing this function, they restore nutrients to the soil. They are a food source, and play a vital role as predators, keeping other insect populations in check. They are tiny ecosystem engineers. Their digging, chewing and nesting can determine which plants will flourish where, and which will be pruned or weeded out. So much of this tapestry is visible here. Minutes go by unnoticed as I observe a community of trap-jaw ants at work around their nest. As they cut, carry and transport leaves, their coordinated teamwork is remarkable. In nature, as they say, lies a grand parable for us all.
Axios
06-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Utah's birds are disappearing fast
Birds that call Utah's mountains and deserts home are in serious decline, according to a sweeping new conservation report. Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the overall health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble. If these habitats can't support birdlife, they probably can't sustain other wildlife — or even humans — for long. By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Utah species like the greater sage grouse, the desert-dwelling Bendire's thrasher and the sagebrush sparrow have seen their populations cut in half, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. The pinyon jay — a signature species of our pinyon-juniper woodlands — has lost 70% of its population since 1970. It's now labeled a "tipping point" species, meaning it could vanish unless urgent conservation action is taken. State of play: In the past 55 years, the West has lost almost half of arid-land bird habitat to drought, wildfires and invasive plants, the report states. Nearly a quarter of the 31 arid-land birds included in the analysis are considered tipping point species. Over half of western forest birds are declining. Zoom in: The shrinking Great Salt Lake is a critical hub for migratory birds, including about 21% of North America's endangered snowy plovers — also a tipping point species. The lake's long-billed dowitchers and sanderlings are also at the tipping point. Follow the money: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds. What they're saying:"It's a reality check for us, every time we do one of these," Mike Brasher, co-chair of the report's science committee, told Audubon magazine. "Threats to birds [and] bird habitat are as great now as they have ever been, and they're accelerating, in most cases," Brasher said. The big picture: It's not just Utah. Researchers tracked species nationwide and found declines almost everywhere — even among birds once thought resilient, like waterfowl. Roughly one-third of U.S. bird species — 229 in total — are now classified as high or moderate conservation concerns.
Axios
21-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Audubon's $30M riverfront park and other new projects
Audubon Nature Institute is tearing down the Gov. Nicholls wharf at the edge of the French Quarter to make way for a new $30 million public space along the Mississippi River. Why it matters: The project will create the country's longest contiguous riverfront park, leaders say. The big picture: Audubon leaders hoped to have the park open for Super Bowl LIX, but the project was delayed. Now, the first phase should open by the end of the year with a band shell and public green spaces, says Michael Sawaya, the new CEO and president of Audubon Nature Institute. Once done, the project will create a 2.25-mile walkable and bike-friendly park from Spanish Plaza to Crescent Park. By the numbers: The city is footing half of the bill, with the City Council committing $15 million last year. The rest of the money is coming from Audubon, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and New Orleans & Co., Sawaya says. Catch up quick: The park started during a riverfront development push in 2017, when then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu and others outlined $500 million in projects. Those developments included the now-completed renovation of the World Trade Center into the Four Seasons and the new Canal Street ferry terminal. Audubon's early riverfront ideas included a Ferris wheel and amphitheater, which drew criticism from residents, according to The Times-Picayune. The project has almost doubled in cost since planning started, Sawaya says. Zoom in: Current plans call for it to have open-air structures, a community center, event rental options, a playground, grassy lawns and space for food trucks. The Gov. Nicholls wharf should be torn down in several weeks. The Esplanade wharf is expected to be partly demolished, but Audubon leaders tell us they are still fine-tuning the concept. See the latest proposal. Between the lines: Riverfront parks in Brooklyn, Tampa and Boston have been inspirations for the New Orleans development. More Audubon projects Audubon is also working on a few other projects. Woldenberg Park: The renovations outside the aquarium are expected to wrap up by the end of May, says Jackson Kerby, Audubon's vice president of construction. The new hardscaping, lighting and utility improvements are geared at making it more attractive for special events. Carousel: Audubon lowered the price of its animal carousel after it failed to sell at auction. The zoo is replacing it with a smaller version. Go deeper. New dinosaur exhibit: Work is starting on the Odenheimer rotunda to house a new dinosaur experience, Kerby says. It will showcase the connection with dinosaurs, reptiles and birds. It's the oldest building on the zoo property and was originally Audubon's aquarium. It's next to the reptile house. Construction is expected to begin next year, she says. Giraffe feedings: The zoo recently started allowing guests to pay $5 to hand-feed the new giraffes, Maverick and Fennessy. Go deeper
