News from the Society
Last Updated: July 26th, 2011
President's Message - Winter 2012
This year we are reaching out to our neighbors new and old to establish better communication: Bob Goff owns large parcels in the inlet that he keeps in their natural state; Young Life welcomes young people each year to their encampment near Malibu Rapids, and now we have a new neighbor whose land is behind Macdonald Island. We have yet to meet and welcome the new owner to the Inlet. Our intent is, where possible, to join forces to better protect Princess Louisa Inlet.
August and September were fantastic months last summer. Our park was well used with over 10,000 visitors. Our park ranger Ming Neil said she had a great year at the Inlet and is looking forward to next summer.
Dock donations totalled about $5000.00 this past summer and this will allow us to re-fasten the dock and other needed maintenance. We have scheduled a contractor to come in, lift the dock, check all the chains and replace components as necessary. The dock will be in great shape for the 2012 seas.
Our financial position remains very good. However, we invite you to help us maintain and improve the park with your donations, and by encouraging new life members. Tell your friends about Princess Louisa International Society and about this stunning park we all enjoy.
We elected new officers for the coming year. We have had two energetic and effective directors retire, William Botham and William MacDonald. We moved long time director (1972) John Rottler to Emeritus status. On the US side of the border we added as director James Erickson, and on the Canadian side we added as director William Ireland. Peter Chipman who has a long and multi faceted relationship with the inlet has accepted the job of Secretary - Treasurer. Robert (Rob) Rothe will be the new Vice President.
We remain committed to carry out “Macs” wish, “keep like it is” Please enjoy the coming summer, and keep Princes Louisa Inlet in your hearts..
John Painter
President
President's Message, Summer 2011
Let’s all hope the rain has stopped and we can begin to plan our summer cruising season. We have had a long wet winter and spring.
Princess Louisa Inlet is ready to go and Ming Neil will be returning for another year. Ming does an outstanding job to keep the Inlet in a pristine condition. Please tell her when you see her, what a great job she does.
As we look forward to summer of 2011. B.C. Parks is celebrating their Centennial year and we are planning to work with them to make your visit to the Inlet very special. We hope to have a Park Host program again this year. If you are interested in being a host, let us know.
Our dock and the buoys are all in excellent condition, and this year we are again planning to ask for donations for the dock use. We started this last September and it was well received. The price is $10.00 per night for boats 25 ft. of less and $20.00 per night for boats larger than 25 feet. All donations are appreciated.
I also want to inform you we have changed our U.S. post office box address. We have moved it closer to the person doing the Foundation work. The new address is:
Princess Louisa International Society
Post Office Box 3562
Bellevue, WA, 98004, USA
We hope that this does not create problem.
Have wonderful summer of cruising and I hope to see you at the Inlet.
Don Simpson
President
President's Message, Winter 2010
Hopefully you enjoyed a wonderful summer of cruising. We had great weather and calm seas. Princes Louisa Inlet was well used this summer and Ming Neil, our Park Ranger reports she had a very good year with a record number of boats and people.
Although we did not get our Dock donation envelopes to the Inlet until almost the end of summer we received over a thousand dollars in donations. This money will help support maintenance for the coming year. The envelopes are now on site and are ready for next season. As reported this spring we were able to help in the redoing of the buoy anchors at MacDonald Island and also did maintenance on the dock.
As also reported last Spring, we had to let our options on additional property around the Inlet expire. We are still committed to carry out Macs wish, “keep it just like it is”. We encourage donations of any size to help maintain Princes Louisa Inlet.
When the economic climate recovers in the U.S and Canada we will work again to find a partner to purchase additional land.
Our Directors meeting and our AGM ( Annual General Meeting) was held on November 19th at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Financially we are in pretty good shape, but we are always open to new members and donations.. Tell your cruising friends about our crown jewel.
The holidays will be over by the time you read this, but I hope you had a happy celebration and here is wishing you the best in the new year.
Don Simpson
President
"Hanging Out" at Princess Louisa
Labor Day Weekend 2006
Dear Members,
For the second time in as many years, we had the opportunity to introduce people to Princess Louisa. This time it was our daughter, son-in-law and grandsons – 12 and 4. It was a joy – though a bit crowded in our 36’ GB.
Please enrol us in a Life Membership in the hopes that this special place will be ther for Lyle to take his grandchildren to. As his father said, “there aren’t many places that are as special as people say they are… This is definitely one of them”.
Thank you,
Anacortes, WA
P.S. We will be introducing his aunt, uncle (our son), and his 8 year old cousin to the wonders of Princess Louisa over Labor Day weekend this year.
On October 10, 2003, the Government of British Columbia informed us that it was accepting the generous gift of the approximately 2200 acres surrounding the existing Princess Louisa Marine Park. from the Princess Louisa International Society and The Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Click Image for Larger View
Our goal, a dream less than five years ago, has become reality.
Your Directors have worked hard to realize this goal. They are to be congratulated for bringing it to fruition. You will have read in the President’s Message that our President is stepping down. Bill Botham’s leadership of the Society brought (sometimes pulled) us successfully through this fundraising campaign. It was Bill who lead the negotiations with Weyerhaeuser for the original options to purchase. It was Bill who recognized that we could not achieve our goal without a partner. It was Bill who convinced the Nature Conservancy of Canada to join with us in this project. On behalf of the members, Bill, thank you.
Our goal would not have been realized, however, without you, our members. Patrons, Contributors, Donors, Life Members, Annual Members: twelve hundred people share Mac’s vision, now the Society’s Mission, to protect and preserve this beautiful fjord. To keep it “just like it is”.
Many of you gave money through donations or renewed memberships; others bought our store items; still more introduced others to the Society’s aims; many dropped a line of encouragement by e-mail, fax, letters or phone calls to assure us we were on the right track; that in pursuing this dream of further land acquisition in Princess Louisa Inlet we had your support. Each of these meant a lot.
Your financial support contributed more than just the additional necessary dollars. Your contributions convinced major donors that you believed in this project and helped convince them that they should, too.
Your words of faith and encouragement and stories of what Princess Louisa Inlet meant to you seemed to always come at the right time. When the goal seemed too distant or too difficult; when we had fund raising obstacles, your letters or e-mails would arrive and renew our desire to carry on.
The Park is now 50 times larger than Mac’s original grant. You did it. Thank you.
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Princess Louisa International SocietyPost Office Box 3562
Bellevue, WA 98004, USA
Princess Louisa International Society10-5053 47th Avenue,
Delta, BC, V4K 1R2, Canada
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