High Desert Museum Receives $250,000 Matching Grant from the State of Oregon

According to the legislation awarding the $250,000 — earmarked for economic development and administered through the Oregon Business Development Department – the funds will be allocated to the High Desert Museum in 2015, once the Museum has raised matching funds in the same amount.

Central Oregon’s premier Museum received some welcome funding thanks to Senate Bill 5533A which passed at the end of the legislative session. The bill awards $250,000 of lottery funds to the High Desert Museum.

According to the bill, $250,000 — earmarked for economic development and administered through the Oregon Business Development Department — will be allocated to the High Desert Museum in 2015, once the Museum has raised matching funds in the same amount.

The money will be used for a capital improvement project: The renovation of one of the Museum’s most popular exhibits – the Autzen Otter Exhibit.

“We have been successful in the past raising matching funds for projects like this,” said Museum President Janeanne Upp. “And of course our otters, Thomas and Rogue, are tremendously popular.”

Renovating the otter exhibit would increase the Museum’s already significant economic impact in Central Oregon. Currently, two thirds of the Museum’s visitors come from outside Central Oregon, accounting for over $1 million in tourist money that is then reinvested locally through salaries and operating costs. Of that amount, roughly half comes from outside the State of Oregon.

“Based on our experience with past exhibit renovations, we can expect an increase as high as 9%, or about 15,000 visitors, as a result of this project,” said Museum President Janeanne Upp. “Increased out of state visitation will result in almost $100,000 in additional tourist dollars for Central Oregon annually.”

Upp expressed gratitude to the legislature for recognizing the High Desert Museum as a statewide asset and said she was very pleased that they see the value of the Museum to Central Oregon’s tourism.

“We want to thank longtime friend of the Museum, and a former Central Oregonian, Senator Betsy Johnson for her leadership on this effort,” Upp said.

As part of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, Johnson was able to ensure that the $250,000 expenditure was included in the 2013 Legislative session.

”We also want to thank our Central Oregon delegation Tim Knopp, Gene Whisnant  and Jason Conger for their efforts in securing this appropriation,” Upp said.

The High Desert Museum recently closed its 2013 fiscal year with record attendance and a balanced budget.  “We welcomed 164,820 visitors, the most we’ve seen since the year 2000.”

“These last several years have been transformational for this organization,” Upp said.

Earlier this year the organization also completed a special fund-raising effort to pay off all its long-term debt.

“The Museum’s never been in a better place financially,” Upp said. “We’ve been able to expand our education programs and reach into the three Central Oregon counties in ways we weren’t able to in the past. We are grateful for the recognition of our achievements by the Oregon Legislature and we’re looking forward to more robust years to come.”