Innovation Inspiration Impact Highlights
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2016 IMPACT REPORT INNOVATION INSPIRATION IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS 2016 IMPACT REPORT INNOVATION The Everglades Foundation launched INNOVATION a $10 million global competition for effective new technologies to remove INSPIRATION phosphorus from freshwater bodies around the world—a novel approach to ending the spread of toxic algal blooms. IMPACT PAGE 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS INSPIRATION 2 Letter from the Chairman of the Board In an ambitious 12-day outreach drive—the #NowOrNeverglades Bus 3 Letter from the CEO Tour—The Everglades Foundation took to the road, spoke with thousands 4 Who We Are: Mission, Vision, Leadership of people in 22 Florida cities, and The Everglades Foundation intensified public support for southern 6 Innovation: The George Barley Water Prize storage. is making significant strides PAGE 10 10 Inspiration: #NowOrNeverglades Awareness Tour toward Everglades restoration. We are challenging inventors and entrepreneurs to solve one of the 14 Impact: Advocacy Spurs Progress IMPACT 18 Science: Data to Inform Decision-Making After a disastrous algal bloom world’s most urgent environmental issues through the George Barley devastated four Florida counties, 22 Education: Expanding Everglades Literacy Foundation-recommended initiatives Water Prize; we are gaining support and galvanizing legislative 24 Special Events to store, clean, and restore a more progress in Tallahassee through enhanced advocacy; and we are natural flow of water, protecting both 28 Recognition of Donors the natural environment and a vital expanding the ranks of Everglades champions through education and water supply, gained historic support 42 Philanthropy: Making Strides With Your Support in Tallahassee for Senate Bill 10. outreach — with watertight science at the core of everything we do. PAGE 14 44 Financial Summary 2 THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION 2016 IMPACT REPORT 1 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE OFFICER HOW MUCH LONGER can we take the Everglades—its unique IN JULY 2016, I stood at the Central Marine marina in Stuart, Florida, natural splendor, the central role it plays in our region’s vitality, and witnessed the destructive impact of a manmade environmental and, for millions of us, the very water we rely on for sustenance— disaster on the region’s environment, economy, and people. for granted? If we needed any further proof, the devastating algal bloom of 2016 clearly demonstrated that we are nearly Feeding on profuse flood-control discharges of phosphorus-laden out of time. water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, foul-smelling algae blanketed rivers, estuaries, and coastlines. The stakes are high. Toxic nutrients flowing into our lakes, rivers, and watersheds endanger wildlife, As a result, four Florida counties spent two out of every three days of 2016 in a state of emergency. threaten human health, disturb fragile ecosystems, and destroy drinking water supplies. The outlook is as murky as the surface of our precious waterways during these environmental emergencies—unless major Even more powerful than the pervading stench were the poignant stories of local small business owners whose commitments are made to restore and protect this priceless resource. lives and businesses were upended by the calamity. The sight of marina employees in hazmat gear further brought home the real emergency facing Florida’s Everglades—one that resonates on the national and world stage. In 2016, The Everglades Foundation made encouraging strides in its efforts to protect the Everglades through solid science, tireless work in Tallahassee, and robust grass-roots advocacy and education. Our As our unflagging commitment to scientific rigor has demonstrated time and again, the solutions that we have deepest thanks to each and every one of you who have joined and supported us in this essential work. identified, studied, and advocated for since our founding in 1993 are critical to the survival of the Everglades. As you will see in the following pages, The Everglades Foundation, working in close collaboration with fellow There is still much to do before we can definitively say that the Everglades ecosystem is flowing toward true Everglades champions ranging from environmental nonprofits to chambers of commerce, achieved significant vitality, viability, and sustainability. But there is no doubt that when that tide at last turns, it will be in large legislative victories over the past year that are cause for cautious optimism. Making sure that these victories part due to the synergistic, sustained, and science-backed efforts of The Everglades Foundation—and the are implemented—and that the Everglades is not only saved from the precipice of extinction, but preserved and generosity of those who understand the extraordinary importance of a healthy Everglades and share our protected in perpetuity—continues to be our mission going forward. dedication to making it a reality. On behalf of the entire team, deepest thanks to you for your support. With friends from every walk of life at our Together, we will persevere—and we will succeed in protecting this treasure for future generations. side and in our corner, we look forward to even greater achievements in the years to come. Sincerely, Sincerely, Marshall Field V Eric Eikenberg 2 THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION 2016 IMPACT REPORT 3 THE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marshall Field V Mary L. Barley Kevin Law Chairman Diana Barrett, Ph.D. David Lawrence, Jr. Jimmy Buffett Garrison DuP. Lickle Carlos de la Cruz, Jr. Barbara Whitney Carr Nancy Marshall Vice Chair and Treasurer Thomas N. Davidson, Sr. Kimberly Mendelson Joseph Z. Duke III Hon. Jon L. Mills, Esq. Ellin Goetz Maurice R. Ferré, M.D. Jack Nicklaus Vice Chair Gerald C. Grant, Jr. Robert L. Parks, Esq. Who We Are Rex Hamilton Nicholas G. Penniman IV Christopher H. Buckley, Jr. John A. Hilton Nathaniel P. Reed Secretary Paul Tudor Jones II William Riley THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION is a national nonprofit Our Vision WHAT WE DO John P. Keller Michael W. Sole organization that plays an influential leadership role The Everglades and the surrounding estuaries will be The Everglades Foundation: Paul Tudor Jones II James A. Kushlan, Ph.D. Beau Wrigley in efforts to restore and protect the greater Everglades restored to a natural state that allows clean water to flow, and George Barley† • Conducts and supports research and analysis to increase ecosystem. while providing a reliable water supply and the economic, Co-Founders understanding of the Everglades and to guide and inform recreational, and life-sustaining benefits to the millions of policy recommendations Cofounded in 1993 by Paul Tudor Jones II and the late people in Florida who depend on its future health. conservation leader George Barley, the Foundation builds • Monitors government policies and actions that affect the ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY COUNCIL its energetic and innovative advocacy activities, educational Our Mission Everglades ecosystem The Everglades Foundation supports and collaborates with an array of outstanding partner organizations programs, and collaborative partnerships on the bedrock of Through the advancement of scientifically sound and to identify shared priorities and speak out on behalf of the Everglades with a united voice. We optimize our • Advocates with policymakers on behalf of the Everglades solid scientific understanding and scholarly research. achievable solutions and partnerships in the environmental, combined strengths, abilities, capacities, and talents to maximum our effectiveness through regular tactic calls, business, and civic communities, the Foundation seeks to • Educates the public about the Everglades and encourages quarterly strategic planning efforts, and joint capacity-building endeavors. The Foundation’s strength is a direct reflection of the reverse the damage inflicted on the Everglades ecosystem, grassroots stewardship powerful support we receive from our partners, our restore its natural freshwater flow, and serve as an honest Organizations that received support from The Everglades Foundation in 2016 include: dedicated staff, our community champions, our donors, and credible resource to help guide decision-making on • Provides grants to partner organizations addressing and our distinguished and deeply involved board. complex Everglades restoration issues. Everglades issues through educational, research, and Audubon of Florida Florida Wildlife Federation Sanibel-Captiva Conservation outreach programs Captains for Clean Water International Game Fish Foundation • Forges coalitions with like-minded groups and Conservancy of Southwest Florida Association The Sierra Club Foundation organizations to set priorities, share information, and Everglades Law Center National Parks Conservation Theodore Roosevelt Conservation THE FOUNDATION SEEKS TO REVERSE DAMAGE TO THE EVERGLADES devise Everglades restoration strategies Florida Bay Forever Association Partners ECOSYSTEM AND RESTORE ITS NATURAL FRESHWATER FLOW. Florida Oceanographic Society National Wildlife Federation Tropical Audubon Society †Deceased 4 THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION 2016 IMPACT REPORT 5 INNOVATION TIMELINE 2016 July 2016 through January2017 Stage 1 Launching a Grand Prize for Water 10 Stage 1 Awards Event Teams $35,000 Total Prize Pool Advance 2017 FRESHWATER, THE WORLD’S MOST ENDANGERED Launched in July 2016, the competition incentivizes free- RESOURCE, IS AT A TIPPING POINT. More than 15,000 market solutions to phosphorus contamination not only for Stage 2 January 2017