Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to Partner with Cox Communications to Create New Exhibit

TUCSON, Ariz., March 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM), in partnership with Cox Communications, announce the start of construction on the Desert Museum's newest exhibit "Packrat Playhouse: Hidden in the Midden." The new and highly interactive exhibit highlights the desert's often-cursed and unsung hero, the packrat, which actually should be celebrated as one of the world's original – and most creative – recycler.

Museum guests will be able to explore an oversized packrat house but including the unusual treasures they collect and discard on their midden, or trash pile. The exhibit, which does not feature living packrats, highlights the animal's life history, role in the ecosystem, items it uses to make and furnish its home, and the other creatures who share this space. In a magical larger-than-life approach, young visitors will be able to climb into, slide through, and jump on giant prickly pear and cholla cacti as they discover various interactive natural history exhibits tucked into and around the oversized nest. The Museum expects the exhibit to open in 2018.

The support from Cox comes in celebration of the 65^th anniversary of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the 10^th anniversary of Cox Conserves, the company's national sustainability program.

"Cox Conserves' story is about taking action and inviting everyone to join us on our sustainability journey," said Lisa Lovallo, Cox Communications Southern Arizona market vice president. "We are honored to be a partner with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and their mission to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation and understanding of the Sonoran Desert."

"The packrat is truly nature's recycler and archivist. As time capsules of ancient life in the Southwest, packrat middens reveal the last 50,000 years of history of this region," said Craig Ivanyi, ASDM executive director. "Thanks to the support of Cox Communications, we are proud to bring to life an interactive midden to challenge our ideas of the packrat."

"We are blessed to have the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in our own backyard where we can learn from our environment and the animals around us how to be better neighbors and conservationists," Lovallo added. "Cox Communications is dedicated t creating positive environmental change in our communities by operating in ways that reduce our impact and inspire our employees, customers, suppliers and partners. Cox Conserves is a part of our culture that brings positive change to the communities around us."

Since 2007, Cox Enterprises, has invested more than $100 million in sustainability and conservation initiatives. Through these investments, the company has offset 82,000 tons of carbon, diverted 97,000 tons of waste from landfill and conserved 57 million gallons of water. These projects are helping the company reach its goals to send zero waste to landfill by 2024 and become carbon and water neutral by 2044.

Cox Conserves will celebrate the 10^th anniversary throughout the year by encouraging conservation among their employees and the communities they serve.

About Cox Communications:
Cox Communications is the third largest cable provider and a multi-service broadband communications company in the country, serving nearly 3 million residential and business product subscribers in Arizona (a product subscriber represents an individual service purchased by a customer). In metro Phoenix, Cox serves approximately 2.5 million product subscribers. In Southern Arizona, Cox serves approximately 400,000 product subscribers. Cox's 24,000-mile hybrid fiber coaxial cable network throughout Phoenix and Southern Arizona provides homes and businesses with digital television, high speed Internet, home networking, high-definition television and digital telephone service over its own nationwide IP network. Cox is the third largest private for-profit employer in Arizona.  During the past ten years, Cox has topped numerous J.D. Power and Associates' studies of customer satisfaction, most recently receiving top honors for residential telephone & high speed Internet, and business data services and has received PC Magazine's "people's choice" award for the sixth time. Additionally, Cox High Speed Internet has been ranked #1 for the past eight years on the "Ranking Arizona-Best of Arizona Business" list. Cox Media is responsible for the sale of cable advertising throughout Arizona. Cox Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises and serves approximately six million customers nationwide. Additional information about Cox in Arizona is available at www.cox.com/arizona.

About Cox Conserves:
Launched in 2007 by Chairman Jim Kennedy, Cox Conserves is Cox Enterprises' national sustainability program. Cox Conserves focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 60,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

About the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum:
Focused on the preservation of the Sonoran Desert, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum will turn your idea of a museum inside out. Set on a 98-acre botanical garden, a two mile walking trail features 230 animal species, an art gallery, an aquarium, educational activities, one of the world's most comprehensive regional mineral collections, and more. Ongoing conservation and research programs enhance everything we do. The Desert Museum is open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Plan your visit at www.desertmuseum.org.

For more information:
Evan Sullivan, 520-795-1566
[email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-sonora-desert-museum-to-partner-with-cox-communications-to-create-new-exhibit-300429876.html

SOURCE Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

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