ACROSS THE BOARD Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House & Education Center Winging toward growth and success. By Pam Droog Standing: Charles Lownhampt and Linda Penniman Seated, left to right: Evelyn Newman and Lucy Lopata Incoming board members will be: Dr. Dorothy Feir, Joseph Shaughnessy, Linda Schapiro   Some people bring home exotic jewelry and fabrics from their travels in Thailand. Evelyn Newman brought home a mission: to build a butterfly house in St. Louis. Newman, president of the board of directors of the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House and Education Center, as well as the force behind the Gypsy Caravan, St. Louis Book Fair, the Scholarshop and other civic enterprises, explains: "I was the director of Forest Park Forever when my husband and I visited Thailand 10 years ago, so I was interested in what was happening in parks. The butterfly house we saw was an incredible place that was under a net, not indoors. We thought it would be a wonderful idea for St. Louis." The original plan was to locate it in Forest Park, but that wasn't practical, Newman says. "A small group of us began to think about where else we could put it. St. Louis County Executive Buzz Westfall, who was fascinated with the idea, suggested Faust Park." With the location settled, that left raising the money to build the facility--$6 million to be exact. How did Newman's group accomplish that? "We begged!" she says. "It was interesting, because a lot of people at first said, a butterfly house? How frivolous! Why not give money to help people? Well, that's important, but a butterfly house also helps people tremendously in terms of enjoyment and education." The money was raised strictly through individuals and foundations. Just one and a half years since it opened in September 1998, St. Louis' Butterfly House ranks at the top in terms of scale and quality. "It's already well known throughout the country," says Joe Norton, director. A five-person board of directors works hard to maintain that standing, by keeping the funds flowing and the inhabitants flying. Newman adds, the board of directors is supported by an advisory board whose members include William H. Danforth, Mrs. Marlin Perkins and Peter Raven, Ph.D., "and others selected by virtue of their impact and their interest in the future of St. Louis." Board members serve as long as they wish, and meet up to four times a year. "We make decisions on the big issues," Newman says, like approving the budget and long-range plan, and increasing membership and development. Already more than 2,600 people have joined the Butterfly House, at rates of $35 to $500 a year, with five levels in between. Major benefactors can pay $1,000 to join the Monarch Circle or $2,500 to join the President's Council. "We're very fortunate in that all of the funds taken in through memberships and admission fees go into the operation of the organization," Newman says. "We'll need to establish an endowment promptly, so we can go forward with programming and education." That's because the demand for Butterfly House classes is "enormous," Norton explains. "Right now we have a single classroom and it's full every day of the week from schools all over the region. When we open registration, typically the entire semester fills in less than two days." Education programs will be able to expand, literally and figuratively, thanks to the new Native Butterfly Habitat and Teaching Gardens, which were dedicated at the "Wing Ding 2000" gala, held in early June. "We're exclusively a tropical butterfly house on the inside, so we want to encourage native species on the outside," Norton says. "If we provide the right gardens for nectar sources and host plants, we could have 30 to 50 species at any given time." The Native Habitat features a central pond, a stream and waterfall, woodland, meadow and native trees--all available for naming opportunities. The Paver Program also offers a way for patrons to associate their names with the Butterfly House; for $100, names are inscribed on a butterfly-shaped paving stone installed in the entry plaza outside the conservatory. FAST FACTS The first butterfly house opened in 1976 in England. The first in the U.S. opened in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in 1988. The Butterfly House at Faust Park is the ninth to open in the U.S., and the only attraction of its kind in the Midwest. At any given time, 1,200 to 1,600 tropical butterflies representing more than 60 species float freely within the 8,000-square-foot Victorian glass conservatory. An additional 8,000 square feet offer exhibit space, classrooms and visitor amenities. The Butterfly House employs 14 full-time staff members and two part-timers; there are also 150 volunteers and 30 docents. Butterflies are raised in tropical countries especially for butterfly houses, which offers an alternative to cutting down rain forest areas and provides an income for butterfly "farmers." The facility is named for Sophia M. Sachs, wife of the late Sam Sachs, who founded Sachs Electric Company and played a key role in the early development of Chesterfield, where the Butterfly House is located inside Faust Park. Income is also generated by the eclectic Madame Butterfly shop, featuring butterfly-inspired gift, apparel and decor items from around the world. Still, it's the winged residents themselves that attract a growing regional audience. "My daughter, who lives in New York, told me not long ago at the Museum of Natural History there was a native butterfly exhibit in one room and people were lined up out the door onto Fifth Avenue just to see it!" Newman says. "There's just something so compelling about seeing a creature close up and alive. People are absolutely fascinated by that."   Pam Droog is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.

June 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cover Story The Big Leagues PROFILE John Capps President and CEO Plaza Motor Company - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org On the Road Again Merger Boom - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -