The Pegasus Foundation
1998 Annual Report

Introduction

The Pegasus Foundation sponsored many programs and initiatives this past year that advanced its primary mission of protecting animals and their environment. The following is a summary report of the foundation's accomplishments during 1998.

The Pegasus Foundation was engaged in several important initiatives in Florida, a state with fragile environmental resources that faces immense pressure as the population grows too rapidly to adequately balance development with preservation. Pegasus focused efforts in several areas: developing land trusts, protecting manatees, and joining forces with the Everglades Coalition.

Land Trusts:

• Sponsored the first Florida land trust capacity building conference on Hutchinson Island that was attended by land trust representatives from around the state.
• Initiated the establishment of the Martin County Regional Land Trust; provided organizational assistance as well as ongoing technical support. The land trust successfully obtained a $17,000 grant for first year administrative support.
• Helped secure a $10,000 grant for the Trust for Public Lands for expenses associated with planning the 1999 Florida Land Trust Conference.

Manatee Protection:

• Continued public and congressional awareness sessions focusing on the threats to the manatee population, including a workshop organized by Pegasus and hosted by U.S. Senator Bob Graham of Florida. These education and awareness sessions resulted in Senator Graham sponsoring an additional appropriations of $500,000 for manatee marine legal enforcement. Although the line item was deleted during the omnibus appropriations reconciliation between the House and Senate versions of the bill, Senator Graham has committed to identifying the same level of support in 1999.
• Produced and circulated letters that were signed by numerous national environmental and animal protection organizations and were submitted to senior federal and state officials, including Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.
• Organized a team of representatives from national non-profit organizations and high-profile private Washington law firms to prepare the legal strategy for potential litigation to further protect manatees.
• Provided financial support to Florida's Save the Manatee Club for a campaign that will begin in Brevard County and result in a statewide grassroots organizing effort for additional manatee protection.

In January 1998, the Everglades Coalition voted to invite the Pegasus Foundation to join its influential partnership of environmental protection organizations working to protect the unique ecosystem of Florida's Everglades.

THE BAHAMAS

The Pegasus Foundation expanded its efforts to the Bahamas after learning of opportunities to assist the island nation with several important animal protection issues.

Great Abaco Island:

• Conducted two technical assistance and training visits in conjunction with Humane Society International to support further development of the primary animal organization, Abaco Animals Require Kindness, that addresses the issue of stray cats and dogs through spay-neuter clinics, adoptions, and public education.
• Provided technical assistance to further develop a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting Abaco's herd of wild horses.

WESTERN UNITED STATES

The Pegasus Foundation supported a variety of animal and environmental preservation efforts in the western part of the country, including rescue of stray cats and dogs, protection of the last remaining wild bison herd, and habitat preservation for wetlands wildlife.

Navajo Nation, southwestern United States:

• Developed a comprehensive animal protection, rescue, transportation, and adoption program to address child health concerns created by an extensive stray dog population. The program operates in partnership with the Navajo Nation and the Arizona Humane Association.
• Provided necessary financial support for a veterinarian to coordinate the program.
• Provided funding to the Arizona Humane Society to purchase and operate a transport vehicle for rescuing stray puppies, which are then made available for adoption at the Society's facility in Phoenix.
• Secured commitments of $130,000 to fund half the purchase and operating costs of a mobile veterinary surgical van that will provide spay and neuter services at various locations throughout the Navajo Nation. The van also will be funded by the Arizona Humane Society, the Fund for Animals, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Buffalo Nations, Montana:

The Pegasus Foundation provided financial support to Buffalo Nations, an organization committed to preserving Yellowstone National Park's bison herd. Bison leaving the park/s borders are killed by Montana's Department of Livestock under a disputed state government policy set by officials who claim that bison spread disease to cattle. Pegasus funded Buffalo Nations in its recruitment, training, and support of more than 200 volunteers. The volunteers served up to four months protecting bison through ski patrols, fence repair, and feeding. Their efforts reduced bison fatalities from 1,100 the previous winter to 11 during the 1997-1998 winter.

Centennial Valley Heritage Project, Montana:

In partnership with the National Audubon Society, the Montana Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy, the Pegasus Foundation provided funds for an organizer to work with government representatives, ranchers, and others to protect privately held land in the Centennial Valley of southern Montana. The 40-mile-long valley is home to more than 200 species of birds that utilize its many lakes and marshes for nesting and feeding. Local environmentalists have recommended an increase in protected lands from the existing 42,000-acre Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge to include 92,000 acres throughout the Centennial Valley.

EASTERN UNITED STATES

The Pegasus Foundation also funded many initiatives in its own backyard, focusing especially on rescue operations for marine mammals, companion animals, horses, and wildlife.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts:

• In partnership with other environmental organizations, developed the Cape Cod Stranding Network to assist marine mammals stranded on the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and surrounding islands. The Network helps the stranded whales, dolphins, and other animals return to their normal habitats, rehabilitates those that are injured, investigates causes of stranding, and educates the public on how to prevent future incidents. Other partners are the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Humane Society of the United States, the International Wildlife Coalition, the Center for Coastal Studies, the New England Aquarium, and the National Marine Life Center. Pegasus also is represented on the stranding network's board of directors.
• Provided various levels of financial support to the Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, the Wildlife Information and Referral Service, the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod, the International Wildlife Coalition, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
• Funded the Pegasus Equine Rescue organization, which rescues Premarin foals, provides them with foster care, and arranges for their permanent placement. The organization also provides medical care, feeding, and housing for former racetrack horses.

The Pegasus Foundation will further develop its existing initiatives and plans to accomplish the following in 1999:

• Support the development of additional land trusts, beginning with Florida's St. Lucie County and the Tampa region, enhance existing land trusts through a second annual land trust conference in Tampa this May, and develop sources of capacity building with regional affiliates of the national Land Trust Alliance for land trusts throughout the southeastern United States.
• Develop models of animal protection, spay-neuter and shelter programs as well as cultivate public education efforts in the Bahamas and the Caribbean Islands. Discussions are underway with potential partners, including Humane Society International, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the American Humane Association. Pegasus also will support organizational development for Abaco Animals Require Kindness.
• Continue the foundation's involvement in the Navajo Nation's animal protection/child health program by initiating the mobile van project in the summer and by securing additional partner organizations to provide ongoing support.
• Sponsor a forum this summer to further the discussion regarding opportunities created by Massachusetts' new Cape Cod Land Bank Bill.
• Engage communities and individuals in addressing environmental and animal protection issues by initiating interactive discussions to broaden support and develop innovative solutions.
• Develop additional partnerships for the Pegasus Foundation's programs and initiatives through meetings with grantmakers and other interested parties.

For more information, contact:
Peter A. Bender, Executive Director
The Pegasus Foundation
27 Merrimack Street
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
Phone: 603-225-3918
Fax: 603-225-4624
E-mail: pbender@pegasusfoundation.org

Cynthia Frisch, Florida Representative
The Pegasus Foundation
167 Third Avenue North
Naples, Florida 34102
Phone: 941-403-7979
Fax: 941-436-1023
E-mail: cfrisch@pegasusfoundation.org

The Pegasus Foundation
Peabody & Arnold, Counselors at Law
50 Rowes Wharf
Boston, Massachusetts 02110