Contact: Michael J. Valiquette
PURRE Chairman, 239-472-0200

PURRE WATER COALITION TO CEASE OPERATIONS AFTER SEVEN SUCCESSFUL YEARS

January 2, 2012 – The PURRE Water Coalition Foundation Inc. (People United to Restore Our Rivers and Estuaries) ceased operations effective December 31, Chairman Michael J. Valiquette announced after a board meeting December 16 during which board members voted to take this action.

Valiquette explained, “Our board members agree that PURRE has accomplished what it set out to do. Our goals were to educate, create awareness, and help people understand the need to improve water quality in this area, and we have done that. There are many other good organizations that will continue this work, including the City of Sanibel, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Sanibel Sea School, and START (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide), to name a few. PURRE has been honored to work with these and other groups and individuals over the years.”

Over the course of the last seven years, Chairman Valiquette was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet with both elected and appointed officials to talk to them about the concerns of people in the community and throughout Southwest Florida. The board believes this was a successful effort.

“One of the issues we carried with us all the time is that a healthy marine environment has a lot to do with a healthy economy,” Chairman Valiquette said.

“PURRE has been a citizen grassroots organization that grew out of a couple of people who saw a need and created an incredible organization to meet that need,” said Emilie Alfino, executive director. “I don’t think many people or groups would be doing what they’re doing for water quality today without the efforts that were started by the Valiquettes.”

PURRE has been active in the fight to improve South Florida’s water quality since it was founded by Valiquette and his wife Maureen in 2004. Observing the severely deteriorating water conditions in 2003, they tried to get the appropriate agencies to do something about it and met with resistance and apathy. They decided to take matters into their own hands, beginning with what became a standing-room-only community meeting in 2004. “Our goal was to raise awareness so somebody would do something, and I think we succeeded,” Maureen Valiquette said. “Everybody is paying attention now. People know the issues and know what needs to be done. We are confident now that water quality will stay in the forefront of citizens’ minds and in the action plans of environmental organizations.”

“I think one of the significant contributions of PURRE was a grassroots effort to engage people, organizations and businesses in this issue,” said Daniel Wexler, formerly PURRE’s public policy director. “PURRE was successful in bringing these complex issues to the forefront, which helped to create a sense of urgency for the people in this community to get involved in working to improve our water quality.”

For seven years, the work of the PURRE Water Coalition Inc. has taken its officers, lobbyists, employees and volunteers all over the state of Florida and Washington, DC working on South Florida’s water pollution problems.

Chairman Valiquette has had private meetings with three successive commanders of the Army Corps of Engineers, two Florida governors, innumerable state and federal senators and congressmen, as well as many county and local government officials. Thanks to these efforts, and to PURRE’s members and supporters who made them possible, PURRE has made a difference. Solutions developed by PURRE to the causes of South Florida’s water quality problems were widely heard and gained acceptance among state and federal decision-makers. With a lot of hard work, talking, and grassroots support, PURRE played a significant role in convincing the right people to implement these solutions.

The PURRE Water Coalition Foundation Inc. has already stopped accepting donations. "This was at the suggestion of our former board member, the late Sam Bailey," said Chairman Valiquette. "Sam believed a community should support water quality efforts without the need for parties and golf outings, leaving organizations like PURRE to focus on their missions. Sam did a lot for PURRE."

PURRE's office at 2340 Periwinkle Way, J-2 on Sanibel will close as of December 31, when its website will be shut down as will its email address, info@purre.org. PURRE will proceed as quickly as possible to dissolve the 501(c)3 corporation. Any remaining funds in PURRE’s account after the expenses of closing the office and dissolving the corporation will be donated half to the Sanibel chapter of Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) for its efforts to ease red tide outbreaks and other endeavors to improve the health of the gulf, and half to the Sanibel Sea School to be used for scholarships for children of families unable to afford for their children to attend; the selection process for such scholarships shall be at the discretion of the Sanibel Sea School. “The education of children, our future leaders, is extremely important,” Chairman Valiquette said.

“There are too many people to thank by name for all they have done to support PURRE, both financially and as volunteers,” said Chairman Valiquette. “We could not have accomplished a thing without the support of the community, and I think Sanibel should be proud that its citizens cared enough to learn about a complicated environmental problem and then took steps to turn it around. That’s the Sanibel spirit. Vice-mayor Mick Denham in particular is working hard and effectively on water quality issues now, as is the city staff. We’re in good hands.”

Special Thanks To:
RLR Investments LLC
Royal Shell Companies
Roby Roberts and Don DeLuca
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
JN “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge
Daniel Wexler, former PURRE Public Policy Director
Chuck Dworkin, Esquire
B.C. White, CPA
Thomas Louwers, MST

PURRE’s Board of Directors:
Michael J. Valiquette, Chairman
Maureen Valiquette, Vice-Chair
Dan Schuyler, Treasurer
Karen Aulino, Secretary
Sam Bailey, deceased, and greatly missed
Jeff Burns
John Schubert

Executive Director:
Emilie Alfino

Sincerely and with gratitude,

Michael J. Valiquette
PURRE Chairman