jessica.vaughn@imaginuity.com
ORANGE, Texas,
September 16, 2008 - Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
survived Hurricane Ike with what appears to be minimal structural damage.
Although its buildings remain intact, Shangri La did experience considerable
flooding throughout the gardens, nature center, outpost and bayou areas, which
resulted in water intrusion to various structures.
A full assessment has not yet been completed; it will
nevertheless take a good deal of time and effort to restore Shangri La to its
pre-hurricane condition, as a result of the damage to structures and landscape
from the water and wind.
Shangri La staff members had fully implemented Shangri La's
hurricane plan well in advance of the storm's landfall and had taken steps to
protect the facility to the greatest extent possible. Essential employees of
the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, which owns and operates Shangri
La, remained in the City of Orange where Shangri La is located at all times
during the hurricane to monitor conditions.
Because of the extensive damage throughout the City of Orange and the lack of city services as a result of Hurricane Ike, all events
that were previously slated to be held at Shangri La and sponsored by Shangri
La will be canceled until further notice, including the Beat the Heat lecture
series and the upcoming Fall Festival.
In addition, Shangri La will remain closed to the public
until such time as city services resume, power is restored and recovery and
restoration efforts are completed throughout Shangri La. This includes cancellation of
all group tours and school field trips scheduled for the months of September
and October, with scheduling for subsequent months to be determined as
additional information becomes available.
Stark Foundation and Shangri La staff will work diligently
toward the restoration and re-opening of Shangri La, and the staff will
endeavor to return to normal operations as quickly as possible. Resumption of operations
will depend entirely on the ultimate assessment of damages and subsequent
recovery efforts, which remain to be determined.
For updates and further information, visit the Shangri La
website at www.shangrilagardens.org.
About Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange,
Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private
foundation whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The
unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that
mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, the man who
originally developed the gardens more than 60 years ago.
The formal Botanical Gardens contain more than 300 plant
species in five formal "rooms" as well as four sculpture
"rooms" plus thousands of nesting birds in Ruby Lake.
The Nature Center includes Adams Bayou boat
excursions to educational outposts, a 15-acre Beaver Pond, a state-of-the-art
bird blind, a bat house, and more up-close encounters with nature.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature
Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th
project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum
Certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that the design and construction of
Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures. Shangri
La offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature, as it
strives in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their
World.
Shangri La is located at 2111 West Park Avenue, Orange,
Texas.
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Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center | 2111 W. Park Avenue | Orange | TX | 77630
