Does anyone have an address for the BMP that I can send donations (in US$) to? I have a PO Box address (PO Box 368, Bonaire, Dutch Antilles) but I'd like to have a "real" address as well as I plan on making donations every month. Also, I saw on a brochure that they are managed by STINAPA - does all money sent to STINAPA go to the BMP, or do they manage other organizations as well?

The BMP doesn't seem to really ask for donations - do they accept them? As my father used to say, "everyone loves cash" :-) I looked at their Web site at http://www.bmp.org, but it seems that the information there is rather old (1998) and I didn't see any "Send your money here!" info. It did say that they were going to try to get tax exempt status in the US - does anyone know if they did?

Cheers,
Ben

Hi Ben,

As President of STINAPA Bonaire, I will try to answer your questions. Your father was absolutely right, we do love cash. If the money is donated specifically to the BNMP, then it will go directly to the BNMP account. STINAPA Bonaire manages several different areas on Bonaire namely, Washington-Slagbaai National Park, The Bonaire National Marine Park (which also encompasses Lac Bay and soon Klein Bonaire) and the caves at Hato. We do not have a street address only the P.O. Box.

We will soon have an address in the US as we have just received our incorporation papers in the US - STINAPA Bonaire North America - and have applied with the IRS for 501C3 status. We hope to have that approved within the next couple of months. Once the 501C3 status is approved we will be able to accept tax deductible donations from US citizens and corporations. There will be a major press release when we do receive that and we will also post it here on Bonaire Talk.

Hope that answers your questions and thank you very much for you willingness to donate to the Bonaire National Marine Park. Only about 75% of our operating costs come from the Diver Tags and Yacht Mooring Fees. The rest has to be obtained either through donations, souvenier sales and or grants.

Jack Chalk, President
STINAPA Bonaire

Jack,

Thanks for the reply! You will start seeing
checks from me shortly. I'm glad to hear that
the 501(c)3 status will be established soon -
I'll keep an eye out for the message.

Regards,
Ben

Great news about the 501(c)3 status - those of us stateside who work for companies who match donations can take advantage of this and help the island that means so much to us.