How about River Sponsorship?
Grizzly bear tracks along the Kwethluk River in Alaska. Photo by John Land Le Coq
I was recently in Bear’s Den Fly shop in Taunton, Massachusetts, talking to the owner, Scott Wessels. We were discussing Science on the Fly, and how in its first year and a half it had taken off beyond my wildest dreams. I described how we were now collecting monthly river water quality samples from over 300 locations across the country, and how we had a long list of additional volunteers wanting to join the team and track the health of their rivers.
Scott asked about the logistics of keeping such a large and rapidly growing project running. I responded that while we had experienced some growing pains, we had been forced to develop a remarkably lean and efficient operation in order to keep up. Scott then asked about the biggest remaining challenge faced by Science on the Fly.
The answer was easy – our biggest challenge was to develop a sustainable funding model. We had been blessed with contributions from an amazing collection of businesses, foundations, and individuals, but with each water sample costing ~$100 in supplies, shipping, and analysis, and our current pace of over 3000 samples per year, the costs rapidly add up! We discussed a range of options for additional funding, including an annual auction (stay tuned for more on that!), when Scott asked “How about river sponsorship?” His idea was that individuals or businesses could sponsor one or more sampling locations on an ongoing basis, helping to generate the predictable revenue that would allow Science on the Fly to maintain its ongoing operations and continue its expansion across the US and internationally.
I loved the idea! For a monthly contribution of $100, or annual contribution of $1200, an individual or business could become a River Sponsor, providing the funding to cover the ongoing costs of monthly sampling at a particular location. In addition to the satisfaction (and tax benefits!) of helping to keep Science on the Fly moving forward, the River Sponsor would also get special updates on what was being learned from the work on “their” river. We also have some exclusive gifts in the works for our River Sponsors – more on that later!
If you would like to consider becoming a River Sponsor, please reach out to me at rmholmes@woodwellclimate.org. We’ll list new sponsors in subsequent newsletters and the Science on the Fly website. Thanks to Scott Wessels for the idea, and to Scott and the Bear’s Den Fly shop for becoming our first River Sponsor!
