More Than A Zoo: Laura McCue
More Than A Zoo: Highlighting the personal connections and the broader impact of the WNC Nature Center in its 100th year
Each month during our centennial year, we’ll be interviewing people who have had an impact on the Nature Center. This month’s Q&A is with Laura McCue. Laura is a current board member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center and has deep family roots with us, as her mother, Jeanne Cummings, was a “Founding Mother” of the WNC Nature Center!
Meet Laura McCue
What is your role at the Nature Center? I am currently serving in my second term as a member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center’s Board of Directors. I have served two terms, three different times, since returning to Asheville from Florida in 1986.
Personal Connection
How did your journey with the WNC Nature Center begin, and what keeps you coming back?
I was 13 years old during the beginning of the transition of the Asheville Zoo to the WNC Nature Center. My mother, Jeanne Cummings, was involved with the Zoo and its transformation through the Junior League of Asheville. She was tasked with fundraising for the new center. Together, we visited other nature centers, zoos and aquariums in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee to get ideas about what made those places special, and what we found most engaging. We took pictures and notes and upon our return, we presented our findings to the stakeholders, planners, and designers.
I moved back to Asheville in 1986 and was drawn back into service for the Nature Center. I had my first child in 1987 and wanted to come full circle with my own kids, giving them the opportunity to explore and love the Nature Center as I did. Now I have grandkids, and I feel a sense of ownership over what the Nature Center has become today. My kids are so proud to come back. My mother was so proud to come back.
Bottom photo: A family trip to the WNC Nature Center – Jeanne Cummings, Founding Mother, is pictured to the front left of Laura.
Can you share a favorite memory or experience at the Nature Center that stands out to you?
When I was 15, I got my first summer job at the Nature Center through Buncombe County Parks and Recreation in the Youth Conservation Corps. 15 of us, all students, worked together with shovels and rakes to clear debris out of the area in preparation for its upcoming use as a new habitat – the Deer Pen. We had a great time working together and getting to know each other as we represented several different schools in the area. It was my first paid job!
What has been the greatest reward of your involvement with the Nature Center?
I served as Chair of the Board of Directors as we worked with the City of Asheville to save the Nature Center. At the time, it was in danger of being closed by City Council due to financial constraints, and they did not see the value of the Center. We worked very hard as a Board to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City, in which the Friends of the WNC Nature Center would be responsible for raising a sum of money to support the Center annually. We were successful in our negotiations and to this day enjoy a great relationship with the City of Asheville, as they fully recognize the wonderful contributions the Center makes towards quality of life for locals and enjoyments of the area for tourists.
Mission & Impact
In your view, how does the WNC Nature Center go beyond being just a zoo?
By providing experiences and opportunities to actually connect with the animals rather than just observing them. The Young Naturalist program has always interested me and the opportunity to serve the Nature Center as a docent is a near future aspiration.
How has the Nature Center contributed to conservation efforts in Western North Carolina?
By successfully teaching children and adults the joy and value of conserving both our natural plant life and animal life for future generations. And we are very good at it!
What do you think the Nature Center’s 100-year legacy means to the community?
Resilience. We have gone through a lot over so many years, and every time, the community steps up and gets involved in helping the Nature Center to stay resilient through it all.
Looking to the Future
What hopes do you have for the next 100 years of the WNC Nature Center?
My hope is that the Center continues to grow and modernize as a safe and caring environment for many more animals and plant life that thrive there.
How can the community support the Nature Center’s mission moving forward?
Advocacy. By coming to the Nature Center and bringing people with you. I give out guest passes often to encourage people who might not have had the opportunity to go, or who might not have ever thought to go. The community can support the Nature Center through membership and by attending the many events that the Friends offer throughout the year.
What role do you see education playing in the future of wildlife conservation? What does this mean locally?
We need to continue providing outreach to area schools and other organizations to educate the community about the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation of the wildlife in our area. If people do not see the value in doing so, they will not attach any importance to it.
Fun Reflection
If you could be any animal at the WNC Nature Center for a day, which one would you choose and why?
Why, the America River Otter, of course! How fun it would be to jump and slip and slide into the water for a swim, eat fish, and lie in the sun all day while children and adults delight in my antics! The otter was my mom’s favorite, too. She shared a nickname (Obie) with Obi-Wan!
What’s one surprising fact about the Nature Center that most people don’t know?
A lot of people new to the area, and visitors, don’t know that it was once an exotic animal zoo. We used to have chimpanzees, lions, tigers, elephants, and other exotic animals.
Also, that the Center was once in the hands of the City, then the County, then the City…like a hot potato! It’s now – and hopefully forever – a City treasure.
How would you describe the Nature Center in three words?
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Southern
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Appalachian
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Wildlife
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Are you interested in learning more about becoming a board member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center? Email Kate at [email protected]. Want to learn more about the “Founding Mothers” and the history of the WNC Nature Center? Visit dev.wildwnc.org/celebrate.