Latest on the Lease

We have some great news! While there is still no contract to purchase the land, TPL is stepping up its effort which is outstanding for Maho Bay and its guests.

Help TPL Save Maho Bay Camps

Big news this week from the Trust for Public Land (TPL) in response to the many offers of help received from friends of Maho Bay Camps. TPL has launched an effort to purchase the Maho Bay Camps land for permanent protection as a natural preserve.

Here is a brief recap of our last newsletter:

Two years from now, July 31, 2011, Maho Bay Camps will close. This will allow us time to dismantle and evacuate the property by January 2012, the end of our 37-year lease term. The land is currently on the market and TPL has been in negotiations with the landowners for possible purchase. If the land acquisition is successful, TPL will enable the eco-resort to continue as it has for so many years.

As a nonprofit land conservation organization, the Trust for Public Land relies on donations to protect land for others to enjoy. At this point we believe that TPL is the only viable purchaser. However it will require expensive appraisals and negotiations to finalize a purchase. This transaction funding is difficult for TPL to raise, especially in these hard times. Every contribution to assist TPL’s purchase of the land is essential.

We encourage you to explore the Trust for Public Land’s Web site to find out about the commendable work this organization is doing all over the country. A description from their site reads, “The Trust for Public Land depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our land-for-people mission. TPL is the only national, nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated specifically to protecting land for public use.”

All individuals interested in making a tax-deductible donation in support of the Maho Bay Camps land acquisition efforts by the Trust for Public Land should email john.garrison@tpl.org or refer to TPL’s Web site at www.tpl.org. To make a contribution, please mail your check, payable to The Trust for Public Land, to the following address. Please indicate on the check that it is for the Maho Bay Camps Campaign.

The Trust for Public Land
Maho Bay Camps Campaign
116 New Montgomery St., 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

P.S. This new fund established by Trust for Public Land is not to be confused with the recent 400-acre purchase of Estate Maho Bay. That acquisition made by TPL was for a large piece of land bordering Maho Bay Camps and, happily, was finalized last year after five years in the making.