A Message From Tex
Board President
SUCCESS WITH COMMITMENT
Saving the West Klosterman Preserve has been the major focus of WK Preservation Group for almost five years. This weekend, we achieved one more major milestone. The Mr. Friendly Matching Campaign met its $100,000 goal in only 8 weeks from its start. And that means that John Giliss, Mr. Friendly, has matched your $100,000 with his own contribution, adding a total of $200,000 to the campaign to save the Preserve.
It is worth noting that several people have supported matching campaigns over the last year, and their combined efforts and your contributions have raised over $400,000 toward the $1.5 million target we must meet to match the $1.5 million that has been promised by Pinellas County. Our thanks again to Jennifer Wirth, Sally McConnell, Sanne Kure-Jensen and John Gilliss for their generous sponsorship of our matching campaigns, and our thanks to all our donors for making the matching campaigns a success.
Take a breath and reflect on how much has been achieved by all of us coming together with a goal of preserving this 14 acre Slice of Paradise for the animals, plants and trees that live there, and for the people in Pinellas County who are fast losing these natural treasures to the developers.
Okay, exhale that breath and think about this. With all the success, we still have a major challenge to meet. In March, we agreed in a contract with Pinellas County that we would campaign to match their commitment of $1.5 million by raising $1.5 million from public supporters. We have committed our organization and our supporters to meet that goal. That is what is expected of us today — to work hard to raise the funds that will join with the County’s money to buy the Preserve from Pinellas County Schools for $3 million.
And the deadline in that contract says we will meet our commitment by September 15. We have made great progress, over $200,000 in the last eight weeks, but we still have about $497,000 to go.
What are we doing about it? Most of our group, and if you’re reading this, we think you are part of the group, are thinking about new ways to reach new people who would support our cause and help us meet our goals. Reaching new people has been key to the successes of the last few weeks — we have hundreds of new donors who have pitched in. But we need more.
We will be actively promoting our goal to save the West Klosterman Preserve in social media and social media advertising, as well as local television, radio, and news media. We have doubled up on the frequency and urgency of our newsletters. See our latest media activity on our two events and news feed pages Events and News and News Feed. As always, if you have ideas to help us meet our commitment to the County and to all of our donors and supporters, please let us know. Contact us at info@wkpreserve.com.
Again, we’ve come a long way, and we’re almost there. Let’s get this done!
Sincere respects,
Tex Carter and the WKPG team
Save Endangered Land Today
Only 1% of Sand Pine Scrub Habitat still exists in Florida today. If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference for future generations, here’s your chance!
If you are joining us for the first time, welcome!
The West Klosterman Preserve is one of the few Sand Pine Scrub habitats left standing, but we need your help to keep it that way.
Join our mission to purchase and protect 14 acres of endangered land threatened by overdevelopment.
If you are returning, welcome back! We are so happy you’re here!
We still need your help to raise $497,000 by September 15th!
Take the 5 for 5 Challenge
Ask 5 people to donate $50 to Save The West Klosterman Preserve, then have those donors ask 5 more people to participate!
$50 may seem like a large sum now but investing in nature is the best investment you will make for your life and the livelihood of future generations.
With just 10,000 donations of $50, THIS LAND CAN BE SAVED!
About 60% of our donations come through the messages spread in Social Media & most of the rest come to us because of Friends & Family. Thanks so much for spreading the good word!
August has been a great month for support and we need it now more than ever!
We can thank friends that have joined us from: Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
In this newsletter, you will find many ways to help support our mission – take a look!
Let’s Save Endangered Land Together!
Sincerely,
Celeste & The WKPG Team
Keep Scrolling To Read About:
– News & Updates: Local Events & Fundraisers
– Our Sponsors: Sponsor Highlights & Donation Campaigns
– Site Map: Why This Preserve Matters & Map of the Preserve Site
– The WKPG Story: Channel 10 News Interview, We’re On TikTok, & More!
– Volunteer Corner: How You Can Help
Wilcox Nursery Event Reflection
Thank you, Wilcox Nursery & Landscape for hosting McGough Nature Park/The Friends of The Largo Nature Parks and Seaside Seabird Sanctuary as a fundraiser for us Saturday, 8/24. Our Board Treasurer, Debbie Watts, and her husband, Roger, enjoyed visiting and then stopping by McGough Nature Park afterward.
Thanks to all for your environmental heart and caring about our cause!
Local Fundraising
located at 907 Klosterman Road, E. Tarpon Springs
The artists who own Open Sky Studio and Gallery continue to be big supporters of the West Klosterman Preserve. Percy Kleinops auctioned off an exquisite artwork earlier this year while his art partner, Suzanne, donated 25% of proceeds from commissioned portraits to WKP. She has kindly extended her offer until Sept. 30.
Pre-order your custom portrait until September 30th
If you’d like to honor someone special (or yourself) with a fine art portrait, call 813-447-9347 or visit the studio between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. any day but Saturday and arrange a date. Important: You must mention the West Klosterman Preserve when you meet with Suzanne.
(please note new commissions will be available mid October 2024)*
Preservation Sponsor Highlight
Bronze level sponsor:
Gulfstar Electric is Tampa Bay’s leading installer of Electric Vehicle Chargers in both residential and commercial settings. WK Preserve Group is grateful to the team at Gulfstar for their support!
Click Here for details on major sponsorship opportunities
Matching Campaign
Can You Or Someone You Know Do The Same?
A car dealer, a teacher, naturalist – these folks are among those who have generously created matching donation campaigns for Save the West Klosterman Preserve since 2022. These campaigns have absolutely supercharged our efforts.
Please know our Board is truly grateful for EVERY donation, and we recognize not many can pledge five or six figures; but if you are among those who CAN, please reach out to us via our website or email us at info@wkpreserve.com for more information.
Business donations are welcome, too!
(you may remain anonymous)
If you are interested in starting your own matching campaign, send us a message today!
Why This Preserve Matters
How Forests, Like The West Klosterman Preserve, Serve as a Necessary Defense in Protecting Our Communities
Did You Know … millions of trees are cut down in Florida each year?
What does developed land mean to you?
Condominiums and shopping plazas remove natural barriers that combat natural disasters. Deforestation has a direct impact and lasting effects on the places we live in, know, and love.
Have you ever heard that trees are the lungs of a community?
We depend on trees to provide us with not only shade but the necessary clean oxygen that we breathe. Forests, like the West Klosterman Preserve, could be compared to the most vital organs in our body. We can’t see our organs, but we know that they’re there and working hard. Trees filter toxic chemicals out of the soil and the air around us. They absorb storm runoff through their roots, and the same process that provides us with oxygen also cools the air around the trees. Their trunks and root systems protect us from storm surges, wind events, and erosion.
WK Preservation Group is committed to providing fact-based information about the preservation topics that are important to us all – reply to this email if you have a question for our experts!
We depend on wildlife whether we are aware of it or not.
Our forests are necessary for us to maintain our way of life, and you can help do your part in keeping our homes protected by donating to the WK Preserve today.
Catch Us in the News!
Your interest is helping get the word out! Let your favorite reporter know that you want to hear more about our progress in the last three weeks of our drive to save 14 acres from development!
You can see and share the latest coverage here:
WTSP Great Day Live – interview with Tex Carter, Board President
AXIOS Tampa Bay – article and quotes from WKPG and County Commissioners
FOX 13 Tampa Bay – tour of the property and interviews with Tex and Kay Carter, board members
Blog and Podcast: Roots of Resilience
Click Here to listen to Palm Harbor Local’s interview with two of our founding members, Tex and Kay Carter!
Thanks to Donnie Hathaway of Palm Harbor Local for helping us spread the word about our mission to save pockets of paradise!
Documentary: About Our Origin Story
Click Here To Watch Our Documentary
This excellent overview was produced by filmmaker, Caden Colver, at the beginning of 2022. We remain as dedicated as ever to the preservation of natural lands in Florida!
Share the link with your friends and family, neighbors, and local officials!
Learn More on the WKPG Website and Social Accounts
Visiting our website and following us on social media are some of the best ways to stay up-to-date on the progress we’ve made, next steps, and our upcoming events! We have an Instagram account (@savethewkp), a Facebook page, a Facebook group, and we’re on LinkedIn! If you have questions, you can always reply to this email, or submit your inquiry through our “Contact Us” form on the website!
We're now on TikTok!!
Click Here To See Our TikTok Account
help get the word out by giving our account a like/share/follow!!
How Can You Help?
I’m glad you asked!
10 Ways to Help Save The West Klosterman Preserve:
See if any of these activities are a match for you!
- Donate to the mission
- Share this newsletter with someone you know
- Tell your friends, family, and colleagues about our mission to save 14 acres of natural land
- Volunteer with us (see below and reply to this email to learn more)
- Ask your employer if they will match your donation or if they have another type of employee-sponsored giving program.
- Become a sponsor
- Let your local news anchor or journalist know that you want to hear more about our progress
- Make a donation of stock or property, or make a pledge with our partners at Pinellas Community Foundation
- Get Creative; use your talent to give back, whether you’re a local artist, musician, or vendor your support can make a difference. You can share our mission by word of mouth or share a portion of your proceeds to support our cause (we appreciate it all)
- Share your ideas with us! The best way to give back is to share your strengths with your community, so let us know what you can do to help us reach our goal to save the WK Preserve!
We are so very grateful to all of our volunteers –
this entire organization has been developed by volunteer efforts.
If you have a specific area of expertise you’d like to share, and would like to become more involved please reply to this email and we can chat!
It's Crunch Time
We Have 19 Days Left To Save This Endangered Land!
Stay tuned to see what’s next!
May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be well
P O Box 1032
Tarpon Springs FL 34688
United States
wkpreserve.com
281 352 3244
Thank you for your donation!
Every dollar counts