THE BAY INSTITUTE AND AQUARIUM OF THE BAY

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE BAY INSTITUTE
AND AQUARIUM OF THE BAY:
When Bill Davoren
founded The Bay
Institute in 1981, he
envisioned a new advocacy
approach that viewed the
entire Bay-Delta ecosystem
as a single, interdependent
watershed. That vision
remains at the core of our
work today, with The Bay
Institute exerting an ever-widening influence on the
future health of the entire estuary.
What was once a fledgling grassroots effort
to protect the Bay has grown into a mature
organization that is now in an unmatched position
to effect positive change for the Bay—from the
farthest reaches of its watershed through the
Golden Gate and into the Pacific.
This progress didn’t happen overnight, or without
a struggle.
While The Bay Institute’s staff was busy with the
day-to-day efforts that have driven significant
victories—such as reconnecting the San Joaquin
River with the Delta and establishing protections
for the estuary’s endangered wildlife—behind the
scenes, our Board of Directors was undertaking
another task: forming a healthy organization with
the leadership, foresight and stamina to sustain
these efforts in the face of continued threats to the
Bay.
In this work, we are inspired by the unique
opportunity we have to build an organization that
can make a real difference in the way we—the
people of the Bay Area—interact with the living
treasure that surrounds and defines us. We are
grateful for your vital support.
Stephen N. Machtinger
Chairman of the Board
Although it’s only been
a little over two years
since The Bay Institute and
Aquarium of the Bay joined
together, we have blended
together each organization’s
unique strengths to create
one of the Bay Area’s most
influential environmental
non-profits. While building
this powerful new organization, we faced some
difficult decisions, and in 2010, we paired down
our administrative staff to recommit funding where
it would have the most impact: our programs.
Today, we have a combined staff of 127 employees
fully focused on programs that are delivering
results like the resurgence of the San Joaquin River,
helping government decision makers understand
the need to restore our devastated wetlands,
providing marine science education to thousands
of public school students, and inspiring millions
of Aquarium visitors to take personal action to
protect the environment. Moreover, we’ve just
expanded the Aquarium’s footprint to include a
270-seat theater, allowing us to inform an ever
growing audience about the need to protect the
Bay’s fragile eco-system.
These are no small feats. As our mission statement
makes clear, our vision is vast: protecting the
Bay from the Sierra to the sea. And as our
campaigns continue to grow in impact, so does
the involvement of our donors, sponsors and
partners. As you read through the quotes from our
supporters spread throughout this special report,
you’ll see we are bringing together a diverse group
of people and organizations in a successful effort
to protect the Bay for generations to come. Thank
you for being part of this important work!
John Frawley
President and Chief Executive Officer
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