MANA PROJECT, INC.
518 ELIZABETH STREET
KEY WEST, FL 33040
305-942-6021

www.manaproject.org

 

ANNUAL REPORT

April 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009

 

Nancy Forrester, President
Katharina Arnhold, Executive Director

Board Members
Katharina Arnhold, Erik Eriksen, Nancy Forrester, Marina Pavlov, Dorothy Quigley

 

 

 Annual Report April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009

Our 2008-09 was an extraordinary year for the strategic plan which Mana Project implemented on July 7th to lease the Secret Garden and to take over its management.  From the time that the Press announced Mana Project’s Plan on the front page of the Citizen on July 25, 2008 and in Miami Herald on Aug. 1, 2008, Mana Project’s revenues increased dramatically.  For the next 4 ½  months, during the off-season, revenues climbed by 32%.  Donations and memberships increased another 98% beginning on Dec. 21, 2008, when Mana Project publically announced that its plan to enter a lease with option to buy the property.  The response of the community indicated that the nonprofit avenue was best suited to save and sustain the garden as public greenspace  and for increasing public awareness and support. 

2008 marked the 15 year anniversary of Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden’s Opening to the Public.  On May 15, 2008, Profiles in Caring aired a 20 minute video about Nancy Forrester’s environmental work and Mana Project’s effort to sustain her work and save the Garden from development and preserve it as a public greenspace.  The film, produced by Doug Jardine, was featured on the nationwide Goodtube network which can be seen on the internet and is also transmitted internationally to 60 countries through the Voice of America.
          

On May and June  2008, the Mana Project Executive Board held several strategic planning sessions to launch a 2008 Fundraiser and to propose a $160,000  annual budget with the goal of taking over the full responsibilities for the Garden and plan for its future conversion to nonprofit ownership.  The 2008 Fundraiser and Proposed Budget were posted on Mana Project’s website on July 7, 2008.  Mana’s annual reports and financial information for the previous two years was also posted on www.manaproject.org at that time.

On July 14, 2008, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced its support of Mana Project as a partner organization and endorsed the 2008 fundraising campaign to save and preserve the Garden describing it as a “valuable asset of the Key West community.”  Calling it “a unique botanical oasis that has offered inspiration to visitors for many years and provides a valuable amenity to the local community,” the TPL went on to extend its support for the campaign so that it could maintain and protect “this pocket paradise in the center of Old Town Key West.”

To enhance its fundraising capacity, on July 1, 2008, Mana Project registered with Guidestar and its nonprofit donor link Network for Good and installed the on-line donations capability on its website.  Mana Project created a visitor database and launched its first e-mail newsletter to 400 recent garden visitors on July 16, 2008.

Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson, acknowledged the value of the Garden to the Community and  proclaimed July 29, 2008 to be “Nancy Forrester Day,” celebrating her 70th Birthday and her 40 year environmental contribution to Key West, including her work as the founder and philanthropist of Mana Project.  On August 2, 2008, the Miami Herald featured Nancy Forrester and Mana Project on the front page of its State and Keys Section.

As a part of the 2008 Fundraiser, Mana Project initiated the first mail campaign for renewals of Garden membership, sending out over 100 notices in December of 2008.  Five new volunteers from the Fort Lauderdale area donated their time to this effort.

In celebration of the 15 Year Anniversary of the Garden’s Opening to the Public, five local supporters of the Secret Garden established the Mana Project Host Committee.  They were Helen Harrison, Shirrel Rhoades, Debra Yates, Suanne Kitchar, and Erik Erikson who on Dec. 21, 2008 celebrated the anniversary with a champagne reception held in the garden.  The celebration was attended by over 40 guests representing other public and private Key West gardens as well as writers, artists and members of the greater business community.   At the celebration, Mana Project announced publically that it will take over the operations of the Garden by planning to sign a lease with an option to buy the property.  Mana Project Host Committee speaker Shirrel Rhoades said that such a lease “is the next logical step to convert the Garden to non-profit status, thereby preserving it for public use in perpetuity.”  Blue Heaven and Salute sponsored the event.         

Erik Eriksen joined the Executive Board in November.  Mr. Eriksen is a former World Bank senior executive, who has moved his primary residence from Washington, D.C. to Key West.  He is currently working on international projects.

In the news, Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden and Nancy’s nonprofit work appeared in the November 16, 2008 Sunday Travel Magazine of the New York Times, the Miami Herald on Sept. 2, 2008, Travel Lady Magazine, and several French television programs, including the French TV show "Echappées Belles."

The 15th Annual Rare and Exotic Palm Sale and Event was held on the weekend of Feb.6-9, 2009, with a member preview on Friday.  Mana Project’s 15 volunteers greeted the visitors and Palm tours were given on both days.  The Searle Brothers brought down hundred’s of plants and introduced a new and rare species of Madagascar palm.  Despite the economic downturn, attendance was heavy on both days and with 19 new garden memberships being issued.

The I Love Parrots Program continues to provide rehoming of unwanted parrots and care education to the public. The educational program was expanded to include each of the seven large species of macaws from South America with emphasis on their intelligence and social needs.

The Creative Arts Program had three artist-teachers in residence, Karen Strobeen, Bill Luchsinger and Kathryn Howd Machon, one sponsored student intern Erin Shanti Desmond and a collaborative gallery show this season.

In January of 2009, Digital Island Media donated its time and services to make a one minute video, featured on the Tourist Development Council of the Keys website, scheduled to appear as “Video of the Week” on April 20, 2009 on the opening page of  www.fla-keys.com .

Through its expanded 2008 Fundraising campaign, Mana Project increased its Garden membership from 40 to 72 members, and expanding the “I Love Parrots” donor list.   The response of the community indicated that the nonprofit avenue was best suited for raising donations.  On December 20, 2008, Mana Project received an unsolicited grant of $1,000 from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation.  By receiving over 10 new large donations and memberships in excess of $500, Mana was significantly able to increase its large patron donor base. Network for Good on-line donations, a new fundraising feature this year, brought in an average of $72.00 per donor.

We are happy to report that our seven (7) month effort has brought overwhelming support from the community.  We began the year raising $1,724 per month (April-July).  After the Press publicized our strategic plan, we increased our income during the summer off-season to $2,275 per month (by 32%)(Aug-Dec. 15), and increased that income again to $4,187 per month (by 84%)(Dec 15-March), after our public announcement that Mana would, in 2009, enter a lease with option to buy the property.

By the end of our fiscal year, March 31, 2009, Mana Project had collected revenues of $31,795.26, an increase of 58% over last year’s 12 month total of $20,109, reaching an all time high for individual garden memberships, parrot sponsorships, support for the arts program, and general donations.

           
                                 Katharina Arnhold,
                                 Executive Director
                                 May 1, 2009

 

Fiscal Year April 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009
Beginning Bank Balance Apr. 1, 2008		$  9,601
Revenues
Parrots Program		$  10,617
Garden Membership		$    3,945
Arts Program		$    4,280
General Donations		$   12,953
TOTAL		$   31,795
Operating Expenses
Garden Program & Rent		$ 15,000
Parrot Program & Sanctuary Rent		$ 13,938
Arts Program		$   7,000
General Program Expenses		$   4,738
TOTAL		$ 40,676
Assets as of March 31, 2008
Ending Bank Balance: Mar. 31, 2008		$     721
Office Equipment (Computer and Printer)		$     650
Bird Cages (6)		$  6,300
TOTAL		$  7,671

MANA PROJECT, INC.
518 ELIZABETH STREET
KEY WEST, FL 33040
305-294-0015

www.manaproject.org

ANNUAL REPORT

April 1, 2007 – March 31, 2008

    

Nancy Forrester, President
Katharina Arnhold, Executive Director

Board members
Katharina Arnhold, Nancy Forrester, Marina Pavlov, Dorothy Quigley
e-mail: rainforest@greensong.org

Annual Report April 2007 to March 2008  

On April 15, 2007, Mana Project began forming an Advisory Board for the Conservation Easement Project and Fundraising, with Erik Erikson, of the World Bank and Jimmy Hendricks, Key West land use specialist, and Jessica Weber,  expert in Graphic Design, Development Strategies and Marketing Support for the Not-for-Profit Sector. came on board in March 2008.  On August 18, 2007, after soliciting further bids, the Board of Directors decided that Padron of Appraisal Co. of Key West had the expertise required to do the appraisal for the development rights and easement.  Mana Project signed a Letter of Engagement with the company, paying $2,100.

Thanks to a second year of hurricane free summers, the entire rainforest collection donated by Jerry Kranz from Crane Point Hammock, Marathon Key, is now thriving in the Secret Garden.  The public and Mana’s Greensong Garden members are now able to enjoy an even more diverse and beautiful display of plants with an expanded collection of rare and endangered plants, including important aroids and ferns.

From July to August, Mana Project placed botanical signage on the garden’s extensive palm tree collection, representing over 70 species..The signage fulfills the public request for more botanical information, and Mana volunteers donated their time to his effort.

In the summer of 2007, Mana Project expanded and linked its websites www.manaproject.org and www.greensong.org, highlighting plants in bloom, the botanical catalog of palms, as well as expanding education on the exotic parrots living in the rescue sanctuary.  Photos were added to the catalog daily and the sites were always updated.

In the news, and thanks to Lloyd’s Tropical Bike Tour, Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden was again given national newspaper coverage, this time in the April 29, 2007 Sunday New York Times Travel Section in a full page article on “36 Hours in Key West, Fla.” The Secret Garden was also featured prominently on the NYT map of Key West. Just ahead of the tourist season, the Washington Post also featured Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden in its Oct 21, 2007 article by Diane Roberts entitled: “In the off-season, it’s even more laid back.”

The 14th Annual Rare and Exotic Palm Sale and Event was held on the weekend of Feb.8-10, 2007, with a member preview on Friday, which was attended by 30 people and photographed by the new Nectar Magazine.  Fourteen Mana volunteers staffed the event and greeted guests at the membership tables.  Weather was splendid throughout the weekend.  Palm tours by local experts were given hourly on both days.  The Searle Brothers brought down Jeff Searle’s Rainforest Collection representing hundred’s of species of palms, some extremely rare and never offered for sale before.  The Palm Sale weekend is our major annual membership drive, with 25 members renewing and joining.

During the winter season, we had six environmental artists in residence who occupied the cottage and ran the gallery, all exemplifying green living, doing community outreach, teaching creative writing and life drawing, and putting on art shows.  In addition, from February to April, insights into the art of living with “Kinky Freidman” his Blue and Gold macaw and handling parrots was offered to the public by Surrealistic Constructionist Artist Russ Erickson, He has volunteered this important avian education to the public for several years. He was featured in the July, 2007 issue of Key West Magazine. 

The I Love Parrots program expanded its educational program to the public on the rescue and re-homing of all known species of unwanted parrots.  However, because of space and growth limitations, the surrender program narrowed its species focus to macaws.  Mana’s facility is more suited and Mana’s staff and volunteers are better trained in providing for the needs of macaws.

Doug Jardine, of Profiles in Caring, came to Key West during the first week of March and filmed Nancy Forrester and the Mana Project activities.  The 20 minute feature was to be released on goodtube.org a non-profit forum, similar to “youtube.”  Goodtube,can be seen on the internet and is also transmitted to 60 countries through the Voice of America network.

Mana Project continues to participate in GLEE (Green Living and Environmental Education) and volunteer Tara Candra worked on carbon-offset and water catchment programs for Mana.  Our plans for the future include solar panels and a liner for an unused onsite cistern.

                                   

Katharina Arnhold,
Executive Director

MANA PROJECT, INC. 518 ELIZABETH STREET KEY WEST, FL 33040 305-294-0015 www.greensong.org www.manaproject.org ANNUAL REPORT April 1, 2006 – March 31, 2007      Nancy Forrester, President Katharina Arnhold, Executive Director Board members Katharina Arnhold, Nancy Forrester, Marina Pavlov, Dorothy Quigley e-mail: rainforest@greensong.org

Annual Report April 2006 to March 2007  In 2006, we launched the Conservation Easement Project to save the Garden so that it will remain undeveloped forever.  With the help of Jennifer Grossman, Open Space Institute, New York, Mana Project began working on the plan in April, 2006.  By August 8th, 2006, Amy Paige Condon of the Trust for Public Land, Florida Office, visited the garden and agreed to assist the project from the beginning to completion.   The TPL agreed to help develop a capital funding plan, recommend and arrange for grant and funding sources, prescreen grant applications, draw up instruments for the purchase of the value of the development rights and the placement of the conservation easement.  Richard Padron of the Appraisal Company of Key West sent us a bid of $4,200 for the appraisal costs of the easement in March of 2007.  The Company is registered and certified to work in the Keys with the Florida Division of State Lands, EPA and is recommended by the TPL.  On May 9, 2006, Mana Project held its first Teacher’s Appreciation Day:  featuring Eco Projects with Poinciana School students, Music Lessons in Nature by renowned Violinist Myron Makris, and Avian Education.  Approximately 40 children attended the event which featured 5 learning stations placed around the Garden.  The event was filmed by Steve Panariello and with the assistance of local editor Chad Newman, of Digital Island Media.  It was open to the public for free.  In the spring of 2006, Nancy Forrester received a gift of rare botanica.   From May  to October 2006, the entire rainforest collection planted by Jerry Kranz’ at Crane Point Hammock, Marathon Key, was transported to the Secret Garden.  His Rainforest had been evicted from its 2 acre site at the Florida Refuge thereby extinguishing one of the rarest botanical treasures in Florida. (See Key West Magazine, Dec. 2005, www.kwmag.com for a description of Jerry Kranz’s rare botanica).  Thanks to Nancy’s one-year effort of transporting and planting the new botanica, rearranging the garden, and installing several water ponds and a bog, the Public and Mana Project garden members are now able to enjoy a much expanded garden, including a world class collection of aroids. In June 2006, Mana Project created and launched its new auxiliary website www.greensong.org.  This website was created, so that control and updates could be made online without having to rely and correspond with Larry Specht, who had generously created and donated the original Mana Project Website in 2001.  Nancy Forrester enrolled in web publishing courses at Key West Community College in the spring/summer of 2006 and donated her time to getting the website designed and up and running. The Garden, Nancy Forrester and Mana Project were prominently featured in Keys Living, a special fall section of the Keynoter & Reporter.  The two page article discussed the history and the future of the Garden and praised the efforts behind keeping the Keys green. The 13th Annual Rare and Exotic Palm Sale and Event was held on the weekend of Feb. 9-11, 2007, with a member preview on Friday.  Twelve Mana volunteers greeted guests at the membership tables.  Rain on Sunday drove down the second day attendance.  The Palm Sale weekend is our major annual membership drive event During the winter season, we had six environmental artists in the cottage, all exemplifying green living, doing community outreach,  teaching creative writing and life drawing, and putting on art shows.  From February to March, the art of handling parrots was taught to the public by Russ Erickson.  Mana’s Parrot Program said goodbye to Pearl, a Moluccan cockatoo, and acquired the orphaned  ‘Chatsworth,’ a Catalina macaw, and  former mascot at a now closed Key West B & B. The Third Annual Environmental Film Evening was held on March 28, 2007 featuring MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES, a Canadian award winning film by Edward Burtynsky.  The film portrayed the beauty, the stark reality and spiritual dimensions of industrialization and globalization in China and Southeast Asia.  Mana Project obtained the film for a pre-release screening. The film came directly to Key West after its premiere showing at the National Gallery of Art as a part of the prestigious Nation's Capital Environmental Film Festival.  Not available in theaters until later in the summer, the one night only showing raised over $5,700 in tickets and donations with 120 people attending the gala.  Ten exclusive restaurants donated food for the event.  Flowers by Gilda were displayed and restaurateur Gail Brockway of Old Town Mexican Café oversaw and managed the event, assuring that food and wine flowed freely. On March 2007, Lloyd’s Tropical Bike Tour brought the New York Times reporter to the Secret Garden, with plans to have the Garden included in a summer NYT article. Lloyd gives educational botanical tours of the fruit tree collection and education in care of the exotic birds in the rescue sanctuary.  Mana Project began work in February of 2007 on making educational botanical labels for the rare palm collection.  The information of the more than 70 palms also form the inventory and baseline documentation needed for the conservation easement  On March 31, Mana Project was an exhibitor at the GLEE (Green Living and Environmental Education) Fair in Marathon.  Mana Project’s booth offered information about behavior modification for sustaining the planet.  The displays encouraging the public to plant priority crops such as fruit trees, to protect and build soil, and to preserve our existing trees.  A brochure was also produced by Mana Project for the event. Katrina Arnhold, Executive Director of Mana Project, attended 4 of the 9 required courses of non-profit management offered by Barry University and FANO.  The course tuition was donated to Mana by the Florida Association of Non-Profit Organizations (FANO).                                   Katharina Arnhold, Executive Director

Fiscal Year April 1, 2006 – March 31, 2007         REVENUES               Parrots Program       Donations    $2,533.     Garden Program       Membership  $2,485.     Arts Program       Environmental/Art Film March 2006  $4,365.     General Donations    $4,330.             TOTAL  $13,713.                     OPERATING EXPENSES               Garden Program    $7,632.     Parrot Program   $1,018.     Arts Program $1,150.     General Program Expenses $6,364.             TOTAL $16,164.                     ASSETS AS OF MARCH 31, 2007               Ending Bank Balance: Mar. 31, 2007 $2,884.     Office Equipment       (Computer and Printer) $2,080.     Bird Cages (6) $7,200.             TOTAL $12,164

MANA PROJECT, INC.
518 ELIZABETH STREET
KEY WEST, FL 33040
305-294-0015

www.greensong.org
www.manaproject.org

ANNUAL REPORT

April 1, 2005 – March 31, 2006

    

Nancy Forrester, President
Katharina Arnhold, Executive Director

Board members
Katharina Arnhold, Nancy Forrester, Marina Pavlov, Dorothy Quigley
e-mail: rainforest@greensong.org

Annual Report April 2005 to March 2006 

Last year was an extraordinary year.  Alexander Elliott Wright who greeted visitors and had directed and helped with all aspects of the garden died in September of 2005.  He had been Nancy’s companion and dearest friend for 30 years.  His death is a great loss for the Garden, for Mana Project, and all Visitors and Tourists alike.  

There were four major hurricanes: Dennis, July 4-18; Katrina, August 23-31; Rita, Sept. 18-26; and Wilma, Oct 15-26, 2005.  The damage to the Garden’s canopy, trees, plants and soil was tremendous.  We received volunteer help from friends, locals and out-of towners.  Tourism stopped completely.  Stores closed and soon everyone began selling their businesses and houses.

Mana Project, however, raised over $32,000. It was the first time since 2000 that the fledgling non-profit brought in considerably more than $10,000 a year. Thanks to the bountiful generosity of two individuals who gave $10,000 and $5,000 each, Mana Project more than doubled last year’s revenue.  In addition, Mana Project held two spring Environmental Cinema Events, which raised $9,000:  David Brower’s biography “Monumental” in April,  2005 and Werner Herzog’s “The White Diamond” in March of 2006

In the summer of 2005, Mana received a grant of $2,500 for new bird cages from Cages by Design, a company which produces top of the line stainless steel cages which last a lifetime and do not rust in this climate.  With additional funds, Mana Project made a one-time investment to replace the old, donated cages which were rusty, small and dangerous.  Thus Mana reached a major goal this year of providing spacious (the cages are 48'' wide by 48'' deep and 6 feet tall) and safe homes for the parrots.  Other major goals reached were the acquisition of a Dell Dimension Computer (loaded with software), an HP Printer, and an irrigation system which included ground and overhead sprinklers.

Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden was the only garden open to the public in the Keys that was not inundated and destroyed by salt water flooding during last year’s hurricanes.  The Garden is located on the highest elevation of the island, considered to be the flood-free X Zone. 

Two Year Goal

Mana Project’s most important goal for the next two years is to place a conservation easement on the garden so that it will remain undeveloped forever.  With the help of Jennifer Grossman, Open Space Institute, Mana began working on the plan in April, 2006.  On August 8th, 2006, Amy Condon of the Trust for Public Land, Florida Office came to visit and discuss the TLP’s involvement.  To accomplish this goal, and as of December 1, 2006, Mana Project  began to form an Advisory Board with the help of former Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley.

 

RECENT EVENTS & NEWS
EVENTS

April 27, 2004:
Arbor Day Celebration, featuring: planting of a Jakfruit tree by Mayor Jimmy Weekley; accompannied by his wife Susan Weekley, an educational program for Mary Immaculate Elementary School students; Jakfruit tasting and garden tours of tropical fruit trees by volunteer Joe A. Frankie, Tropical Fruit Expert associated with Jenes Tropicals in St. Petersburg, FL and storytelling of Key West fruit tree folklore by local volunteers.

December 12, 2004:  
Pink Dock Gala: Fundraiser, Safe Harbor Marina, Stock Island

Feburary 5 & 6, 2005:
Jeff Searle’s Rainforest Collection
11th Annual Rare & Exotic Palm Sale & Educational Tours by local palm experts

April 13, 2005: Gala Fundraiser and Environmental Film at the Tropic Cinema:                 Monumental: The Life of David Brower (Sierra Club & Friends of the Earth founder)

Feb. 11 & 12, 2006:
Jeff Searle’s Rainforest Collection
12th Annual Rare and Exotic Palm Sale and Educational Tours by local palm experts.

March 22, 2006:
2nd Annual Gala Fundraiser and Environmental Film at the Tropic Cinema: Werner Herzog’sThe White Diamond

May 9, 2006: Teacher’s Appreciation Day:  featuring Art/Eco Projects with Poinciana School students; Music Lessons in Nature by renowned Violinist Myron Makris, and Avian Education
by parrot expert "Birdman" (Garden open to the public: free admission)

May 28, 2006: Local Filmmaker Billy Selesnick premier at the Tropic Cinema: End of the Road: a mockumentary (an anti-development film)

NEWS
Short Documentary of Mana Project:Released
On March 22, 2006 “Mana Project: a Documentary” was released at the environmental film gala at the Tropic Cinema.  Donated by New York filmmakers Anne Kenney and Christopher Boos (and with the collaboration of local cinematographer Steve Panariello and local editor Chad Newman, of Digital Island Media) the film gives a history of the garden and Mana’s environmental message.

Gift of Rare Botanica from Crane Point Hammock
Beginning in May 2006, an unlimited gift of trees and plants from the Jerry Kranz’ rare aroid, fern and palm rainforest collection at Crane Point Hammock, Marathon Key is being donated to the garden.  Jerry's Rainforest Exhibit at Crane Point has been evicted from its 2 acre site at the Florida Refuge thereby threatening to extinguish one of the rarest botanical treasures in Florida. (See Key West Magazine, Dec. 2005, www.kwmag.com for a description of Jerry Kranz’s rare botanica)

Katharina Arnhold,
Executive Director