A FLORIDA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION

MISSION STATEMENT:

TOWARD REEF MITIGATION, DUNE & BEACH RESTORATION AND HELPING TO ENHANCE TURTLE NESTING HABITATS.

BACKGROUND:

Coastal Historic Undersea Management Society (CHUMS) was first conceived 20 years ago. In 1987, the U.S. Federal Courts of the Southern District awarded Jupiter Wreck Inc. (JWI). ownership rights to a 17th century historic shipwreck site located just off of the Jupiter Inlet in South Florida. Archeologists first introduced us to the concept of its management by a not-for-profit institution. I was building a marine service business at the time and seized upon the opportunity to channel my marina’s resources to our then fledgling undersea exploration and adventure. Time passed and our combined practical knowledge base grew. It has always remained a goal throughout these many years for this evolutionary step to be implemented when the public good could best be served. Making something happen within government today can be a monumental effort. A single voice standing alone is unlikely to be heard. Staff in the regulatory agencies charged with resolving issues involving the environment have little latitude. Pragmatic ideas are viewed as oversimplification. Resistance is likely to be encountered. Hardened career bureaucrats, especially those in environmental sciences, barely tolerate any input from outsiders from the business community and other concerned citizens. Fault for this lay with us, not them by not being vocal enough.

The anachronism of CHUMS stands for our newly formed Coastal Historic Undersea Management Society. It is a fitting name for an interest group with similar likes and concerns; or better yet, passions, to help the public better understand and thus proactively engage in managing our coastal near shore environment. CHUMS are friends of the sea who are willing to step up to the plate, to endorse and support an idea whose time has come.

Accelerated rising sea levels in the 21st century is a reality. CHUMS purpose isn’t to debate the reasons why. Our first pro active first objective is to propose an innovative yet environmentally compatible approach for dune restoration here in Jupiter by the sea. This will help to create public awareness of some of the many issues some may think are too complex for the public to understand. These issues are very simple. Jupiter and Palm Beach County’s beaches and dunes desperately are in need of accelerated and innovative restoration programs with the proper quality beach sand. This problem is not going to go away and can be increasingly more expensive if innovative approaches to addressing it are at the very least not investigated. Within the course of our 20-year search for our historic shipwreck, we have located immense inventories of this high-quality dune restoration material (beach sand) and have all the permits in hand to move it (with dredges) so as to facilitate our historic investigations. Sea turtles desperately are also in need of this same sand for their nesting habitats. The sand we are talking about is the very sand that is washing off our dunes and beaches! By uncovering our onshore reef structures and natural hard bottoms, we can stimulate nature’s natural engine that creates and sustains high quality beach sand.

We are moving some sand. We are proposing CHUMS expand this volume sand we have identified and transport it back to the beach and dunes where it came from, there by restoring nesting sites and natures buffer zone to our coastline. This all can be done at a fraction of the taxpayer cost compared to traditional contractors versus our not-for-profit organization. It is our tight-knit group of friends, abet with diverse backgrounds (CHUMS) mission to mobilize the professional staff and acquire and modify the proper equipment package to place this sand and material back where it belongs and came from in the first place so that dunes can be maintained, natural onshore reef structure and bait fish habitats stimulated and in doing so, save the taxpayers significant and document able future capital outlays.

This worthy educational effort and action will turn the sand we are permitted to move into a genuine treasure for our present and for future generations.

Yvonne Addario Managing Directing Officer , CHUMS, INC.

For more information on how you can participate. Contact us at: 561-339-6823