Speaker Heastie Continues Annual Statewide Tour at the Buffalo Zoo with Assemblymember Conrad

Speaker Heastie Continues Annual Statewide Tour at the Buffalo Zoo with Assemblymember Conrad

Speaker Carl Heastie today continued his annual statewide tour in Buffalo, visiting the Buffalo Zoo with Assemblymember William Conrad.

"One of the great parts of my annual statewide tour is getting to see the gems across our state," Speaker Heastie said. "The Buffalo Zoo is doing incredible work to promote conservation and education and is a destination for families and people of all ages. It was good to be here today with Assemblymember Conrad to see the updates they're making."

"The Buffalo Zoo is the cultural center of my district," Assemblymember Conrad said. "I'm so glad to have Speaker Heastie here to see the updates that are being made to improve the habitats for the animals and enhance the experience for visitors. We'll keep working to ensure the zoo has the resources they need to continue their great work."

Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Conrad together toured the Buffalo Zoo with President and CEO Lisa Smith. The zoo's philosophy is to show animals and plants in ecological habitats representative of world's biomes, encouraging visitors to learn about the natural world and the importance of conservation. Established in 1875, the zoo today needs extensive capital upgrades, and is in phase one, which includes a new outdoor gorilla habitat and a larger cat enclosures. Assemblymember Conrad also secured $53,000 in programming aid for the Buffalo Zoo in 2023.