To:       Breakwater & Chesapeake Bay Habitat Supporters
From:  The Board of the Friends of the Tiger Beetle & the Chesapeake Bay Habitat Foundation

We are delighted to report that the structures of all three breakwaters at Bavon Beach and southern Chesapeake Shores have been completed. Sand grooming is still occurring but we are working with the contractor to achieve an end to industrial activity by Memorial Day. This will ideally include the work necessary to repair community or personal property damaged during the installation effort. We will definitely be done with work on the beach by June 1st as originally agreed with the Fish and Wildlife Service in deference to the Tiger Beetle season.

While we have experienced some cost growth in the project, as more sand has been required than originally negotiated to establish the appropriate sand structure behind each of the breakwaters, we all should be proud of what we have accomplished so far. Thanks again to all those who are supporting the project to save the beach and protect the Tiger Beetle’s habitat.

For your information, signage is going to be posted soon that warns community members to stay off the breakwater rocks. We don’t want to see anyone getting hurt on those breakwater structures and no one should be on those rocks under any circumstances. They are also engineered structures and shouldn’t be disturbed. So please tell your children and any guests to stay off the breakwater rocks and that it is not safe to be on them. Anyone on the rocks has a risk of getting hurt, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that they assumed the risk. The important thing is for people to have fun and be safe.

In case you haven’t heard, on April 22nd, the Foundation held an Earth Day event on the beach with 75 students from the Thomas Hunter Middle School. Environmental education is a core element of the Foundation’s charter. The students were briefed by representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Virginia Institute for Marine Sciences (VIMS). FWS’ representative, Sarah Nystrom, talked about the Tiger Beetle, its threatened status and why preservation of its habitat is important. VIMS’ representative, Scott Hardaway, discussed shoreline erosion and the science supporting breakwater installation. VIMS’ George Thomas also marked the shoreline to show just how much erosion has occurred over time. The final visit segment was led by FOTB volunteers, notably Karl & Lynn Braun, Dennis Baker, Gloria Williams and Dave Norris, and included planting of dune grasses on the Nature Conservancy property just south of Bavon Beach. After a pizza luncheon under the Carroll cottage, the students left after a 2 1⁄2 hour visit. Feedback from the students and their teacher, Jerry Ligon, was fantastic. Other leaders from the County and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation also took part. We also received excellent press coverage from the Mathews Gloucester Gazette Journal and the Daily Press.

We are continuing to raise funds. To date, over 30 families in Bavon Beach and Chesapeake Shores have contributed or pledged over $700,000 toward this project. This means we are roughly $125,000 away from being able to execute the entire project without financing.

There are many ways for us to raise the balance of funds for this project:

• We are continuing to pursue grants (notably, we were awarded a grantfrom the Mathews Community Foundation that we will accept this comingweek);
• We are continuing to accept donations through a variety of means (stock,PayPal, credit card, bank transfer, etc.) and,
• If necessary, we will finance the balance over a one to two year period

We hope the community can help us get all the way home on funding.

As mentioned in earlier updates, we have received formal recognition as a 501 (c)(3) organization from the IRS. This means any donation you make to the Foundation is tax deductible in the calendar year in which it is made. We suggest you consult your accountant or tax attorney with any questions you may have. As a reminder, make your checks payable to Friends of the Tiger Beetle and Chesapeake Bay Habitat Foundation.

Checks can be mailed to our Treasurer, Jack Carroll, at:

John F. Carroll, III
9901 West Huguenot Road North Chesterfield, VA 23235

Many of our Board members will at the beach this Memorial Day weekend if you should have any questions. We plan to have a “frequently asked questions” summary available for distribution on or near the beach. Look for one in distribution boxes or ask a Board member for one.

Thanks again for your support!

Your FOTB &CHBHF Board

Scott Stabler, President

Bill Powell, Vice President

Jack Carroll, Treasurer

Karl Braun, Secretary

Drew Mulhare, Director

Dave Norris, Director

Will Shewmake, Director