Colorado First Gentleman Marlon Reis named honorary board chair of Butterfly Pavilion
Colorado First Gentleman Marlon Reis was named the honorary board chair of the Butterfly Pavilion this week. The center is located in Westminster.
Reis is described in a news release from the Butterfly Pavilion as a "champion for the natural world." In his years as the state's first gentleman he has frequently backed animal rights causes. He describes this move as a "natural evolution for me to help champion invertebrate conservation and protection."
"Our survival depends on these tiny but mighty creatures," he said.
The board Reis is joining is already involved in a plan to move the center to a new, larger location in the far nothern part of the Denver metro area. That move to the $55M, 81,000-square-foot facility is expected to take place in 2025. It will be located in a development in northern Broomfield near the intersection of Interstate 25 and Highway 7 (Baseline Road).
The board is also responsible for delivering on the Butterfly Pavilion's mission "to foster an appreciation of invertebrates by educating the public about the need to protect and care for threatened habitats globally, while researching solutions to invertebrate conservation."
President and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion Patrick Tennyson said that Reis's support of the center "is an incredible testament to how far Butterfly Pavilion has come in the last 27 years and how far we will go to be the global leader in invertebrate research, education, and conservation."
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