Morris continues to front WOW

The American National Fish and Wildlife Museum, Wonders of Wildlife, announced at its Oct. 28 board meeting that Morris, a WOW board member, is donating about $7 million to the museum during the next five years through his companies, Bass Pro and Tracker Marine.

According to museum Executive Director Tony Schoonen, the money will be put toward three projects: paying down the museum’s bond debt by about $1 million a year, a new education outreach program with a price tag of about $250,000 annually and $100,000 per year worth of museum admission tickets for Bass Pro and Tracker employees.

“A big portion of that will trickle through to our bottom line,” Schoonen said. “Plus, we’ll be able to provide a service to the community that we haven’t been able to do before.”

The education initiative is an ambitious one – Schoonen said the museum currently serves about 20,000 students at the museum, and he hopes to triple or quadruple that figure in the next year or two.

The largest portion of the donation, though, is going toward the museum’s debt service; the museum owes about $11 million in variable-rate bond debt after a restructuring effort, in which Morris was instrumental, in 2004.

It’s not the first financial help Morris and his companies have given to the museum, which is located next to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. Through private donations and support from Bass Pro and Tracker Marine, Morris has given nearly $30 million to the museum since it was conceived, including $10 million in land and artifacts and $10.3 million toward the bond restructuring. WOW opened in 2001.

Schoonen said that, despite the generous support from Morris, the museum is not going to fall under the Bass Pro corporate umbrella.

“Aside from (Morris) being on our board and Bass Pro/Tracker Marine being huge benefactors for our facility, we’re a totally separate, 501(c)(3) corporation,” Schoonen said. “There’s not been any talk at all about the museum becoming a part of Bass Pro.”

So why all the generosity from Morris? Schoonen said it’s because of the other, less widely recognized goal of Bass Pro and the other Morris companies: conservation.

“He’s very interested in promoting the hunting and fishing heritage – bringing more people into the fold,” Schoonen said. “He and his companies reflect a very strong conservation ethic.”