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

April 1, 2005 – March 31, 2006

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

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