Happy New Year’s Eve!
It’s the end of 2024 and the beginning of a new chapter for the Friends of Whitefish Point. We plan to continue all three seasons of owl banding in 2025, and your support is crucial to the success of our mission. Earlier this autumn many of you wrote to us asking how to help support our work, and we really appreciate your donations thus far. Please think of the Friends of Whitefish Point as the calendar turns over in this cold time of winter.
Since this is our first year, we want to give our supporters an idea of how donated funds will be spent during 2025. The anticipated costs summarized below are our best estimate of operational expenses that will make 2025 a successful year. As you can see, a large portion of our expenses go towards supporting the owl banders, who work every night (weather permitting) from dusk to dawn, all season, from the deep snow of March to the gorgeous colors of fall. In addition, there are expenses like administrative costs for our financial sponsor Lake Michigan Bird Observatory (LMBO) whose assistance is essential to our existence and functioning. Other costs include funds for annual software use and a contingency fund to help cover unanticipated needs.
We are also seeking in-kind donations in this new year. The loan or donation of a cargo trailer or RV to serve as the banding lab, and housing for the one summer bander and two fall banders would be incredibly helpful to our success in 2025 and beyond.
Please support us as we turn the page from a challenging 2024 to a productive 2025. All donations are tax deductible, and you can donate via this link, or by sending a check (details in the link). Your support is essential to continuing the traditions that have characterized conservation and natural history work at Whitefish Point and in the western Great Lakes.
THANK YOU in advance for your generous support!