Annual Report

Thank You 2018 Annual Report 1 Our mission is simple. Protect and improve Narragansett Bay. Everything we accomplish is made possible by the support of our members, donors, volunteers and community partners. Our 2018 annual report highlights much that we were able to accomplish with your help during the past year. Thank you for your support. 2 A message from our Board President and Executive Director Dear Friends, If there is any doubt about how Rhode Islanders feel about clean water and the environment, one need look no further than last November’s $47.3 million environmental bond vote. It passed by an impressive 78.9%, a new record for environmental bonds in the Ocean State. Save The Bay led the communication effort to educate the public about the merits of the bond, and was instrumental in ensuring that it included urgently needed investments in clean water, flood protection for wastewater treatment plants, public access and coastal resilience. The environmental bond was one of several high notes in an eventful year for Save The Bay. With your help, we completed the removal of the Shady Lea Dam on the Mattatuxet River, opening up spawning habitat for migratory fish and improving water quality. The General Assembly and Governor, responding to a lawsuit brought by Save The Bay, passed important legislation to reform the Coastal Resources Management Council, ensuring that coastal communities are adequately represented on the Council. We rallied hundreds of concerned citizens to oppose the federal government’s plans to open New England’s offshore waters to oil and gas exploration. Our staff and volunteers played a leadership role in completing a major salt marsh adaptation project in Ninigret Pond. And we, alongside our partners, persuaded federal fisheries managers to implement measures protecting river herring from becoming inadvertent bycatch in commercial herring trawls. Underpinning this progress is Save The Bay’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Inspiring rising generations to care for the Bay is the principal goal of our Explore The Bay education program, which continues to set the standard for excellence in experiential marine science education. None of these gains would have been possible without your support. Whether you volun- teered, participated in our events and programs, responded to a “call to action,” or made a financial contribution, you had an impact. Our fundamental strength as an advocacy and education organization is derived from you, our members, donors and volunteers. Thank you for all you do on behalf of the Bay. With appreciation, Jonathan Stone Cheryl Nathanson Executive Director Board President 3 With your help... HabitatsUpdates are on restored. waters & habitats In 2018... • We removed the Shady Lea Dam on the Mattatuxet River, restoring a free-flowing river and improving stream habitat and spawning access along one of Rhode Island’s largest herring runs. • We launched a first-of-its-kind marsh adaptation project along the Taunton River in Dighton, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Bristol County Mosquito Control Program and the Dighton Conservation Commission. The project is serving as a model for other marsh restoration projects in the Buzzards Bay and North Shore regions. • At Sapowet Marsh in Tiverton, we partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to convert a low-lying field into native grassland, creating suitable habitat for the adjacent salt marsh to move inland as sea level rises. • At Potters Pond, Winnapaug Pond, Ninigret Pond and Sapowet Marsh, all degraded by sea level rise, we dug shallow creeks to drain trapped water, allowing marsh grasses to recolonize the dead zones and reducing mosquito breeding habitat. • In a bi-state partnership with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, we installed several fixed-location probes in the Pawcatuck River estuary and Little Narragansett Bay that continuously test water conditions. We are helping the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection develop a science-based approach to reducing nutrient pollution in these waters in order to restore clean water, fish populations and public recreation to coastal waters shared by Rhode Island and Connecticut. 4 The scenic Mattatuxet River was restored after the removal of the Shady Lea Dam 575 2,898 25,970 feet water quality tests pounds completed by our of river habitat of trash removed from Waterkeepers restored our shorelines 5 With your help... A Woonsocket High School student par- ticipating in Save The Bay’s B-WET program learns to identify and remove invasive species 2,310 12,955 30,246 K-12 students were individuals participated guests connected with introduced to Narra- in Save The Bay’s local marine life at the gansett Bay via Save BayCamps and public Exploration Center The Bay education programs and Aquarium programs 6 Future Bay stewards are engaged. In 2018... • A third-party evaluation found our Narragansett Bay Field Studies program to be an asset to students in three urban schools in Rhode Island. Evalua- tors said, “It promotes relationships with nature, develops contextual understanding of watersheds and ocean science, and actively involves students in learning and civic engagement opportunities in which they may not otherwise participate. The program empowers students to take personal actions that protect their local environment and encourages students to pursue studies and careers in science. The most significant change was the desire to continue studying science in the future.” • Through our Restoration Education program, students from 15 schools helped us plant salt marsh and dune grasses at Ninigret Marsh and Easton’s Beach to protect crucial habitats of the Bay. • As part of our Rain Garden in Classes program and public education efforts, we worked with K-12 students to plant rain gardens in Ninigret Park in Charlestown and Meadowbrook Farm in East Greenwich to reduce polluted runoff from entering local waterways. 7 With your help... OurUpdates community on waters & habitats continues to grow. In 2018... • Volunteers collected 25,970 pounds of trash during 163 beach cleanups along the Rhode Island shoreline. • 77 “citizen-scientist” volunteers assisted Save The Bay with studies and projects throughout the year, including seal monitoring, water quality testing and salt marsh planting. • 4,394 volunteers contributed 28,686 hours of time to beach cleanups, the Exploration Center and Aquarium, administrative tasks and more. • Save The Bay’s 42nd Annual Swim welcomed 170 first-time swimmers from 16 states, including three-time Olympian and Rhode Island native, Elizabeth Beisel. • The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority partnered with Save The Bay in organizing the Four Bridges Ride for the third year in a row. The 26-mile charity ride allows bicyclists to celebrate the beauty of Narragansett Bay while they pedal across the Verrazzano, Pell, Sakonnet and Mt. Hope Bridges. • Ticket sales and fundraising efforts associated with Save The Bay events, including the Swim, Taste of The Bay, and Artists for The Bay, generated nearly $335,000 to support Save The Bay’s continued advocacy, restoration and education efforts. 8 CVS volunteers pitch in during International Coastal Cleanup Day $692,490 170 417 swimmers from 16 states swimmers and kayakers The in-kind value of con- participated in the Save participated in the 42nd tributed volunteer time The Bay Swim for the Save The Bay Swim first time 9 With your help... Save The Bay supporters gather at the Rhode Island State House to oppose off-shore drilling 10 Our voices are heard. In 2018... • After the federal government revealed a proposal to open U.S. continental shelf waters to offshore oil exploration and drilling, we mobilized hundreds in a march to protect coastal waters, and thousands who signed our change.org petition. • We filed a Rhode Island Superior Court complaint against the Governor’s appointments to Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Management Council to ensure compliance with the separation of powers amendment of 2008 and to ensure that coastal communities are represented by the Council. • We championed the 2018 Green Economy and Clean Water Bond to a 78.9% voter approval rating for investments in clean water and open space. • In an effort to tackle litter at its source, we launched the Litter Free Pledge Campaign, partnering with WPRI and the Conimicut Village Association on weekly cleanups at Conimicut Point and post-cleanup litter surveys. • In a collective effort to reduce fishing pressure on depleted Atlantic herring populations, Save The Bay joined with the Rhode Island Saltwater Angler’s Association and Audubon Society of Rhode Island to urge the New England Fisheries Management Council to impose new catch limits and establish an inshore buffer zone to protect the species from localized depletion by large commercial trawlers. The council adopted several measures in an important first step toward protecting this species. 11 Financial Report From our Treasurer Dear Friends of Save The Bay, Fiscal year 2018 saw continued progress towards the financial sustainability we strive for to secure a continued role in the protection of Rhode Island’s most valuable resource, Narragansett Bay. Despite the weather-driven cancellation of our biggest fundraiser, the Swim, our fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 with a total asset increase of $1.6 million, primarily from cash, pledges and investments, thanks to the generosity of our donors, a strong stock market and the tireless work of management and the fundraising team during the “quiet” phase of our comprehensive 50th Anniversary Campaign. Total revenue of $3.1 million included contributions that again exceeded $1.1 million, and grants of $639,000 that funded signature activities including our salt marsh restoration program. Our education programs that engage so many schoolchildren throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts generated over $538,000 in revenue.

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