And a special thank you to all the kids and captains who fished the tournament. We hope you enjoyed a fun and competitive event. Your participation will help a family somewhere and you are helping to spread our education/conservation message to protect our wonderful tarpon fishing resource for years to come.

As our season comes to a close and summer begins, I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and our BIPS Board to thank all our friends and visitors who utilized our four parks, lighthouses and gift shops and participated in our numerous programs and activities.

A BIG THANK YOU to Patricia Bossey, Debby & Duncan Cross, Sue Fuller, Kris Ganong, Jane & Clark Hinkley, Lori Hunter, Marge Laughlin, Anne Lyons, Rebecca Martin, Madonna Merritt and Karen Zarse, as they spent quite a bit of time stuffing over 400 boxes filled with treats for the kids. On the day of the hunt, Georgia & Maddy Aguilar, Debby & Duncan Cross, Lori Hunter, Trent Keisling, Louise Martin, Mary Ann McGowan, Honey Skinner and Karen Zarse provided assistance where needed. Special recognition goes out to Pat Chapman, who when called upon, does anything and everything that is asked of her when it comes to the children. Pat spent her 22nd year volunteering for the hunt by filling goodie boxes on Thursday and supervising the prize table on Saturday. She was wearing her 2004 Smarty Jones winning Kentucky Derby hat too. YOU ARE THE BEST, PAT!

Let me get this straight. We already have an excess of boats using the existing parking facilities at the Placida boat ramp. This purchase will support, and encourage, more cars on our roads, more boats on our precious waters, and more pressure on the fish. More fossil fuels being burned, more destruction to the natural grasses that are essential to a healthy fishery, more insensitive boaters abusing what used to be so very special, and more congestion on the causeway — because this additional excess will further congest access to the causeway.