No Bail Out Plan for Whales..........

Monday will be a special day in the US - we get to hear more about $700 billion bank bailout package and other programs to meant to "shock the financial markets out of the recession".  President Obama is asking for a salary cap for bank CEO's- a "reasonable" $500,000 dollars!  That's much more than we need to run the entire US office for a year- including all our staff, audits, state registrations, utilities, mailings and on-the-water time!  But I'm sure it's a drastic pay cut for some. 

In the midst of bailing out banks, automobile manufacturers and any number of industries that made bad financial decisions for which we have to pay- who bails out the whales? Like all businesses, non-profits are being hit hard - and understandably.  If I have to choose between paying bills and donating money, I'm going to go with paying bills too.  However non-profits are also businesses: they are businesses whose income goes directly back into their missions; they are businesses that employ lots of people,  use the post office, order from paper supply companies, pay utilities, and provide the same economic support that other businesses do.  The difference is where their money goes--they do not make profits for the benefit of a few shareholders--- and where the money comes from. 

Our money comes from two main sources- grants and donations.  And like everyone else in the world, Foundations have taken a huge hit in the stock market and many are reducing, or even temporarily stopping, their giving.  People don't have a lot of extra income for donations.  I talk to friends that work at other non-profits that have been laid off, or have been told they will be taking pay cuts.  Non-profits aren't part of the bail out plan.  Yet it's not really about "us" the business, or as employees, that I worry---- but more for the whales which we represent.  Without groups working to protect them, what happens?  WDCS isn't a luxury, we are an important part of the economy, and, more importantly, the watch dogs of the marine environment. 

I have worked harder on issues in the last four years than ever before- securing protection from vessel strikes and entanglement to critically endangered right whales, working with whale watch companies to increase education and safe operations around whales, developing programs to reduce the impacts of climate change.  And I feel great about what we have accomplished but fear for what will happen without groups like WDCS.  And the more I thought about it- the more I realized how lucky we are- we have more than a bail out plan- we have support from people that care- we have tens of thousands of people that have joined WDCS and entrusted us as their watch dog group.  So I thank you.  On Monday, I will find out who is bailing out the banks- but tonight- I know who has our back-you do and I appreciate it.