We are very close to reopening a number of community support programs after several years of shutdown:
– Redesigned boat launch
– Boat and kayak rental
– Emergency boat services
– Educational programs
– Oyster shell recycling
But we’ve simply run out of recovery funds and need to ask for your support to raise $12,000 to get us past this last financial barrier to reopen services this month.
Baysave took over the public programs after the business at Money Island Marina closed in 2019. The current regulatory and legal environment makes many of these important services unsustainable by a private business and so long term public involvement is required. Permanent solutions probably will not happen until later this decade. We estimate 2030. Meanwhile, Baysave is trying to keep alive the basic services like docks, boat launch, boat and kayak rentals, bait and ice, and educational tours. We’ve taken our recovery efforts as far as we could without external support. We are now very close to being able to reopen programs to the public, but now out of funds to get us past that last barrier.
You probably know that the past few years have been difficult for us. Most of the key people in our community from before the Covid era are no longer with us. Our small community suffered an unusually high rate of death and disability. Those who survived still lost months of work time in recovery. Meanwhile, local people out of work spurred an unprecedented rash of crime, stealing and looting items from the closed buildings and work yards here. The financial aid that helped other business communities recover never arrived here.
Storm Isaias during the Covid shutdown caused more physical damage to the marina facilities than any other storm, including Sandy. Since this was likely a localized disaster, no source of recovery funds was available. We’ve made progress each month and the important major infrastructure is now rebuilt or planned for reconstruction. We lifted the boathouse, raised the road, upgraded the water well system and electrical services, and completed many smaller projects.
We were forced to invest in increased security protections before attempting to replace the stolen equipment. Next week Baysave will implement new AI-assisted technology to help deter illegal harvesting at restorative aquaculture sites here. This technology is expensive to install and requires a monthly monitoring contract, so we need to expand ongoing revenues from rentals and boat launch use to sustain this protection. Finally, we need to cover the cost of liability insurance that is increasingly difficult to find at an affordable price for a small operation like ours. But we have some new options as soon as funds are available.
Your generous donation can help us get past this final obstacle to reopening services immediately this month.
Baysave is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation registered with the State of New Jersey. Our web site is Baysave.org. Donations can be mare online though https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2054623, or in person. Contact Tony Novak, controller, at 856-237-9199 with any questions.
