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Gulf Guardian Award Winners 2006
Civic/Nonprofit Organization - 1st Place
| Company: | Save The Bays Association, Inc. |  Click on the picture to view a larger size. |
Presentation of the Gulf Guardian Award, 1st place, Civic/Nonprofit Organization, to the Save The Bays Association, Inc., for the formation and work of the citizens' group Save The Bays Association, Inc. From left to right, pictured are Judy Ott, Gulf of Mexico Program Director Bryon Griffith, Marilyn Tempest, EPA Region 4 Administrator Jimmy Palmer, and EPA Region 6 Administrator Richard Greene. |
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| Project Name: | Save The Bays Association, Inc. | |||
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| Category: | Civic/Nonprofit Organization |
The Moorings Bay area of Naples was developed in the 1960’s with houses and condos ringing the Bays and bordered by seawalls. Doctors Pass was a narrow pass that connected the Bays to the Gulf, and was widened for development. Dan Spina, watched the deterioration of the Bays as they began to fill in with sand and become stagnant and polluted. In 1981, he formed a citizens group, named Save The Bays Association. He, along with 11 volunteer directors, defined projects and raised support through business and private donations, obtained the proper permits and dredged Doctors Pass and its approaches. The missions of Save The Bays are the protection of the water quality and the safe navigation for boaters. Save The Bays supports its mission by monitoring the depths of the Pass, developing charts for local boaters and businesses. In 1989 Save The Bays urged and supported the formation of a Taxing District Committee to oversee the collection and use of a small tax from local residents for debris removal and other care from the city in the Bays. Save The Bays conducts water sampling and pays for testing; organizes oyster and clam seeding in cooperation with the local university; and provides education to all the local residents regarding lawn and gardening best management practices.
