The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk's Environmental Education Center will be named for William Ziegler, III of Darien, Conn., in recognition of his generous $5 million gift announced today.
A $5 million gift to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk from William Ziegler, III of Darien, Conn. was announced at the annual meeting of its Board of Trustees this evening. It is the largest single donation in the aquarium’s 20-year history. In appreciation, the Aquarium will name the existing Environmental Education Center in his honor. Mr. Ziegler, who joined the Board in 1981, was instrumental in founding The Maritime Aquarium, which opened its doors to the public in 1988. He is The Maritime Aquarium’s longest-serving trustee and at the meeting was the first ever to be elected by the Aquarium Board as a Life Trustee. His son Karl was elected to the Board in 2006.
“Bill Ziegler’s magnificent act of philanthropy continues a lifetime of devotion to the sea. With it, he creates a giant building block toward the transformation of The Maritime Aquarium envisioned in the Master Plan, announced in October,” said Aquarium President Jennifer Herring. “He inspires us all with his belief in The Maritime Aquarium’s power to connect people with nature and educate future environmental stewards of the Sound”.
William Ziegler, III (seated) of Darien, Conn., donated $5 million to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Also shown are (left to right standing): Aquarium President Jennifer Herring, Ziegler's daughter Heidi, and son Karl, and Conn. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy.
The Master Plan sets forth a strategy that will transform the Aquarium’s physical spaces and its programs, further increasing its impact on conservation of Long Island Sound. New exhibits, exciting, immersive experiences, cutting edge “green” technologies, and renovations to existing areas are key elements of the plan. Already a beloved place for family fun attracting 500,000 annual visitors and a highly respected informal science education institution serving 130,000 students a year, the Aquarium will be repositioned as one of the finest family destinations and a national innovator among aquariums and centers of conservation, the Aquarium announced in October. Planned in three phases, the Master Plan calls for increasing the Aquarium’s physical footprint by some 20,000 square feet and nearly tripling the volume of water in its exhibits, from the existing 180,000 gallons to 530,000 gallons.
The gift will provide initial funding for design and construction of the first phase of the Master Plan, as well as add to the endowment for education programs established with Mr. Ziegler’s previous gift in 2006. A portion of the new gift will fund on-going education programs, Ms. Herring said.
In a prepared statement Mr. Ziegler said, “I decided to make this gift because I believe in The Maritime Aquarium, and I want to see it fulfill its promise as the place to learn about Long Island Sound. The Sound has been meaningful to my life, and I want to share our collective knowledge about it, especially with children. Part of my intention in giving this gift is to encourage others to step forward and join me in providing the necessary resources to make the Aquarium’s ambitious plans become a reality.”
William Ziegler, III is a life-long sailor, well-known in the sailing community for his racing activities. He recently founded Sargent’s Cove, an aquaculture company dedicated to farming indigenous oysters that provide a natural filtration system for the Sound.
“The Maritime Aquarium is immensely grateful to Bill Ziegler for leading the way toward our future”, said Sanders Davies, newly-elected Chairman of the Board. “I take his challenge to both sides of the public/private partnership that sustains us very seriously. With his leadership gift, we’re confident we can move the Aquarium to an entirely new level of excitement, enjoyment and education that inspires visitors to understand and care for the natural world in which they make their homes.”
