2006 DIRECTOR'S REPORT

The Directors of the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation continue to believe that the beautiful Florida known to so many readers can be saved from rapacious development through thoughtful and reasoned efforts of government, private entities, and non-governmental organizations. We see ingenious proposals every year; hopeful indications of respect and admiration for our unique flora and fauna. Those who read this report undoubtedly share our confidence that with hard work, dedication, and reason, the quality of environmental life we hold so dear can be maintained. It is in large measure due to the good works of those noted below that we retain our optimism.

The Directors continue to try to maintain a geographic balance during grant cycles. Further, we try to balance grant making between large national organizations and smaller, local organizations believing, that each offers benefits the other cannot.

We maintain our interest in water quality, sprawl, and land conservation/acquisition. This year, we also funded several grantees working on aquaculture issues.

This year's grants supporting water quality issues included: EarthJustice (for work focusing on Lake Okeechobee), the Indian River Land Trust (for IRLT's work to protect the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding areas), National Resources Defense Council (for work focusing on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program and the lake belt issues), and the Trust for Public Land (for work focusing on the St. John's River watershed).

The year's grants supporting growth management and associated issues include: Audubon of Florida (for work focusing on northwest Florida and land use therein), the Florida Earth Foundation (for convening a forum discussing agricultural lands and development pressures), and the Collier County Audubon Society (for work in Collier, Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties combating development pressures).

This year's grants supporting land conservation/acquisition include: the Conservation Trust for Florida (for membership development and organizational assistance), Friends of Silver River State Park, Key West Botanical Garden, and the Land Trust Alliance (to provide technological and educational support for member land trusts).

The Directors are also focused on aquaculture, believing that continued pressures on our fisheries can have longer term deleterious effects on both fish populations and habitat. Efforts in this area include grants to: The Center for Food Safety, the Institute for Fisheries Resources (to support regulation of offshore aquaculture in Florida and federal waters), and the University of Miami (for support of alternatives to fishmeal utilization in feeds).

The grants not highlighted above are by no means less important. The Directors continue to have varied interests, and solicit grants outside these four general areas. As the reader will note, there are other very interesting grants listed below.

We thank each and every grant seeker, whether or not successful, for your good work for the Florida environment. We hope you will continue to seek our assistance, suggest possible applications by others to the Foundation and we encourage you to continue the fight for clean air, clean water, and a better environment.