Urgent Call for Funding to Protect the Bay

Richmond Yacht Club member Mike Josselyn wrote in with an urgent appeal to Bay Area sailors to help find funding for San Francisco State University’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center:

As Latitude 38 has covered, San Francisco State University’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center, the only marine science laboratory on San Francisco Bay, is slated to close due to a loss of university funding.

The EOS Center has been funded for 47 years by San Francisco State University, which now faces a severe systemwide budget shortfall. SFSU can no longer support the EOS Center’s operations and has recommended imminent closure. Sustained financial support is critical to ensure a marine research and training center uniquely positioned to confront California’s climate crisis, especially in S.F. Bay and its communities.

The center’s director, Katharyn Boyer, has been diligently seeking funds to meet the $1.2 million per year needed to cover the cost of operations and essential programs that SFSU can no longer afford. Recently, the university has set a deadline of April 30 to have funding pledges (in writing) to cover at least three years of operational funding ($3.6 million). That three years would provide a runway for development of public-private partnerships and other funding mechanisms to support a long-term funding solution.

Dr. Boyer has received commitments for over $2 million since the closure recommendation in early February, but is still $1.5 million short. We are meeting with members of the sailing community that may be able to close this gap, but support from individuals, corporations, and yacht clubs is urgently needed. If anyone in the sailing community has ideas or potential contacts willing to provide substantial funding for this vital institution, please email Romberg Center Director Dr. Katharyn Boyer or myself, Mike Josselyn.

As Opening Day is approaching, consider the benefits you receive from a healthy Bay and donate to the EOS Center at their web page.