May 5, 2008
 
Shreveport Mayor Cedric B. Glover led a contingent of local representatives on a fact-finding tour last week to view two Southern cities with successful aquarium projects.
 
“I’ve heard many expressions of intent across our community for the creation of a zoo in Shreveport, as a way to stimulate visitation by families to our City. That seems to be a worthwhile idea, but it also seems that, due to the unique influence on our region by the Red River and the system of lakes and tributaries, that we could do something truly distinctive by celebrating the role of water in our history and culture,” said Mayor Glover. “Working with key agencies involved in tourism, economic development and education, we are seeking to find successful examples of such efforts in other communities that we might emulate.”

Mayor Glover and representatives of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau, Sci-Port Discovery Center, Shreveport Downtown Development Authority and Shreveport Public Assembly & Recreation (SPAR) travelled to Chattanooga, TN to visit with key local officials there and inspect the highly successful Tennessee Aquarium. The Tennessee Aquarium is generally acknowledged to have been a major source of the recent resurgence and revitalization of downtown Chattanooga and is also noteworthy for being the largest aquarium in America devoted to the study of freshwater marine habitat, particularly the Tennessee River environment. Also included on the inspection tour was the newly-established Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. In operation less than three years and possessing the world’s